Franz Fischler, EU Commissioner forAgriculture, Rural Development and Fisheries, has once again spoken out on fishing practices in the EU.
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“I am convinced that it is more socially responsible to do everything that can be done to reduce fishing effort on stocks that are under threat, even if this inevitably means a smaller fleet, than doing nothing but just watch fishermen lose their jobs for lack of fish to catch. Inertia is costing 8,000 EU fishermen their jobs every year. How many more jobs must we lose before we say ‘enough is enough’ and take the necessary measures to restore fish stocks to levels that will ensure the sustainability of our fisheries? The reform will deliver a smaller but more economically and socially viable sector while helping fishermen who leave fishing find alternative jobs,” Fischler said in London today [Monday], where he was presenting the Commission’s proposals for the reform of the CFP.
Fischler cited the example of the east coast of Canada, where the collapse of the cod stocks had deprived tens of thousands of fishermen of their jobs. He said that decision-makers could expect no thanks from those losing their livelihoods because they had failed to tough it out by taking the necessary measures before it was too late.
“Cod stocks in the North Sea, west of Scotland and in the Irish Sea and hake in these areas and to the south of Ireland and eastern Channel, which are important to the UK fishing sector, are on the verge of collapse. We must urgently reduce the fishing effort applied to these and other overexploited stocks. We propose, therefore, to establish multi-annual management plans which will determine the levels of fishing effort permitted to ensure that fish stocks do not fall below safe biological levels”.
Fischler pointed out that the approach was based on science, not politics. “All EU fleets will be affected in proportion to the state of the stocks they target: the more depleted the stock concerned, the greater the cut in fishing effort”.
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By GlobalDataPraising the UK for the sea trials currently underway to prevent incidental catches of cetaceans and non-targeted species in fishing nets, Commissioner Fischler said that the Commission valued such contributions. To ensure a level-playing field, the Commission would propose measures to reduce such by-catches, minimise discards and protect sea birds.
Fischler said that, conscious of the effects of reduction of fishing effort, the Commission was determined not to leave those affected cope with potential hardship on their own. This is why it had proposed that more aid be made available to help those who leave the sector find alternative jobs. Increased premiums would also be available for the scrapping of vessels most affected by the reduction of fishing effort in fisheries subject to a management plan.
Fischler said that “once a vessel is scrapped with public money it cannot be replaced. If someone wants to introduce a new vessel, he can do so with private money but only after taking out at least an equivalent capacity, also with private money. Public aid will only be used to reduce fishing pressure, invest in security and hygiene on board, change to more selective fishing techniques or for social measures”. As the UK authorities decided a number of years ago to end the allocation of aid for fleet renewal, Fischler said that as a result of the reform, UK fishermen would be on an equal footing with their EU counterparts as competition would no longer be distorted by subsidies.
Underlining the need to strengthen the effectiveness and fairness of enforcement throughout the EU, Fischler said: “We can have as many rules as we want, but without uniform control and sanctions throughout the EU, the system won’t work. UK fishermen have long been calling for a level-playing field in this area. The Commission is proposing the setting up of a joint inspection structure. This will not result in a concentration of control from Brussels but will achieve greater co-ordination between national and EU control activities and a pooling of the available inspection resources. In future, inspections will be carried out by teams of inspectors from several Member States”.
Recalling that stakeholders had been asking for greater involvement in the CFP process, Fischler told UK fisheries associations that the Commission had taken up their ideas on zonal management within its proposal for the creation of Regional Advisory Councils (RACs) for different areas. “Let’s take the example of the Regional Advisory Council for the North Sea. There, all EU fishermen who fish in that area would be represented and so would scientists and non-governmental organisations (NGOs). To those who fear that RACs will only be ‘talking shops’ I say: these councils will only be as good as you make them. Come and participate and make sure that they become full players in the fisheries management process”.
Fischler also said that the Commission had proposed to retain the system used to allocate fishing possibilities among member States, known as relative stability and the current restrictions on access in coastal zones designed to protect local vessels.
For more information about the Commission’s reform proposals and the Internet Chat with Commissioner Fischler on 17 June, click here.
