A street performance by the acclaimed Polish Klub Gaja theatre group, a standout member of the OCEAN2012 coalition, marked the start of a Belgian Presidency symposium in Ostende on present and future fisheries management methods.
To mark the start of the symposium on 9-10 November, “Improved Fisheries and Science Partnerships as Policy Drivers”, Klub Gaja performed “The History of the Golden Fish”, a street theatre act based on “The Little Goldfish” by the Brothers Grim.
Explaining how the fisherman is dependent on nature and stressing the importance of respecting the Baltic Sea ecosystem, “The History of the Golden Fish” captures the absurdity of present EU fisheries management.
“Ministers are setting fishing limits so far beyond scientific advice they are accelerating the demise of fisheries dependent communities. With more responsible decision-making, following scientific advice that has the confidence and involvement of fishers, EU fisheries could be significantly more productive, and the golden fish could become a symbol for a brighter future.” said Klub Gaja Founder/Director Jacek Bozek.
According to his and most NGOs’ belief, the need for improved collaboration between policy makers, scientists and the industry is critical; this since the majority of the European Fish stocks continue to be overfished – a situation which could qualify for one of the worst in the world.
At the symposium, Fisheries Commissioner Maria Damanaki fearlessly defended the current view of the Commission that science based fisheries “is the only approach which is reliable”. Damanaki emphasized that although it may appear obvious to base decisions within fisheries on science, it’s actually not an easy feat. She further emphasized the need for reliable data, and greater regional emphasis as a way of improving fisheries science and sound judgement when setting catch limits.
Also at the symposium, Christine Absil from OCEAN2012 member group North Sea Foundation from The Netherlands gave the coalition’s perspective on the science-policy interface in EU fisheries management.
“Many fish stocks in Europe have been decimated by overfishing and this is not going to improve until scientists, fishers, policy-makers and environmental groups can find a way of co-operating”, she said. “Management in the EU must rigorously follow scientific advice, but at the moment there is distrust and a lack of confidence advice. This meeting is an important step in exploring how all relevant parties can work constructively together.”
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OCEAN2012 is an alliance of organisations dedicated to transforming European Fisheries Policy to stop overfishing, end destructive fishing practices and deliver fair and equitable use of healthy fish stocks. FISH was one of five founding members in June 2009. It has now more than 90 members, and is still growing.