May 30, 2013 — Half a century ago, a cook would chop a cod in half because it was simply too big to fit in the oven. Today, most fit easily in the frying pan.
Blame the decimation of the dinner plate on industrial overfishing of Europe’s once plentiful waters. On Thursday, though, the European Union backed landmark legislation that could well prevent the commercial extinction of some of the continent’s favorite fish.
A GOOD DAY FOR FISH
European parliamentarian Chris Davies didn’t have to think twice about whether this was the best news for fish in decades. ‘‘Unquestionably yes. It is a complete change of thought,’’ he said.
Environmental groups haven’t been as upbeat in years. ‘‘This is a historic deal. It has a commitment to rebuild fish stocks and a legally-binding target to end overfishing,’’ said Uta Bellion of The Pew Charitable Trusts, a nonprofit organization.
The plan — backed by representatives of EU member states, the European Parliament and the executive commission — compels the fishing industry to respect scientific advice on overfishing, to vastly reduce the amount of healthy fish thrown back into the sea, and to protect sensitive areas at sea. Ideas that now look like no-brainers were unthinkable for years.
‘‘If we carried on, potentially 90 percent of all fish stocks would be unsustainable and at risk within the next decade,’’ said Davies, a British Liberal Democrat who led the push for change.
Alarmist as it may sound, disastrous stock collapses have happened before. Overfishing off Canada’s maritime provinces exhausted the world’s richest cod grounds and the stocks are still in a desperate state.
Read the full story from the Associated Press at the Boston Globe