BRUSSELS, June 7, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Today is World Oceans Day, and OCEAN2012 is launching the third European Fish Weeks, when citizens across Europe will organise public events across the EU to raise awareness of overfishing and of decision-makers' responsibility to end it.

Although the situation is slowly improving, many EU fish populations are still being overfished, with 19 percent of assessed stocks below safe biological limits. This is having a devastating impact on both the marine environment and fisheries-dependent communities.

"European Fish Weeks is about explaining why we must end overfishing, or fishing will be over," said Uta Bellion, director of the Pew Environment Group's European Marine Programme and OCEAN2012 co-ordinator. "Our leaders have the responsibility to stop overfishing, and citizens have the responsibility to encourage and support them to make the right decisions."

According to recently published data:

• For the past 30 years, annual fishing quotas have been set one-third higher than recommended as safe by EU fishery scientists.
• The value of restoring fish stocks to healthy levels could be worth euro 3.2bn per year to the EU.
• The European Commission's latest figures indicate that there is less overfishing of assessed EU fish stocks, but there are also fewer stocks that can be reliably assessed.

"We are encouraged by the number of activities planned for the third European Fish Weeks, which demonstrates the growing desire of European citizens to see an end to overfishing," said Bellion.

For more information about European Fish Weeks: www.OCEAN2012.eu/fishweeks

To view European Fish Week events on a Google map: www.OCEAN2012.eu/events

For further information, please contact:
Mike Walker, +32-476-622575, mwalker@pewtrusts.org

NOTES TO EDITORS

OCEAN2012 is an alliance of organisations dedicated to transforming European fisheries policy to stop overfishing, end destructive fishing practices, and deliver fair and equitable use of healthy fish stocks.

OCEAN2012 was initiated, and is co-ordinated, by the Pew Environment Group, the conservation arm of The Pew Charitable Trusts. A nongovernmental organisation, Pew works to end overfishing in the world´s oceans.

The steering group of OCEAN2012 consists of the Coalition for Fair Fisheries Arrangements, Ecologistas en Accion, The Fisheries Secretariat, nef (new economics foundation), the Pew Environment Group, and Seas at Risk.

SOURCE OCEAN2012