All citizens want fish-rich, healthy seas. The EU is governed democratically. So why are the EU’s seas fished out and on the brink of ecological collapse? The decisions are made in closed rooms, beyond democratic control.
The overfishing is not an accident – it is the result of a conscious policy.
According to the EU Fisheries Act from 2014, all fishing in the Union must be sustainable until 2020. Today, approximately forty percent of the stocks are overfished. The EU’s Council of Ministers is thus breaking the law.
The documentary The real rulers of the sea delves into the hidden truths behind overfishing in European waters. You can watch the documentary on SVT Play.
Director: Peter Löfgren
Editor: Helena Fredriksson
Cinematographer: Leif Eiransson
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2:14
EU fisheries ministers exclude the public. The countries’ mutual positions are kept secret. We citizens are not allowed to influence the decisions that are decisive for the ocean and the planet. The fishing quotas are set over a couple of hectic days and usually exceed the advice of science.
Deep Sea Reporter has exclusively interviewed the EU’s own Ombudsman Emily O’Reilly, who condemns the lack of transparency……
Reportage: Peter Löfgren
Editing: Helena Fredriksson
Photo: Leif Eiranson
Archive: European Union
The ocean’s resources belong to all citizens. We want healthy seas, full of fish and shellfish.
So – how could fishing for cod in the Baltic Sea be allowed to continue despite all the warning signs? How can herring fishing get the green light even though EU law prohibits continued fishing?
For a long time, I lived under the delusion that the European seas were managed democratically. That it is only in dictatorships that predatory behavior is deliberately allowed to destroy life below the surface and destroy the living space of all living things….
Chronicler: Peter Löfgren
Photo: Leif Eiransson
2:13
The EU fisheries ministers have in a compromise agreed on this years herring fishing in the Baltic Sea next year. As usual, we can continue to fish, despite the fact that, according to many observers, the herring are running out.
But there is one law that the ministers seem to forgotten about, which could lead to them having to tear up this year’s compromise. Paragraph 4.6 of the EU’s multi-year management plan for the Baltic Sea (MAP)….
Reportage: Lena Scherman
Animation: Natalia Quintana
