NGO recommendations to the parties managing shared fish stocks in the Northeast Atlantic

These joint NGO recommendations to the parties managing shared fish stocks in the Northeast Atlantic, about catch limits for 2021, were co-signed by ClientEarth, Pew Charitable Trusts, Oceana, Seas At Risk, Fisheries Secretariat and Our Fish. In this document, we jointly call on the EU and third countries to agree sustainable fishing opportunities for 2021 in line with the requirements and objectives of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) and international legislation.

In particular, we provide concrete recommendations for the EU and the UK to ensure that their framework for future fisheries management effectively ends overfishing, as well as for negotiations between the EU and other coastal states like Norway, also in the context of the North East Atlantic Fisheries Commission (NEAFC). In light of the UK’s departure from the EU, the adoption of a robust, scientifically sound agreement between the EU and the UK is essential to effectively and jointly address the current climate and biodiversity threats, and to ensure that sustainability, conservation and protection of the marine environment are given priority over short-term political and sectorial interests.

This document is part of a series of three documents providing recommendations to decision-makers focusing on different parts of the process for setting catch limits for 2021. You can find the other two here:

Joint NGO response to the Commission consultation on the setting of fishing opportunities for 2021 under the CFP

Joint NGO recommendations for deep-sea fishing limits 2021-2022