News
April 2, 2009
Unique Polish Anglers protest
On 19 March, marking the national Polish Anglers Day, some 200 anglers joined forces in Nowy Targ to protest the plans to build electricity generating dams on the Dunajec River. The protest was not only attended by chapters of the biggest polish angling conglomerate, the Polish Angling Association, but also representatives from sister associations from … Continued
April 1, 2009
White Paper on climate change includes threats to fisheries
Impacts of climate change will be even swifter and more severe than indicated by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in their 2007 report, the European Commission said in its White Paper on the subject published on April 1. Repercussions will affect many different areas of life, including marine life as a whole, and fisheries … Continued
April 1, 2009
High profits for all parties as Irish salmon fishermen hang up their nets
The Irish government has paid 20 fishermen more than €2.6m to hang up their nets in a bid to avoid the extinction of wild salmon in Irish rivers, the British news site Timesonline reported These commercial fishermen, who averaged pay-outs of €132,000 each, were the highest earners among 1,044 applicants sharing almost €25m over the … Continued
April 1, 2009
EU MPs set aim at recreational fisheries
The EU Parliament Fisheries Committee wishes to see a revision of the much-debated recreational fisheries article of the Commission’s proposed Control Regulation. In a consultative report, adopted on March 31, the EP committee included amendments rewriting the recreational fishing article to say that such fishing from a vessel in community marine waters, on a stock subject to a multiannual … Continued
April 1, 2009
Hobby fisheries mean a lot to society, too, new report shows
Recreational fishing adds great benefits to society as a whole, beside the individual rewards, a report by the Swedish Board of Fisheries says. The report, a compilation of five studies carried out between 2002-2007, shows that the hobby, in addition to the actual catches, contributes to strengthened environmental consciousness and increased knowledge about nature and … Continued
March 30, 2009
ITQs seen as way to deal with EU overcapacity
At a seminar in Brussel on Monday, it became clear that the Commission considers rights-based management in the form of Individual Tradable Quotas (ITQs) as a possible way to achieve fleet capacity reduction in the EU. On Monday 23 March, a number of NGOs met in Brusselsto discuss rights-based management (RBM) and possible options for … Continued
March 30, 2009
NGOs looking at ways to improve the regional aspect of the CFP
With increased regionalisation a possible element of the reformed Common Fisheries Policy in 2012, NGOs involved in the Regional Advisory Councils last week agreed that the US provides an interesting example of how EU regional structures can be developed further Last week, a number of NGOs active in the different Regional Advisory Councils (RACs) met … Continued
March 25, 2009
US Professor strongly critical of ITQs
Unimpressed by the debate on Individual Transferable Quotas (ITQs), an American Economics professor calls conventional economic theories of rights-based management of fisheries both “dishonest” and “false”. Daniel Bromley, Anderson-Bascom Professor of Applied Economics, University of Wisconsin at Madison, USA, was talking to a seminar in the Swedish Parliament on responsible fisheries policy and individual rights … Continued
March 20, 2009
Swedish-Danish harmony on Kattegat gear
After agreeing last November on a no-fishing zone in the Kattegat, Sweden and Denmark will now harmonise the rules for gear to be used. The areas with restrictions were set up to protect the dwindling cod stock in those waters, but in those parts where fisheries with selective tools were permitted, Swedish and Danish fishermen … Continued
March 18, 2009
New step on Recovery Road for northern hake
A long-term plan to improve the stock of northern hake has been adopted by the EU Commission. The proposed plan will replace the 2004 recovery plan that, according to the Commission, has helped the fishery recover to a safe target size advised by scientists after facing near collapse. The next step, via this proposed new plan, is … Continued