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The World's First Fish Carbon Protest?

By Blue Forests Project

December 13^th, 2019

On the 3rd of December 2019, during the first week of the UNFCCC COP25 in Madrid, officials from EU member states and Norway headed to their annual meeting at Norway's Fiskeridirektoratet (Fisheries Directorate in English) in Bergen. This year, they were surprisingly met by a troupe of flamenco dancers.

This event, the first of its kind, was organized by the NGO called Our Fish with the purpose of highlighting the link between the UN climate change negotiations in Madrid and the need for the EU and Norway to deliver on their ambitions for climate action by ending overfishing of shared fish populations.

Taking COP25 - the Blue COP - to Bergen

"Flamenco is the cultural symbol of Spain where the UN Climate Change COP is being held this week. They are discussing climate action and how we can do things in the oceans to fight against climate change. Ending overfishing is something that they can decide on right now, right here. That is why we brought Flamenco in Madrid to the streets of Bergen," says Rebecca Hubbard, Our Fish Program Director. She adds "the decisions that are being made here in Bergen are linked to what is happening at the COP25 in Madrid."

EU and Norway fisheries officials meet Flamenco in the streets of Bergen

Need for actions

In 2013, the EU and its member states committed to end overfishing under the reformed Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) by 2015 or, at the latest, by 2020, so that stock biomass can be restored and maintained above sustainable levels. However, it seems that the progress towards these goals is too slow.

Indeed, in November 2017, a report by Poseidon Aquatic Resource Management Ltd concluded that progress towards the CFP objective is inadequate and too slow. According to this report, the slow progress suggests that the second 2020 deadline might not be met if decision-makers do not increase their efforts to set fishing limits in line with scientific advice.

One year later, in December 2018, the Pew Charitable Trusts asked two fisheries scientists about how the EU is implementing the maximum sustainable yield limits, and how fishing nations are working to meet them. Both interviewees stated that progress was made but concluded that fisheries ministers still have work ahead of them.

And this year, on the 3rd of December, there is a protest in Bergen. This protest is a call for actions. It results from Our Fish observation that they keep on overfishing and that they are making decisions behind closed doors. Rebecca Hubbard says that "it is during such meetings that decisions regarding fisheries management and overfishing are made." She adds that "if we end overfishing, we would restore the health of the ocean, make it stronger and more able to resist and mitigate climate change."

A second Fish Carbon Protest?

Later this month in Brussels, on the 16 and 17 December, EU fisheries ministers will follow up on the Norway “consultations” at the annual AGRIFISH Council meeting, where they will set annual fishing limits for 2020.

Our Fish hopes that the ministers will take this opportunity by going public with a clear and deliverable climate emergency action by ending overfishing. If the EU prime ministers were not to end overfishing, this could potentially lead to a second Fish Carbon protest. Let's keep an eye on this!

Footnotes

Cover photo: "Gazi Bay, Kenya" by Rob Barnes, Blue Forests Project / GRID-Arendal

FootNotes

Cover photo: "Gazi Bay, Kenya" by Rob Barnes, Blue Forests Project / GRID-Arendal

© 2026 Blue Forests Project

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