BRUSSELS, Nov. 16 (UPI) -- Relying on overfishing in European waters isn't sound economic or environmental practice, the European environment commissioner said from Brussels.
European lawmakers have complained that Iceland and the autonomous Danish Faroe Islands are exploiting European accomplishments in the management of mackerel stocks.
The issue was raised first by the Scottish government, which in late September expressed outrage over decisions by the Faroe Islands and Iceland to set quotas for mackerel fishing that the Scottish government said exceeded the total allowable catch.
Janez Potocnik, the European commissioner for environment, told lawmakers Tuesday that the European Union needed healthy and productive seas by 2020.
"We need to move in a direction which means that fishing doesn't exterminate species," he said in a statement.
He said best management practices for fishing in European waters should include policies that don't diminish marine resources.
He added that the way the European community thinks about fishing needs to emphasize production, sustainability and maximum sustainable yields.
"Some regions are too reliant on the overcapacity of fishing fleets," he said. "Clearly this cannot continue."
