Overfishing is declining in Europe, but climate change is affecting fish (Ifremer)

“Fish populations are more abundant, fishing pressure is decreasing,” said Clara Ulrich, deputy scientific director at Ifremer during a videoconference organized on the occasion of the French presidency of the Council of the European Union.

However "nothing is certain for the future", she noted, pointing to the "new climatic and economic threats that are looming".

Based on climate models established by the IPCC, scientists have estimated that by the end of the century, the decline in the biomass of marine animals could reach 20% on average.

Climate change has consequences for the distribution of fish populations, their diet and their growth.

"The chemistry and physics of the oceans are changing and obviously marine life is directly impacted", noted during the videoconference Didier Gascuel, researcher in fisheries ecology at the Agro Rennes-Angers institute.

Moreover, while overfishing is declining in Europe as a whole, the situation remains contrasted depending on the regions and the fish populations.

For the northeast Atlantic area, less than 30% of the fish populations are overexploited.

The fish biomass has been constantly increasing since 2007, up 33% in 2020 compared to the beginning of the 2000s for the best scientifically monitored fish populations, or even 50% on average for the other populations whose monitoring is less detailed.

On the other hand, in the Mediterranean, 29 of the 34 fish populations assessed are still considered overexploited, i.e. 86%, and many species are still insufficiently monitored and known.

"Despite slight signs of improvement in recent years, fishing pressure remains very high," notes the French Research Institute for the Exploitation of the Sea in a joint statement with the French EU Presidency.

The objective of 100% of fish from sustainably exploited populations in 2020 has thus not been achieved, recalls the press release.

"We must maintain ambitious long-term management efforts in order to be able to maintain fisheries that are sustainable and resilient", concluded Clara Ulrich.

© 2022 AFP