The measures of the EU against overfishing during Irish presidency.

The fishing grounds for the Irish are not only in the Atlantic Ocean. Between Ireland and Cornwall is the Celtic sea, between Dublin and Scotland is the Irish Sea, and between these two seas is the Saint Georges channel. All these are the fishing grounds for the Irish.

But industrial overfishing has endangered those fishing grounds for the future. The cod as the main fish in those grounds has declined 70 % in the last 10 years. Generally 75 % of European stocks are overfished. For many years NGOs like Greenpeace have fought against overfishing of the cod and the tuna in these international seas.

There was already and international agreement, the “Cartagena Convention” against industrial overfishing in these seas, but no institution to control the implementation of this agreement. 

Now in February 2013, during Irish presidency of the EU council the European Parliament has backed reforms to end overfishing and restore EU sea stocks to healthy levels by 2020. But this alone will not help. The final agreement must be approved by the European Parliament and endorsed by the European Union's 27 governments. The Irish Government, as holder of the rotating EU presidency, has said it hopes to get a political deal on the proposed reforms by the end of June.