FISHERIES POLICY OVERHAUL DUE OUT

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New fishing plans for Europe designed to restore hope to beleaguered trawler fleets are to be unveiled - the most radical overhaul in the history of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP).

 

After decades of dwindling white fish stocks and declining fishing communities, Brussels wants backing from EU governments for a radical programme which Fisheries Commissioner Maria Damanaki promises will revive the sector's fortunes.

 

The plans include a ban on a practice the current CFP promotes - the dumping of dead fish back in the sea.

 

The issue has been publicised across the UK by celebrity chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, whose "Hugh's Fish Fight" campaign has been endorsed by celebrities including Sir Richard Branson, Stephen Fry and Ricky Gervais.

 

Existing CFP rules impose catch quota limits on fishing fleets, which are not allowed to land their "by-catch" - any non-quota fish species they have netted accidentally. The so-called "discard" is thrown back, dead, into the sea, for fear of falling foul of fisheries inspectors and being penalised for catching too much fish or the wrong species or immature tiddlers.

 

Mrs Damanaki says the public will no longer tolerate a policy that encourages such waste when most white fish stocks are dangerously depleted.

 

The commission 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 in defiance of scientific warnings about the need for cuts.

 

The 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. Instead, day-to-day decision-making will be devolved to regional fisheries bodies across Europe.

 

Liberal Democrat MEP Chris Davies, secretary of the European Parliament's cross-party Fish for the Future Group, said Europe's fish stocks were at risk of "total collapse". He added: "Out of sight, beneath the surface of our seas, we have done huge damage to a natural resource that was once abundant and left Europe dependent upon imports for nearly 70% of the fish we eat.

 

He warned: "We have now reached a crisis point. Over-fishing must cease or there will be no more fish on the plate."

.express.co.uk

[Leon Roskilly]

If I were a banker I would say our fish stocks are underperforming assets.

 

Instead, I want a capital of healthier fish stocks giving rich interests, in the form of landings, to our fishing industry.

 

I want to maximise the economic return to fishing communities.

 

More at:

 

 

http://www.cfp-reformwatch.eu/2011/07/save...-the-fishermen/

[Leon Roskilly]

BBC Radio 4 Today

@BBCr4today BBC Radio 4 Today

“We cannot afford business as usual anymore because the stocks are really collapsing” - European Fisheries Commissioner Maria Damanaki #fish

 

http://twitter.com/#!/BBCr4today

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Europe's fisheries policy reforms to be unveiled

 

Celebrity chef awaits ban on throwing fish back in water

[Leon Roskilly]

Tweet by Maria Damanki

 

 

MariaDamanakiEU Maria Damanaki

 

The Commission just adopted my proposal for reforming the EU Common Fisheries Policy!

 

press conference live at 12:30: http://bit.ly/bmzLnC

[Leon Roskilly]

Details of the proposals at:

 

http://ec.europa.eu/fisheries/reform/index_en.htm

[Leon Roskilly]

Damanaki's speech at today's press conference

 

http://ec.europa.eu/commission_2010-2014/d...fpreform_en.pdf

 

 

 

Damanaki on the BBC

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/today/newsi...000/9536832.stm

[Elton]

Maria Damanaki unveils details of EU fishing reforms - http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2011...fishing-reforms

[barry luxton]

It will take another two years for the arguing over policy then loads of tweeking to 'adjust' the pain they will dish out, then a few more years to see if it will work or not, then hey ho it will be time to ammend the cfp again.

 

just picked one little bit up that is already causing discussion. Quota trading, yes we have that over here, but she intends to make it international, does that mean that the armchair skippers like football clubs get even richer. And seeing that 25% of the fleet including the armchair skippers own 97% of the quota in any event, it won't make one bit of difference.

 

 

quote:

........................... ways to allow fishermen to trade their quotas with one another, which will help some fishermen to leave the industry...................................

[Leon Roskilly]

just picked one little bit up that is already causing discussion. Quota trading, yes we have that over here, but she intends to make it international, does that mean that the armchair skippers like football clubs get even richer. And seeing that 25% of the fleet including the armchair skippers own 97% of the quota in any event, it won't make one bit of difference.

 

 

 

http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction...;guiLanguage=en

 

Tradable concessions have been introduced in many countries and proved effective in tackling overcapacity: for instance in Denmark the demersal fleet was slimmed down by 30% in 4 years and the pelagic one by 50%. Norway, the U.S., Australia and New Zealand also show success with this approach.

 

We propose tradability at national level only, and we propose safeguards to protect legitimate public policy concerns like preventing too many fisheries interests to be concentrated in the hands of a few. And the small-scale fleet will be exempt, to prevent it from being absorbed by bigger operators.

Edited July 13, 2011 by Leon Roskilly