‘Phenomenal loophole’ in quotas could lead to massive overfishing

Exclusive: Drastically weakened rules on how vessels document their catches of endangered species could endanger the marine ecosystem, confidential EU papers reveal

A push by EU fishing nations including France and Spain to weaken how fish catches are reported could see massive overfishing of endangered species and even “call into question” the whole point of setting quotas, according to confidential EU documents seen by the Guardian.

Europe’s most commonly fished species – which include mackerel, tuna, Atlantic herring and sprat – could be threatened under the latest proposal, which would apply to all vessels in EU waters.