New video shows how European consumers can contribute towards responsible fishing

Europe’s fish stocks are in danger: 3 out of 4 stocks are overfished, specifically 82% of Mediterranean stocks and 63% of Atlantic ones. As a direct consequence of this overfishing, there are fewer and fewer fish in the sea and many European fishing fleets are not profitable.

To address this, on 13 July the European Commission will publish the draft reform of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) which will set out a new approach to the way we fish.

“[Our WWF study] shows just how common the concern is amongst European consumers that we should not be overfishing, we should not be throwing dead fish back into the water and we should give real value to our industry.” Tony Long, Director European Policy Office, WWF, on the results of a survey revealing that 88% of consumers want to eat fish that come from stocks that have been managed responsibly.

“The consumer is very important. When [he/she] goes to the supermarket and picks up a product, he can decide with his fork.”  Maria Damanaki, European Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries.

To cover this topic, Mostra is offering a Video News Release (VNR) free of charge and copyright. Entitled “European consumers can encourage good fishing practices”, the VNR accompanies the release of the draft reform and illustrates the role of consumers and businesses in helping to return fish stocks to health.

-    In Belgium, the chef at fish restaurant “La Marée” chooses her ingredients. She always offers her customers fish from sustainable stocks.

-    In Spain, the SME Lonxanet Directo specialising in fresh fish, sources from a community of fishermen in Galicia with a long history of small-scale fishing.

-    In France, supermarket chain Carrefour provides its customers certified sustainable frozen fish from the best suppliers as part of its growing sustainable frozen fish line.

Background note
CFP Draft Reform: 13 July
The goal of the reform is to put an end to the over-exploitation of fish stocks. Overfishing is at the heart of a number of problems for the European fishing sector including decreased reproduction amongst fish species, too many fishing boats and a deteriorating quality of life for fishermen.

Past efforts to tackle the problem did not go far enough. Under the new plans, the reform aims to make sustainable fishing a priority, to restore stocks to abundance and to help the fishing industry to grow. To achieve the reform’s vision, consumers need to play a key role.

“European consumers can encourage good fishing practices” is available in English and international versions. The video script below is in all 23 official European Union languages to enable journalists to produce their own reports.