More fish campaign takes issue with wasteful EU regulations

Unsustainable regulations mean fishing fleets end up having to discard up to 60% of their catch
SEE ALSO: http://www.wwf.org.uk/what_we_do/campaigning/more_fish/

A coalition consisting of WWF, Greenpeace, Marine Conservation Society, RSPB, ClientEarth, New Economics Foundation and OCEAN2012 are set to contest the new EU fishing proposals.

The coalition has indicated:

• A clear plan is needed and timetable for sustainable fisheries management – a schedule of who should do what and by when, regionally and internationally.
• There must be specific measures – not just vague high-level commitments – to make sure environmental targets are met. And any ‘sustainability conditions’ must apply to all fish stocks.
• There needs to be a rapid reduction in all bycatch (accidental capture or destruction of sealife) and an end to wasteful discards. The EU proposal as it stands seems to be to reduce discards by allowing some of the currently banned over-quota or undersize fish to be landed, instead of thrown back in the sea dead as they are at the moment. This would certainly reduce waste, but it doesn’t solve the fundamental and urgent issue of over-fishing – in fact it could make it worse. The right answer, we believe, is to use better, more selective fishing equipment, so the right kind and right quantity of fish are caught to start with.
• There must be genuine regional co-management of fisheries – to involve fishermen, officials, scientists, industry and NGOs, working together to implement multi-annual plans.
• The EU should position itself as a global leader in promoting sustainable fisheries – especially as 60% of fish eaten in Europe is caught in seas further afield.
• There need to be clear plans for reducing the fishing capacity of the EU fleet – and to make sure the underlying ‘right to fish’ is based on social and environmental criteria, not just economic ones.

On the positive side, WWF say, the proposal establishes the need to exploit fish populations at levels that guarantee their survival and identifies multi-annual plans as a way to achieve this.
However, crucial delivery mechanisms, responsibilities and timeframes for these plans (outlining who should do what and by when) are missing.

Furthermore, the Commission’s paper lacks a clear vision for reducing the overcapacity of Europe’s fleet, proposes an ineffective discard ban, and falls flat on expectations about stakeholder involvement at a regional level and the EU’s leadership role in the international fisheries arena.

WWF urged the European Parliament and Member States to work to save both seas and the fisheries sector: “There is growing alarm among civil society, businesses and consumers about the disastrous management of Europe’s fisheries. The CFP reform is a once in a ten year opportunity to ensure fish stocks recover and Europe’s fisheries return to prosperity,”

Tony Long, Director of WWF’s European Policy Office said. “It may be the last one. While the European Commission’s proposal contains some potentially good elements, too much is being left to chance.”
“Ministers and MEPs must demonstrate the political courage to invest in sustainable fisheries management now or be prepared to carry the responsibility for ravaged stocks in the near future.”

WWF add the mechanism proposed to deal with the overcapacity of the fleet, transferable fishing concessions, a very specific form of Rights Based Management (RBM), is inflexible and excludes safeguards to prevent a concentration of fishing activities to a small number of vessels or to guarantee a timely revocation of the concessions should conservation goals not be met.

While WWF say they support  RBM, they  advocate a wide toolbox of schemes to suit any specific fishery, unlike what has been proposed by the European Commission.

“There is no ‘one size fits all’ solution for the overcapacity of the EU fleet given the variety of fisheries that exist in Europe. Nor will ‘the market’ automatically solve this problem. WWF believes it is important to give fishermen a more secure stake in the fishery to boost stewardship, but this should be linked to clear conservation goals. As the proposal stands, this isn’t the case,” Tony Long commented.

WWF welcome the Commission’s intention to end the wasteful practice of discarding. However, the proposed discard ban alongside the new option to commercialise undersized fish and fish caught in excess of quotas is the wrong solution for a pressing problem. It is likely to encourage fishermen to fish less selectively whereas the widespread adoption of selective gear is precisely one of the most effective measures for ending discards.

“With 60% of fish consumed within the EU now being caught abroad, it is disappointing to see just a few vague statements in the Commission’s proposal short of clear targets, measures or deadlines to ensure that the EU positions itself as a global leader in promoting sustainable fisheries.” Say WWF

Uta Bellion, director of the Pew Environment Group’s European Marine Programme and coordinator of OCEAN2012 said: “The Commission’s proposal includes solid targets for the recovery of European fish stocks, including requiring that measures be taken in accordance with the best available scientific advice. This could bring an end to overfishing in EU waters and by its fleet internationally.

“However, the Commission’s proposal falls short in the way it addresses overcapacity, which its own 2009 Green Paper identified as a key driver of overfishing. Instead of mandating a capacity reduction, it aims to decrease the EU fishing fleet by what amounts to the quasi-privatisation of EU fish resources.”

Valere Tjolle

Valere is editor of the Sustainable Tourism Report Suite 2011 Special Offers HERE