The information on this site is subject to a disclaimer and a copyright notice . We are catching too many fish too young, which is seriously hindering the renewal of fish stocks.
Decisive action is required to ensure the sustainability of the fisheries sector.
The Green Paper puts forward new objectives and presents options on how to achieve them. Following this debate and a public hearing on 5 to 7 June, the Commission will bring forward its proposals for a revised CFP which should enter into force on 1 January 2003. Getting out of a spiral of decline The Green Paper presents a bleak picture of the situation of European fisheries today. This is due to too much fishing by a fleet that is too large for the amount of fish that should be caught and by conservation measures which have not been effective or selective enough to protect fish stocks and marine ecosystems. Shrinking economic returns tend to encourage people to fish harder, often by investing more in better fishing technology, compounding the vulnerability of the stocks and of marine ecosystems as well as undermining the economic situation of the industry itself.