The European Union Fisheries Policy

The Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) is the fisheries policy of the European Union. It sets quotas for which member states are allowed to catch what amounts of each type of fish, as well as encouraging the fishing industry by various market interventions. The common fisheries policy was created to manage fish stocks for the European Union as a whole. Article 38 of the 1957 Treaty of Rome which created the European Communities (now European Union) stated that there should be a common policy for fisheries. Fishing is a relatively unimportant economic activity within the EU. It contributes generally less than 1% to gross national product, but employs 260,000 fishermen catching 8 million tonnes of fish in 1995. In the same year 1.6 million tonnes of fish were exported, while 4.3 million tonnes were imported. The EU fleet has 97,000 vessels of varying sizes. Fish farming produced a further 1 million tonnes of fish and shellfish and employed another 85,000 people. Fishing represents no more than 10% of local employment in any region of the EU, but it is often in areas where other employment opportunities are limited. The market for fish and fish products has changed in recent years. Supermarkets are now the main buyers of fish and expect steady supplies. Fresh fish sales have fallen, but demand for processed fish and prepared meals has grown. Despite this, employment in fish processing has been falling, with 60% of fish consumed in the EU coming from outside.