iFish.info - Information Portal about the European Fishing Industry
EU fishing sector demands realism and flexibility in face of the imminent arrival of the "perfect storm"
Europêche urges European Commission to remove zero tariff quotas on 22,000 tonnes of tuna loins from South-east Asian countries
Why do we need large scale vessels?
Sectoral Social Dialogue comments on driftnets
Europeche Strengthens its work
Significant progress in achieving sustainable fisheries in the EU
ifish.info Information portal for the European fishing industry
EU Parliament vote on multi-annual plan for demersal fish stocks in the North Sea poses concerns to industry
Commissioner Vella committed to supporting EU long distance fishing fleet
Lack of implementation of EU funds hampers efforts to achieve CFP objectives
Success story for European fisheries and policies
Press Releases

EU fishing industry calls once again for EU action against Norway and Faroe Islands to stop their overfishing of the Northeast Atlantic mackerel stock
The unilaterally set Northeast Atlantic mackerel quotas by Norway and Faroe Islands are unacceptable. The EU fishing industry is asking for an immediate EU response to stop Norway and Faroe Islands continuing their unsustainable and irresponsible behaviour, to prevent overfishing of the Northeast Atlantic mackerel stock. We reiterate our call on the EU Commission and the Council to make use of the instruments at their disposal, such as trade measures, for concrete action. Right now, responsible EU businesses are at risk of being disadvantaged for doing the right thing.

WTO secures deal over fisheries subsidies
After two decades of dialogue, trade ministers from 164 countries broke today a last-minute deal on fisheries subsidies. Despite India's blocking pressures, which threatened to derail the multilateral agreement, WTO managed to sign a historic treaty to curb harmful fisheries subsidies. Europêche welcomes the introduction of fishing disciplines globally, similarly to what was done in the EU in the early 2000’s. The sector appreciates the decision of WTO not to extend the scope of the disciplines to cover non-specific fuel subsidies. However, the fleet considers the section that refers to fishing in the high seas to be very negative, since it is going to cause seriously harm in part of the EU long-distance fleet that operates in the Southwest Atlantic.

The future Common Fisheries Policy must correct failed policies and adapt to new challenges
Fishing must regain its place as an essential and respected activity for the society. Environmental protection requirements must integrate but not overrule fisheries policies.
Position & Letters

News

iFish, We Fish
The commercial fisheries of the EU stretch for thousands of square miles, from the inhospitable seas of the Arctic North, to the warmer and more favourable climes of the Southern Mediterranean. These communal waters harbour a plethora of commercial species of fish and shellfish, the landings of which form an integral part of the economies of 23 member countries, accounting for a colossal 4.9 million tonne catch, from a fleet of 87,500 vessels, a statistic that indicates a world ranking of 5th largest in terms of total output.
European Projects

The Catching the Potential Project was officially kicked off on the 28th of May with the project consortium from seven EU Member States. In the course of the next three years, we will work together on the project's goal to develop an European, perhaps international, standard in the field of sustainability training for fishers.

Catching the potential’s ultimate goal is to develop a European standard for sustainable fisheries training. Learn more about the steps of the project.

The project as a whole, consists in partially implementing the work programme of the Sectoral Social Dialogue Committee for Sea Fishing in order to significantly make progress in various key areas of interest for Social Partners. The main issues covered by the project are mainly dealing with how to improve health, working conditions and safety at sea of our fishermen.
Home by the Sea -Can fisheries and wind farms co-exist?
Sustainable fishing activities require space as does the development and operation of offshore wind farms. In order to safeguard the future of our seas and oceans, the EU adopted back in 2014 a Directive for maritime and coastal spatial planning urging Member States to ensure that human activities at sea take place in an efficient, safe and sustainable way and reduce users’ conflicts. At the same time, to tackle climate change, EU governments are determined to answer to the EU’s Paris Agreement nationally determined contribution to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 40% by 2030 compared to 1990. For this purpose, some countries are pushing to increase offshore wind power 40-fold by 2030 in Europe.Needless to say, the European wind industry has an ambitious plan, hereby claiming a vast amount of space. Therefore, the question 'Can fisheries and wind farms co-exist?’ is a relevant but complex question which will become more pressing in the near future.
Home by the Sea by Hiske Ridder. www.conpuls.nl
On behalf of and many thanks to: Job Schot, Dirk Kraak and Cor Vonk, www.vissersvoorvrijezee.nl. Julien Theore, Silvain Gallaisl and Olivier Becquet, https://pecheursartisans.com. Bertrand Wendling, https://sathoan.fr. Pim Visser, VisNed.nl. Rosalie Tukker, http://europeche.chil.me.