European Union-Failure to protect fish stocks.

FAILURE TO PROTECT FISH STOCKS.

The EU Commission has announced a full review of the European Common Fishing Policy, saying the current regime fails to protect fish stocks.

The EU claims that fishermen who obey the fishing rules, are being penalized by those who do not.

The EU now wishes to cut the size of fleets and the time fishermen spend at sea on trawlers.

The EU claims that currently to many vessels are chasing to few fish and that ecological sustainability must take precedence over economic or social factors. In other words "just because a community has traditionally depended on fishing does not mean it can continue to do so".

The Common Fisheries Policy was established in 1983 and reviewed in 2002.

This sets quotas for catches and is aimed at harmful practices such as discarding unwanted or small fish.

Over fishing is the main threat to fish stocks, according to the Commission and in 2003 they assessed the industry as being in state of collapse unless there were immediate changes.

Between 1994 and 2003 fishing catches declined by 13%.