Fisheries ministers in Europe have met in Brussels this week to discuss proposals to balance fishermen’s livelihoods with the need to conserve fish stocks for the future.
The crunch talks for the European Commission proposals come as white fish stocks and fishing communities decline.
Changes are being sought to the Common Fisheries Policy which campaigners say encourages and forces fleets to dump any non-quota fish species they have netted accidentally or face penalties.
The Commission also wants to bring in a long-term fish quota management system, rather than the discredited annual haggling in which ministers wrangle to raise catch quotas for their own fleets, despite scientific warnings about the need for cuts. Yesterday’s reform plan calls for more accurate scientific evidence on which to base decisions, and for an end to “micro-managing” the fisheries policy in Brussels.
It is proposed day to day decision-making would be given to regional fisheries bodies across Europe.
In 2004 it was estimated 7.3 million tonnes of fish were dumped back in the sea. Last year the North Sea fishery nations Britain, France, Germany and Denmark signed a joint declaration committing themselves to end the discard system. But no final decisions will be reached at this stage. The aim is an agreement on the “general approach” towards putting EU fisheries back on a sustainable footing.
Proposals include a target year of 2015 to end overfishing by complying with quota targets, a complete ban on “discards” by 2016 and a new obligation on national authorities to collect data to improve the scientific advice on which catch limits are based.
2012 Northcliffe Media Limited