12 June 2012: The Psyhico local community in Athens joined MEDASSET in sending a message to Brussels in relation to the forthcoming EU fisheries reform in 2012, which constitutes a unique opportunity for transformative change towards sustainable European fisheries. MEDASSET volunteers and visitors at last weekend’s annual Environmental Festival were photographed sitting in a fish shape formation. The Psyhico photograph will be one of many from across Europe to be presented by the OCEAN2012 network to Members of the European Parliament. With this symbolic gesture, citizens across Europe call on their political representatives to take bold decisions that will put an end to destructive fishing practices and the emptying of our seas.
During the festival, MEDASSET informed visitors about sea turtle protection in the Mediterranean and about the OCEAN2012 Campaign, of which MEDASSET is a member. With the support of ΟCEAN2012 Greece, MEDASSET also presented the film “End of the Line”, which was screened for the first time in Greece, and exposes the devastating effects of overfishing in our oceans.
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 has a devastating impact on both the marine environment and fisheries-dependent communities.
Sunday’s event in Psyhico was among the first of many events scheduled to take place across Europe during the upcoming European Fish Weeks. To see the complete list of events taking place June through August, please visit the following link: http://www.ocean2012.eu/events/144-european-fish-weeks
On June 8, World Oceans Day, MEDASSET met in Brussels with other OCEAN 2012 network members for the official launch of European Fish Weeks, and took part in a similar gesture of support for healthy fisheries in front of the European Parliament. More on this here: http://www.ocean2012.eu/press_releases/80-europeans-call-on-their-decision-makers
Learn how you are affected by overfishing: http://ocean2012.eu/pages/90-how-overfishing-impacts-you
