Britain's fishing industry cannot cope with demand, a report has concluded.
The UK's fish supplies only last for seven months of the year, the research by independent think-tank nef (the new economics foundation) and OCEAN2012 found.
The report, named Fish Dependence, points to the upcoming reform of the EU's Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) as a "unique" opportunity to turn the situation around and create a new fisheries model that will restore marine ecosystems and deliver a fair share of resources across the world.
Researchers mapped resources over a calendar year and found the day when the EU and each one of its member states starts to eat the catch from the rest of the world.
It showed that if people in the UK were to only eat fish from its own supplies, it would run out on August 3, based on current levels of consumption.
However the findings showed that the UK fares better than other EU countries such as Germany which goes into fish debt on May 5 and Spain on May 10.
Aniol Esteban, head of environmental economics at nef and co-founder of OCEAN2012, said: "We've cashed in the chips on our fish supplies; but we now have a big chance to restore fish stocks at the UK level and beyond.
"A healthy marine environment is a pre-condition to building a stronger economy, a more robust industry and happier fishing communities.
"There are fish without fisheries but no fisheries without fish."
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