European Fish Week 2011 - Back to the Future

June 4-12 2011
 

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Beam trawler fishing off the coast
of the Netherlands © Corey Arnold

Currently, 72% of all assessed 
EU fish stocks are estimated to
be overfished, with over 20% being
fished beyond safe biological limits.

In living memory, there were more fish, more boats, more fishers and more fisheries dependent communities in Europe.  Due to continued overfishing, some fish stocks are now at perilously low levels, but it was not always like this. In the not so distant past, fish stocks were healthier and fisheries dependent communities were wealthier.

This is the theme of this year’s European Fish Week, June 4-12: how our marine environment used to be healthier, how overfishing has changed this and how the EU’s Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) reform is an opportunity to go Back to the Future. It will be about collecting stories and evidence of the past richness of our seas and fishing communities and delivering them to EU fisheries ministers with the message: "we want it back".

We will be drawing inspiration from historic references to the health of the seas in music, poems, paintings, photographs, recipes - By reminding ourselves of how living with the sea used to be, we can better understand the present extent of overfishing and how we can play a part in ending it through an effective reform of the CFP.

Around the time of European Fish Week, the European Commission will publish its proposal for a reformed CFP. When this happens, we need to make sure fisheries ministers get the message loud and clear.

Get involved

OCEAN2012 members will therefore be focussing their Fish Week activities and events on clear and effective messages to their fisheries ministers. Help us to put the pressure on your minister by getting involved in an event near you, and we’ll help you get your message heard. More information about events and how you can go Back to the Future will be published shortly.

In the meantime, if you have access to historic information on fishing, fisheries dependent communities, or the abundance of fish in the sea, please share this with us, from photos to stories, old video footage, songs or recipes. Please get in touch with Mike Walker, mwalker@pewtrusts.org, +32 2 274 1625.

If you or your organisation would already like more information or are interested in participating in this year’s European Fish Week, please contact Rozan Consten, rconsten@pewtrusts.org, +32 2 274 16 28

European Fish Week 2010

During last year’s European Fish Week over 20 events were organised by OCEAN2012 member groups in nine European countries – France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, The Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, and Spain.

Over 28,500 people signed the petition launched at the start of European Fish Week asking EU Commissioner Maria Damanaki to promote environmental sustainability as the overarching principle of the future Common Fisheries Policy. Find out more.

OCEAN2012

OCEAN2012 is an alliance of organisations dedicated to transforming European fisheries policy to stop overfishing, end destructive fishing practices and deliver fair and equitable use of healthy fish stocks.

OCEAN2012 was initiated, and is co-ordinated by, the Pew Environment Group, the conservation arm of The Pew Charitable Trusts, a non-governmental organisation working to end overfishing in the world´s oceans. The steering group of OCEAN2012 consists of the Coalition for Fair Fisheries Arrangements, Ecologistas en Acción, The Fisheries Secretariat, nef (new economics foundation), the Pew Environment Group and Seas At Risk.