We applaud proposals by the European Commission to reform the Common Fisheries Policy by phasing out fish discarding, broadening multi-year species-management plans, improving data collection and moving to ecosystem-based management (Nature 475, 7; 2011). But one vital reform has been missed: bargaining over total allowable catches should be banned and decision-makers should be compelled to follow scientific advice.

Politicians have habitually overruled scientific advice on fisheries since inception of the EC policy in the 1980s, setting total allowable catches one-third higher than recommended levels. Placing short-term political expediency and industry lobbying ahead of long-term sustainability threatens food security and the health of future generations.

Science provides the best tools for maximizing immediate benefits from fishing without squandering future opportunities. Let politicians argue for their national share of what nature can provide, rather than adopting policies that undermine the biological basis of food production. Politicians must cede their power over fisheries if they are properly to serve the public interest.