PAN MEP organizes event on fish resources

Brussels, 8 November 2019- PAN MEP, Francisco Guerreiro, organizes the opening event of the Rethink Fish exhibition, in cooperation with the international NGO Compassion in World Farming, on 12 November at 13h30, at the European Parliament.

The event aims to raise public awareness, including other MEPs, for the overexploitation of fish resources and for the sentience and intelligence of fish, calling for the need to adequately regulate the protection of their well-being.

The event will feature a photographic and informative exhibition and will take place from 11 to 14 November 2019.

“Economic policies, national and European funding increase the pressure on marine resources and condition the improvement of living conditions for these marine beings, especially when we talk about intensifying production in aquaculture,” says Francisco Guerreiro. “Sea creatures are the poor relation when we talk about preserving biodiversity and it is essential to ensure that the European Union is the epicenter of the best fish farming practices in the world. The current legislation protecting fish is vague, insufficient and not enforced (without being sanctioned) by the Member States – this has to change,” says the MEP.

According to the World Wide Fund (WWF) almost 30% of fish stocks fished for commercial purposes are overexploited, over 60% of fish stocks are fully fished and aquaculture is the fastest growing sector within the industry.

Overfishing is currently one of the biggest threats to the health of the seas and the beings that inhabit them. As Europe is the largest fish importer in the world, one of the blocks with the most trade agreements in this area, and since the fish farming sector is strongly supported by European Union funds, regulating fish protection with concrete legislation is imperative.

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