Fisheries regulations within the EU
This article is part of a series on Fisheries. For a comprehensive overview of the impact of overfishing on marine ecosystems read The Hidden Costs of Seafood.
At this point most of us are aware that we are probably fishing a lot more than what we should but what is the actual impact of our eating habits? As of 2018, two thirds of the world’s fisheries have collapsed, meaning they are fished to the point they cannot recover, depriving local communities of their income and food source. Collapsed fisheries also have major implications on the entire ecosystem affecting larger fish, seabirds and marine mammals.
Concern over fisheries sustainability is not a novel concept. The United Nations held its first Conference on the Laws of the Sea back in 1958 which led to the adoption of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) in 1982. UNCLOS came about after centuries of complete fishing freedom and it constitutes the most comprehensive set of international regulations on marine governance. Its creation has been monumental as it was the first time that international law perceived marine resources as finite.