Monday, April 30, 2012
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Saturday, April 28, 2012
Multispecies management for the Baltic – slow progress
Last week, the Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries (STECF) which answers to the European Commission on fisheries management questions, gathered in a joint venture with ICES in Rostock, Germany to discuss various management issues regarding the Baltic and the North Sea.
The first two days of this meeting mainly focused on compiling current knowledge of ICES’s work on multispecies interactions in the Baltic, the economic status of fleets and enforcement issues were also discussed. Scientists, economists, members of the Baltic Sea Regional Advisory Council (BS RAC) and a few external observers attended the meeting.
At a preceding workshop, ICES presented a “multispecies” model for determining catch quotas which accounts for the ecological interactions between the main Baltic fish species (cod, herring and sprat) in the central Baltic and northern Baltic proper. Several concerns were raised regarding the predictive capabilities of the model and the implications for management that would follow such an advice.
In Rostock, many of these aspects had been revised and improved but it was concluded that too many “question marks” remain for a safe implementation of any advice. One problem that once again was raised was the dated cod diet records used for the modeling, these could skew the results and the STECF committee urged for more contemporary data to be used.
Regarding the western cod stock, it was advised that no changes be made to the current management plan, see STECF report from July 2011, since no new information has been put forward to confidently improve current management plans.
Other aspects concerned the economy of the fishery as well as enforcement and control of fishing activities. Trawling for sprat and herring was identified to be the most fruitful fishery today, especially among fleets operating in the northern parts of the Baltic. In terms of enforcement, a switch towards a more administrative approach to control was proposed and it was suggested it could be more cost-effective than the current “at seas control”. To this end, transferrable fishing concessions were suggested to be a complement as if they reduce capacity, this would yield fewer units to control. However, experience shows that TFC systems also tend to raise the costs of control for Member States.
For more technical details about the revised multispecies model see attached PDF.
Friday, April 27, 2012
Fisheries Council supports closing loopholes on shark finning
Today, a proposal from the European Commission to adjust the current regulation on shark finning was debated in Council. The changes put an end to derogations from the current shark finning ban which allows some vessels to remove fins onboard and it was agreed that the Council supports this.
Earlier this year, the Commission proposed changed to the current legislation that would stop the current possibilities to hand out special permits that allow fishermen to cut off shark fins at sea and land them separately from the bodies. This is possible under a derogation to Regulation (EC) 1185/2003, which requires the EU fleet to land sharks with their fins still naturally attached. Portugal and Spain are the only EU Member States still issuing these special permits.
In the Fisheries Council, a qualified majority in favour of the proposal was reached this morning, with only the Spanish and Portuguese delegations working against. Their stand was also clearly reflected in an earlier debate in the European Parliament.
Please see links and documents below for more information.
Fish Fight launch in Poland: date change
Due to unforeseen circumstances the Fish Fight launch in Poland will be postponed to 23 April.
For more information on the event, please read the original article written on this topic (link below).
FISH has a vacancy
The Fisheries Secretariat (FISH) is looking to recruit a new staff member; a Regional Policy Officer.
The Policy Officer will take part in our work on “greening” international fisheries policy, with a focus on collaboration in the Baltic Sea region.
External dimension first step forward on reform
At yesterday’s Council meeting, a set of conclusions were adopted on the External dimension, marking the first formal step of agreement on aspects of CFP reform.
At a press conference last night, Mette Gjerskov, the Danish Fisheries Minister currently leading the Fisheries Council discussions, concluded that they had taken several important steps forward during the meeting. Foremost, she said, were the conclusions on the external dimension, which set out in no uncertain terms that when it comes to fishing, it does not matter if it is in EU waters or external waters, the same rules will apply. Commissioner Damanaki was visibly touched about this first agreement on reform issues, which confirms a commitment to applying the same rules to the entire EU fleet, takes the profitability of the sector into greater consideration and also respects human rights.
The Council conclusions on the external dimension are a definite move in the right direction, despite it clearly being a compromise paper encompassing the diverse views of countries with a clear stake in the southern agreements and mainly northern EU countries. Developmental NGOs are particularly concerned about the wording under section 7, which sets out a possibility for provisional rights to continue fishing activities once an agreement or protocol has expired.
Damanaki also expressed gratitude to the Danish Presidency for its approach to the discard ban debate, which had enabled the Council to move forward. The Presidency provided a discards non-paper as well as a background note to the Council outling the themes and providing questions to lead the discussions. This helped to move the debate forward and provide a framework for agreement. As the Danish minister put it:
– The discussion was primarily focused not on if we should have a ban, but how to do it. This debate will have to continue in technical meetings, but we have moved forward.
Regarding the tightening of the ban on shark finning, the Council made clear that they support the Commission proposal and now negotiations with the European Parliament will ensue.
“Positive fishing” – mini documentaries
WWF France have produced three mini-documentaries of approximately 20 minutes each. They detail “positive fisheries” which are examples of practices which are sustainable and have a low impact on the marine environment.
They focus on spiny lobster pot fishing in Corsica, whelk and lobster in Normandy and longline hake fishing in the Basque country.
Given the stakes of the CFP reform, these videos are a reminder of what our future fisheries should aspire toward.
Enjoy!
MSY discussed in Poland: a difficult road ahead?
On March 13, a seminar on ‘Restoring ecological balance as a priority for the reform of the Common Fisheries Policy’ was organised by the OCEAN2012 coalition, in close collaboration with the Polish Parliamentary Group on Maritime Economy. The aim of the seminar was to discuss potential changes the reform of the Common Fisheries Policy may bring upon the Polish fisheries sector, such as the implementation of the Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY) limit, and the inevitable economic pitfalls if fisheries management persists ‘business-as-usual’ without regard for maintaining ecological balance.
The seminar was accompanied by the exhibition organized by Klub Gaja under the project “Fish have a voice!”, which through a beautiful collage of photographs (courtesy of the Belgian artist Dos Winkel) and illustrations (courtesy of a Polish artist Beata Tarnawa) brought the issue of overfishing in Poland and globally to the forefront.
The meeting had a wide-ranging audience from representatives of government and public administration to policy makers, fishermen, scientists and NGOs. Among those present were Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Kazimierz Plocke; Vice Director of the Fisheries Department, Janusz Wrona; and Chairman of the Parlimentary Group on Maritime Economy, Konstanty Oswiecimski. There were close to 70 participants.
Seminar lectures were delivered by renowned scientists: Dr. Reiner Froese from Helmholth Centre for Ocean Research – GEOMAR, and Professor Krzysztof Skora from the Institute of Oceanography at the University of Gdansk. Both lecturers provoked heated responses, which tended to dominate the time originally allotted for effective discussions.
The seminar has been organised in light of the ongoing reform of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) and the critical situation of many fish stocks in the European waters. Scientific studies have shown that fish stocks in the seas and oceans are shrinking dramatically. In the EU it seems that stock overexploitation seems to be the rule rather than exception. The reformed CFP, it is hoped, could help to end overfishing, reduce damage to ecosystems and re-build the EU fishing sector so that is environmentally sustainable, and socially as well as economically viable.
The first lecture was delivered by Dr. Rainer Froese, who explored the current problem of over-exploitation of marine resources in the world and in Europe, with specific focus on the Baltic Sea. Dr. Froese explained the currently debated approach to fisheries management proposed by the European Commission based on the Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY). MSY is the maximum average catch that can be continuously taken from a stock under existing environmental conditions, while still maintaining population size at the point of maximum growth. To put it simply, the status of a harvested stock depends on the size of the fish population (biomass [B]) and the rate of exploitation (fishing mortality [F]). The concept therefore is used to determine catch levels below the fishing mortality (FMSY) that – theoretically – ensures that the population size or the biomass (BMSY), is maintained over time.
It has already been determined that MSYcould be reached tomorrow, let alone by 2015, (more specifically, the fishing mortality target, FMSY), and the EU is legally bound to restore fish populations to BMSY under the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS, Articles 61.3 and 119.1(a)), the 1995 UN Fish Stocks Agreement (UNFSA, Article 5 and Annex II), and the FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries (Article 7.2.1).
To achieve healthy fish stocks, the goal must be to maintain populations above levels that can produce the BMSY limit, which according to Froese “creates a reserve that reduces yield slightly and provides a precautionary safety margin”. He furthermore stated that if the CFP reform fails, it will encourage more overfishing. “In 1950s we used only 20% of the stocks” he added, whereas today 63% of fish stocks are overfished in the Atlantic, 82% in the Mediterranean, and 4 out of the 6 stocks for which scientific advice is available in the Baltic Sea.
Benefits to managing fish stocks above MSY levels are many, and include: healthy ecosystems, larger sized fish, higher fish stock biomass, less dependence on subsidies in the fisheries sector, not to mention higher catches, profit margins and returns on investment.
The second lecturer, Professor Krzysztof Skora noted that ecological balance should be a condition upon which further development of fisheries is based on in the Baltic Sea and beyond. He added that a compromise based on science is needed among the Polish stakeholders in reference to the reform of the CFP, because “compromising nature is not an option”. “It is an absolute necessity to reach a compromise which gives an opportunity for our marine resources to rebuild naturally”, he added, “otherwise, we risk upsetting the ecological balance of our natural resources, such as fish stocks, which will not be able to withstand excessive pressure, and collapse”. Professor Skora stated that fishermen should be leaders in creating and encouraging good ecological status of the Baltic Sea, however there is lack of political will to enforce this. Without fish there cannot be an economically profitable fisheries sector in Poland or elsewhere.
Heated responses followed both lectures. Vice Director of the Fisheries Department, Janusz Wrona, remarked that MSY by 2015 is a timeframe too short to follow. He added that he believes the MSY research presented by Dr. Froese needs further examination, and concluded by saying that he believes that there should be more attention paid to ‘fish-eaters’, and not only to fishermen.
Fishermen, Grzegorz Szomborg, did not agree with Dr. Froese either, and claimed that fish stocks in the Baltic Sea are not overexploited. He said that according to the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES), the fishing quota for 2012 could be much higher. In his view, scientific research is not entirely reliable or trustworthy.
“Such a conference should not only consist of environmental lobbying. We agree that we all need to protect nature, but people eat fish and fishermen want to live” – ??said Polish Parliamentarian of the Law and Justice Party (PiS), Dorota Arciszewska-Mielewczyk. She added that joint decisions need to be taken so Poland is not hurt in CFP refrom process, because Polish fishermen have greater limitations compared to fishermen from Germany or Scandinavia.
Clearly, Polish stakeholders possess wide-raging views and priorities for how fisheries management should look in Poland. There seems to be a deeply embedded distrust of fishermen towards scientists and scientific advice. There is scepticism, albeit slightly surprisingly, of some government and public administration officials towards a move to conserve fish stocks; rather, priorities seem to center on short-term economic gains, as well as the maintenance of the current status-quo. Fish is a public resource, and this meeting was a clear case in point that much needs to be done at the stakeholder level to promote an effective exchange that leads to a Common Fisheries Policy reform which serves the environment, economy and society in a balanced way.
Mandatory TFCs: off the CFP reform agenda
According to Chris Davies (ALDE, UK), the rapporteur on the Environment committee (ENVI) for the CFP basic regulation, an overwhelming groundswell of opinion has emerged against the Commission proposals for mandatory TFCs (transferable fishing concessions).
Davies was speaking at a panel discussion in the European Parliament, entitled “sustainable fisheries in the EU: getting the incentives right”. In his report for ENVI, Davies noted that shadow rapporteurs from every group in the Parliament had rejected the Commission proposals for mandatory TFCs. He thought that the amendments in the Fisheries Committee (PECH) would follow a similar line. Moreover, in the Council, a significant majority of Member States have also voiced the opinion that quota allocation should remain their prerogative.
Rather than merely looking at the way in which TFCs may or may not contribute to sustainable fisheries management, academics from Gothenburg University and the MEP Isabella Lovin (Greens/EFA, SE) stressed the need for fishing quotas to be set within the boundaries recommended by scientific advice. It was stressed that setting fishing limits which enhance the long-term sustainability of fish stocks should be the first step that the EU takes to solve its problems. Quota allocation systems can then be subsequently amended.
Lovin argued that harvest control rules, which would end the annual haggling over quotas at Council meetings, should be implemented. This would lead to the EU settling long-term targets for fish stocks, and annual quotas being negotiated which meet these targets. Moreover, a system of giving priority access to fishing vessels which best meet the objectives of managers would have a more sustainable outcome then merely allowing speculations within a TFC market to determine who has the right to fish.
Danish Minister talks up a sustainable CFP at NGO conference
In a well-attended conference in the Danish Parliament last Friday, Mette Gjerskov, the Danish Fisheries Minster laid out her ambitions for the CFP reform. The event was organised by a group of Danish NGOs and also featured presentations from the rapporteurs Ulrika Rodust (S&D, DE) and Isabella Lovin (Greens, Sweden), along with coastal fishermen’s representative, Naseegh Jaffer, and the researcher Seth Macinko.
In her presentation, Minister Gjerskov discussed the Danish Presidency’s plans for the CFP reform and emphasised that it was her responsibility “to act sustainably”. Healthy stocks and biodiversity were the cornerstones for fisheries management and her headline for the Presidency was “sustainability through an ecosystem approach”. To this end, she argued it was essential for discarding and the overexploitation of our scarce resources to stop.
When discussing the EMFF package, the Minister asked what should be the guiding principles for subsidies. She identified three key words – “environment, sustainability and innovation”. In order to have a coherent CFP, attention needs to be paid to improving selectivity, scientific evidence and controls.
Reflecting on the March Council meeting, Gjerskov felt that they had taken a step forward in moving toward the Council agreeing on the landing obligation, but that questions over improving selectivity, what to do with unwanted catches and the timeframe still remained. Moreover, she looked forward to the April Council, at which TFCs and regionalisation will be discussed, stating that “TFCs should not be mandatory… (they) can be a solution but they are not the only solution, we need to look at other tools for addressing overcapacity”.
Particular attention was given in her presentation to the goal of reaching MSY by 2015. The Minister emphasised that this was Danish policy and she supported the Commission proposals, with long-term management plans being a tool for reaching MSY by this timeline. The Minster stated that “all important fisheries should be managed by LTMPs with the aim of reaching MSY by 2015….if this is not possible for all fisheries then we should do it as fast as possible”.
Swedes call for more fish in the sea
Lars Tysklind, a Swedish liberal MP, hosted a stakeholder event in the Swedish Parliament alongside GLOBE and WWF Sweden. To work on the CFP reform, WWF formed an alliance in 2009 with processers, retailers and chefs. The latter groups all work with fish products once they have been landed and the meeting highlighted their desire to supply sustainable produce to consumers.
The alliance has a number of suggestions for the CFP, notably that there should be obligatory multiannual management plans (MAPs) for all fisheries by 2015. Regionalised management with more responsibility decentralised, and improved selectivity so that discards are minimised. Moreover, they suggest that as 60% of EU fish products are imported, the figure is 80% for Sweden, sustainable aquaculture production is a necessity. These policy recommendations are laudable, yet further detail is required for how these would be implemented. To this end, a launch event will take place at the European Seafood Exposition in April.
Per Baummann of Svensk Dagligvaruhandel and Euro Commerce highlighted the benefits of sustainable fisheries management for the processing industry and consumers. He argued that all stakeholders have a shared interest in our seas becoming healthy again and, along with several other participants, referred to the New Economic Foundation report, which stated that if EU fisheries were managed at MSY 100,000 new jobs would be created and revenues would increase by over €3 billion per year.