Status of marine fish and shellfish stocks in European seas https://www.eea.europa.eu/data-and-maps/indicators/status-of-marine-fish-stocks-3/assessment Safeguarding healthy commercial fish and shellfish populations is one of the 11 descriptors of the Marine Stretegy Framework Directive (MSFD) for achieving GES. This objective is closely related to the objectives of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP), in particular the objective of ensuring the maximum sustainable yield (MSY) for all stocks by 2015 where possible, and at the latest by 2020. Currently, around 74 % of the assessed fish and shellfish stocks in Europe’s seas are not in GES, whereas only 26 % are in GES when assessing both the level of fishing mortality and reproductive capacity; this assessment does not include the third GES criterion on age and size structure of the populations as this cannot be assessed at present. These percentages vary considerably between MSFD (sub)regions — from at least 67-88 % of the stocks meeting at least one of the GES criteria in the regions in the NE Atlantic and the Baltic Sea to only one out of 27 (4 %) and one out of 8 (13 %) in the Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea respectively. Important signs of improvement are being observed in the NE Atlantic Ocean and Baltic Sea. Since the early 2000s, better management of fish and shellfish stocks has contributed to a clear decrease in fishing pressure in these two regional seas. Signs of recovery in the reproductive capacity of several fish and shellfish stocks have started to appear. If these efforts continue, meeting the 2020 objective for healthy fish and shellfish stocks in the NE Atlantic Ocean and Baltic Sea could be possible based on two of the three criteria (i.e. fishing mortality and reproductive capacity). In contrast, there is little likelihood that the 2020 policy objective will be met in the Mediterranean and Black Seas. en Plone Status of marine fish and shellfish stocks in European seas https://www.eea.europa.eu/eea-print-logo.gif https://www.eea.europa.eu/data-and-maps/indicators/status-of-marine-fish-stocks-3/assessment How far is Europe in achieving a robust assessment for Good Environmental Status of its fish and shellfish stocks? https://www.eea.europa.eu/data-and-maps/indicators/status-of-marine-fish-stocks-3/assessment/assessmentpart.2017-10-13.8049252981?utm_source=EEASubscriptions&utm_medium=RSSFeeds&utm_campaign=Generic https://www.eea.europa.eu/data-and-maps/indicators/status-of-marine-fish-stocks-3/assessment/assessmentpart.2017-10-13.8049252981?utm_source=EEASubscriptions&utm_medium=RSSFeeds&utm_campaign=Generic Fri, 13 Oct 2017 15:26:33 GMT Irene Del Barrio Alvarellos