One of the key assumptions underpinning the original scenario was the level-of-dependency on fish protein and its impact on diet and food supply. This is now variously estimated as effecting more than one billion people worldwide.
An article by George Monbiot questions the use of trade agreements in securing the rights to fish in non-national waters, specifically off West Africa. While these agreements are not new, he asserts that both enough time has now elapsed for the ‘true’ local impact to be understood and also criticises the EU for its intent & method of negotiation.
Described by Monbiot as an example of “food colonialism”, he indicates that - while the agreements effectively ‘export’ European over-exploitation and consumption issues - the level of non-national industrial-fishing is now at such a scale that indigenous supplies are increasingly compromised with detrimental effects to the local food supply. Crucially, the Europeans who may consume the fish caught in these waters are not dependent on it as their primary source of protein.
He further believes this dynamic will become increasingly ‘aggressive’ as a result of food security perceptions in Europe.
Does this kind of behaviour signal an emergent trend in global fisheries management? What effect would this have - on stock levels, regional populations, small-scale fishery structures, conservation regimes - if projected into the future?
