EU/FISHERIES: Europêche Press release on Deep Sea fisheries

The Italian Presidency presented its work programme for the next six months to the Council of Fisheries Ministers today.

One of the outstanding issues to be decided by the Council is the regulation concerning deep-sea fishing in the Northeast Atlantic (2012/0179(COD)). The European Parliament adopted the compromise last December which was in line with the new Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) and now the Council is expected to finalise their common position.

The agreement reached by the Parliament was to strike a balance between the different interests of all parties concerned. Europêche supports the Parliament text which will enable vessels to contribute to more sustainable fisheries management while safeguarding the hundreds of jobs on land and at sea that depend on deep-sea fishing.

A ban on bottom trawling proposed by the European Commission was outside the mainstream of management thinking and completely disproportionate to the objectives laid out in the legislation. No international rule, be it from the UN/FAO or from regional governance bodies like NEAFC and NAFO currently provide for any ban on fishing gear. The proposal failed to reflect ICES (International Council for the Exploration of the Sea) advice from their 2014 assessments, the scientific results from the DEEPFISHMAN and CORALFISH EU projects and is actually inconsistent with international best practice.

The sector supports a more tailored approach to deep sea management; a specific problem requires a specific solution and not a one size fits all approach. We would welcome measures similar to those applied in NEAFC and NAFO waters to be considered such as the move-on rule and collectively freezing the footprint of deep sea activities. These measures would protect the vulnerable marine ecosystems, increase cooperation between the industry and scientists and help create a level playing field for deep-sea fishing. Europêche believes the Council position should reflect the fact that sensible long term sustainable management of fish stocks requires intelligent regulation.

Europêche represents the fisheries sector in Europe. Currently, the Association comprises 16 national organisations of fishing enterprises from the following 10 EU Member States: BE, DE, DK, ES, FR, IT, MT, NL, PL, UK.

Press contacts:

Kathryn Stack, Managing Director of Europêche: +32.2.230.48.48 kathryn.stack@europeche.org

Sources: Europêche

Tags: europeche, fisheries, deep sea, longliner