Rio+20 and the reform of the Common Fisheries Policy in Europe

At the Rio+20 meeting in June 2012, governments of the world committed to rebuilding fish stock sizes by 2015 at least to levels that can produce the maximum sustainable yield (MSY), even if that would require the temporary closure of fisheries. This study explores the outcomes of such action for European stocks. In 2012, only 8 of 48 stocks (17%) were abundant enough to produce MSY and with a business as usual scenario, this number would not increase by 2015. In contrast, if fishing was reduced to levels consistent with rebuilding and if some fisheries were temporarily closed, 50-70% of the examined stocks would be able to reach the Rio+20 target by the end of 2015. In this scenario, after three years with reduced catches, fish supply from European stocks would reach and exceed the levels of 2011 already in 2016. The implications for fish, fishers and fish consumers are discussed. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.