European Union ministers on Wednesday vowed to overhaul their 840 million euro-a-year fishing subsidies policy by next year to avoid overfishing and make the industry more sustainable.
In British waters alone, scientists estimate fish stocks have declined by 94% in the past 118 years and commercial fishing has profoundly changed seabed ecosystems, leading to a collapse in numbers of many species.
Environmental groups say the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP), due to be reformed from 2012, has depleted fish stocks by swelling Europe's fishing fleet, the world's third largest.
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