On March 21, 2013 the ENVI Committee voted in favour (58 to 1) of a deep sea trawling ban at depths below 200 m. Unfortunately, the PECH Committee delayed their discussions because of an intervention by the industry as little as 12 hours before they were to meet. This delay tactic enables the deep-sea fishing industry’s desire to weaken or destroy the regulation.
This week FISH hosted the third workshop on Capacity Building for Polish NGOs. This workshop focused on the Integration of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) with wider marine issues: The Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) and the Baltic Sea Action Plan (BSAP).
The European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF), the multibillion euro fund which provides money to Member States and the fishing industry, is becoming the focus of political debate on the CFP reform as the basic regulation package has moved into the trialogue negotiations phase. The proposal is currently being discussed by both Council and the European Parliament. An agreement is expected later this year, with the fund to be operational from 2014-2020.
The animation entitled “who owns the fish?” explores catch shares, and is critical of the system as it has led to access to publically owned resources belonging “to a number of private individuals who have traded, bought and sold these rights in unregulated markets….and has cut out thousands of smaller-scale fishermen.”
The Natural Resource Defense Council (NRDC) has evaluated the results of the American change to fisheries management in 1996, in which overfished stocks were to be rebuilt according to the Bmsy principle and scientific advice adhered to. So far, the benefits have been significant with both stocks and revenue growing quickly, and are set to continue.
The Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management (SwAM) closed off an area in the Skagerrak from fishing. A large proportion of juveniles were caught by a demersal trawler. This is the first time that Sweden has implemented a real-time closure in its waters.
At the biannual meeting between the Commission and the RACs on 1 March, the focus was on the changed work load for the RACs in connection with the reform of the Common Fisheries Policy – in particular in regards to a forthcoming discard ban and the multiannual plans.
Last night, after twenty hours of negotiation, twenty-six Member States signed up to a deal that would reduce discards to 7% across EU waters by 2023. Only Sweden rejected the deal. Swedish minister Eskil Erlandsson commented afterward, “how many exceptions can you have and still call it a ban?”
In a landmark vote in Strasbourg a large majority of MEPs from all parties and Member States supported a number of measures which aim to ensure that the revised Common Fisheries Policy will allow fish stocks to rebuild and recover. This will lay the ground for the coming trialogue negotiations, which will likely conclude in June. A summary of measures the European Parliament plenary voted through can be found at the end of the article.
For decades, the European Union has failed to prevent overfishing but today, in a historic vote, an overwhelming majority, 502 vs. 137 members of the European Parliament called for the restoration of fish stocks by 2020.