Fish in Water ? The EU and Arctic Fishing

As a fishing region, the Arctic is at the moment only of regional significance. Seen globally, catches barely have any significance, and even for the EU fishing industry, the Arctic hardly plays a role. The EU is important merely as a trading partner for Arctic fishing countries. Despite over-fishing, conflicts over quotas and trade are indeed seldom. What kind of effects climate change will have on future catch potentials is unclear. Even the available data on current fish stocks is too unreliable. The ecological systems are too complex, and the scientific data too fragmentary to make prognoses about the economic potential of Arctic fishing in the event of a continued decrease in sea ice.