BRUSSELS (AP) – Experts say almost all species in the Mediterranean are still overfished despite decades of seeing stocks dwindle – and the European Union is considering creative solutions like using drones or space technology to catch fraudulent fishermen.
EU Fisheries chief Karmenu Vella said Tuesday some stocks “are on the verge of depletion. All in all, 93 percent of the fish stocks assessed are overexploited.” On top of that, he said one in two fish caught in the Mediterranean are not even recorded with authorities – raising the specter of even worse depletion.
The 28-nation bloc has a new fishing policy that will begin in 2020 to eliminate illegal fishing but Vella said it might be too late at that time to counter the decline of some species.
“If we don’t take action now there is a serious risk that stocks will decline beyond the point of no return,” he said. “We cannot simply sit back and watch.”
Fishermen have used helicopters, under-water radars and state-of-the-art technology to refine their hunt at sea, while controllers have often lagged behind.