Friday, June 22, 2012
Thursday, June 21, 2012
Improving selectivity on Baltic cod trawlers
On 24-25 May, a seminar on how to develop more selective gears in the Baltic demersal trawl fishery was held in Karlskrona, Sweden. The seminar was hosted by the EU funded LOT 1 project which aims to develop more selective trawls through collaboration between fishermen and scientists.
Scientists from Germany, Denmark, Sweden and Poland are responsible for running the project, and the main objectives are to minimise discards and bycatch by developing solutions to improve selectivity in cod trawls without increasing mesh sizes.
At the seminar, the projects two main results were presented. A survey among fishermen about views on protected areas, regulations, discards and gear selectivity and secondly a desktop study trying to compile available knowledge and data about discards.
In the survey most fishermen saw a need for fishing gear regulations, and expressed different opinions on the magnitude of how much is discarded and the possibility to minimise discards (most of them thought that discard rates in the order of 5-10% were acceptable).
The desktop study of the Baltic cod trawling fishery showed that the bulk of the Eastern cod population constitutes of smaller individuals (72% are between 30 and 48 cm) and that discards are significantly higher in so called hot-spot areas, in which 25% of the fishing occurs.
Results from the project could help to assist the transition to discard-free fishing, which is foreseen in proposals for the CFP reform. The proposed landing obligation has been much negotiated during the reform, and it is clear that without improved selectivity fishermen will lose money by having to land undersized juveniles, while they also may not have enough quota to legally land all that they catch. For example, plaice quotas are not held by several countries in the Baltic, but these will have to be landed by fishermen once a discard ban is in place.
In the Baltic, increases in flatfish populations, particularly flounder, have caused problems for trawl selectivity by blocking the cod ends. This prevents juvenile cods from escaping the nets and large numbers are discarded as a result. It is hoped that the LOT 1 project finds solutions which will improve trawl selectivity and enable fishermen to adapt to the discard ban.
Council General Approach published
The General Approach, which provides the Council with an orientation position on key issues in the CFP reform but has no legal standing, has been published.
Despite six Member States voting against the policy position, which represents a compromise on key issues such as regionalisation, the discard ban and setting quotas that will rebuild fish stocks, a majority of Member States support the position. They believe this will strengthen their hand against the European Parliament who will complete their first reading in November.
MEPs, NGOs, and some Member States have been outspoken in their criticism of the General Approach, with the Swedish Ministry stating that “it is of great importance that living biological resources are being rebuilt to levels that guarantee maximum sustainable yield in fisheries by 2015.”
Damanaki warns Council: end overfishing or CFP reform will fail
The Commissioner argued that none of the endemic failings of the CFP: overfishing, overcapacity and discarding, will not be solved by the General Approach that has been proposed by the Danish Presidency.
Damanaki lambasted Member States for attempting to water down measures that would rebuild fish stocks, stating that “this is not a new commitment, we agreed to (maximum sustainable yield (MSY)) 30 years ago, then 10 years ago and once again 6 years ago…it looks like procrastination is an irresistible temptation”. Having proposed fish stocks being rebuilt by 2015 through a MSY approach, the Commission has found that several European states have attempted to undermine such efforts and continue overfishing.
She stressed that the proposed General Approach will delay the recovery of stocks until 2020 and thereby harm the economic prospects of fishermen, who would not be able to reap the benefits of larger stocks. The Swedish Minister, Eskil Erlandsson, shared this sentiment and emphasised that the deal on the table was not ambitious enough. Rather, fish stocks should be managed above MSY by 2015, as the faster we get there, the faster we give fishermen the opportunity to increase their income.
On discards, the Commissioner was pleased that the principle of banning the practice was shared by the Council, but that efforts to attach the discard ban to multiannual plans (MAPs) was not acceptable. Currently, no MAPs can be agreed by the EU due to a political deadlock between the Council and Parliament. As such, sceptical Ministers thought they could agree to a discard ban, in the knowledge that it would not be implemented in the near future. Damanaki stated that “the discard ban is the heart of the reform. Without this there is no sustainability in fisheries….it must be in the Basic Regulation”.
One further criticism related to measures dealing with overcapacity. The European Court of Auditors identified this as the key failing of the CFP, and several Member States have failed to fulfil their capacity evaluation obligations. As such, the Commission had proposed a mandatory transferable fishing concession (TFC) system, which would have led to the quasi-privatisation of fishing access. This was however rejected by a majority of Member States, NGOs and parliamentarians. The Commissioner responded to this by emphasising the need for an effective and binding fleet management tool to be agreed in place of TFCs.
By agreeing its General Approach position before the European Parliament, who according to the protocol for EU legislation after co-decision have the first reading, it seems the Council are laying down the gauntlet and attempting to pre-empt and water down the Commission proposals. This tactic has been condemned by several NGOs, who have requested Member States to reject the process. This evening we will know the outcome from the Council meeting, and learn whether a General Approach has been agreed by the Council.
And we have a bedside rug…June Council: Reaction to the General Approach
Early this morning, the EU Fisheries Council came to an agreement on a General Approach to the reform of the Common Fisheries Policy. Some countries voted against the heavily watered down compromise, but not sufficient to block an agreement.
The Fisheries Council has agreed to a General Approach to the reform of the Common Fisheries Policy, specifically on the proposed basic Regulation (COM(2011)425) and a new Common Market Organisation (COM(2011)416), despite opposition from Sweden, the Netherlands, Malta, Greece, Slovenia and Portugal. A disappointed Commissioner Damanaki responded to the General Approach, stating that “it is a fact that the Commission proposal for CFP reform is more ambitious than the [Council] text we have now”. Even though the details of the deal are not yet available, it is clear that further compromises were being made during the night and that some text still need to be hammered out in technical working groups, particularly with regard to the discard ban.
The Danish Presidency compromise proposal that was on the table at the start of the meeting left a lot to be desired from an environmental point of view. It contained a revised objective on Maximum Sustainable Yield, delaying implementation of even fishing mortality (FMSY) for some stocks until 2020 – meaning that rebuilding of some stocks may take years or decades depending on their fecundity. Baselines also shifted regarding implementation in mixed fisheries, where the state of vulnerable stocks would no longer guide management but instead be subject to other conservation measures, with only “significant stocks” being restored to MSY levels [N.B. we do not know if the wording on this remains the same in the final agreement].
It seems that most of the discussion last night was focused on the proposed discard ban, another section that had already been weakened by earlier discussions in the Council. France, in particular, is pleased with delaying it further and the text is now so full of loopholes that both Sweden and the Netherlands oppose the General Approach altogether. The Council also agreed on text to enable increased regionalisation of the Common Fisheries Policy.
Even though the new European Maritime and Fisheries Fund was not included in the General Approach, it was clearly debated and rather worryingly it seems that a majority of countries are calling for fleet subsidies to be reintroduced. Further negotiations on this will take place in the autumn during the Cyprus Presidency.
The Council agreement has been met by disappointment from both Parliamentarians and the environmental movement. Chris Davies (ALDE, UK) responded to the Council by stating that “for governments to say that we should stop overfishing but perhaps not for another eight years is little short of madness”. While Markus Knigge, advisor to OCEAN2012, criticised Member States, arguing that “EU fisheries ministers have continued their record of mismanagement by delaying the ending of overfishing in the EU and by its fleet globally. We are now looking to the European Parliament to support a Common Fisheries Policy reform that delivers a healthy marine environment and viable fisheries dependent communities”.
“This is another opportunity lost for EU fisheries. In the Green Paper, we were told of the great inadequacies of the current EU fisheries policy and the need for a radical reform to transform it. Well, with the Council it may have started out a tiger, but ended up a bedside rug. Our hope now lies with the European Parliament, but it will be an uphill battle after last night’s deal”, says Niki Sporrong, Director of the Fisheries Secretariat (FISH).
European Fish Weeks launched
On 8 June, to coincide with World Oceans Day, the coalition OCEAN2012 launched their annual European Fish Weeks campaign. This year’s theme is a call to “End Overfishing”.
Events will be taking place across the EU throughout the summer, and a calendar of events can be found at the link below. In Sweden, an exhibition will be held outside the National Museum in Stockholm from 28 June.
One of the features of this year’s activities will be for citizens worried about the effects of overfishing to form a human fish shape. These images will be collected from across Europe to serve as a reminder to politicians involved in the CFP reform that increasing fish stocks is a priority for the reform.
The coalition argue that overfishing would be ended if fish stocks were managed at their maximum sustainable yield, in terms of biomass (BMSY), by 2015 where this is possible. However, for stocks where this is not possible, quotas should be set at a level of mortality which enables the stocks to grow toward their BMSY level.
WWF Sweden film calls for “more fish”
In their new video, “for or against fish?”, WWF Sweden call on the European Parliament to end overfishing and solve the problem of discarding when they vote in plenary on the CFP reform Basic Regulation in November.
WWF raised their concerns due to long-term fish stock decline and argue that the fishing industry can be revived by measures which are also beneficial to the environment.
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
Fish Fight Poland: decision-makers disappoint
On Friday, April 23, Fish Fight launched its Europe-wide discards ban campaign in Poland. The event took place in front of the Polish Parliament (Sejm), and was led by a Polish celebrity chef, Robert Maklowicz. Polish decision-makers had disappointed by not attending the main event, however the launch was enjoyed by a healthy crowd including environmental organizations, youth, scientists, and the public. Despite the lack of political representation, a fruitful debate with Polish NGOs was featured and sustainable fish dishes were served, including sustainable sprat sushi.
The main purpose of the event was to raise public awareness about the wasteful and unselective fishing practices taking place in the Baltic Sea—and generally in the European Union waters—and to garner support to ban discards under the currently reformed Common Fisheries Policy (CFP). According to latest scientific assessments, the current rate of discarding in the Baltic Sea is estimated to be between 6 to 8%.
Prior to the event, OCEAN2012 Poland, Greenpeace Poland and WWF Poland published a press release calling for the application of selective fishing practices in order to avoid unwanted catches in the first place. ‘If these measures (of selective fishing practices) are unsuccessful in reducing bycatch levels’, said Piotr Predki of WWF Poland,’ a complete discard ban should be introduced’. Justyna Niewolewska of OCEAN2012 added that ‘our goal should be to decrease bycatch so that juvenile fish and unwanted catches are left alone to grow and reproduce, so that there is an overall increase in the resource pool’. She added that ‘a decrease in discards, therefore, should be treated as an investment in the future’.
Discarding of unwanted catches (or bycatch) leaves 1.3 million tonnes of perfectly good fish thrown back to the sea each year – often dead or badly damaged. Bycatch is defined as fish (commercial or non-commerical species) caught unintentionally while trying to catch other fish. Bycatch includes untargeted catch, which means catching undersized/ juvenile individuals or protected species.
The focus on the wasteful practice of discarding was tabled by the European Commission already under the previous Commissioner for Maritime Affairs & Fisheries, Joe Borg. Since then the issue has been influenced by the Fish Fight campaign, which has helped the current Commissioner, Maria Damanaki, highlight the problem of discarding among the general public across Europe. So far more than 800 000 people in the European Union and beyond actively support the cause through Fish Fight.
The lack of political representation at the Fish Fight launch provided some food for thought. Political engagement at the public level is not only desirable but necessary in Poland. We should all work together to protect our resources, and political decisions should reflect the voices of its electorate. This means showing up, and stepping up to the challenge!
Join the fight! Sign up here!
Saturday, June 2, 2012
Friday, June 1, 2012
Recreational sea fisheries to be included in the CFP?
In a letter to the European institutions, the European Anglers Alliance (EAA) and the European Fishing Tackle Trade Association (EFTTA) have requested explicit mention of recreational fisheries in the CFP. This would represent a significant change in the way that inland and coastal waters, currently the preserve of national jurisdiction, are managed.
The recreational fishers have requested full “sector” recognition under the CFP, which would give them the same status as commercial fisheries and aquaculture. This would also bring the EU into line with the USA. They argue that this status would help to ensure management coherence for stocks such as salmon, which cross between rivers and the sea.
Regional Fisheries Management in focus
At a presentation given to the Swedish Green Party congress, Isabella Lovin (Greens/EFA, Sweden) discussed international issues such as Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing and Regional Fisheries Management Organisations (RFMOs).
Lovin published a report on combatting IUU fishing globally for the Fisheries Committee in the European Parliament last year. She has called for loopholes such as dubious reflagging to be closed and for product traceability to be improved.
The Swedish politician also called on the EU, which participates in many RFMOs, to support an obligatory independent review of RFMOs under a UN mandate. Moreover, she argued that an international framework of criteria for functioning RFMOs should be established. This would aid full transparency in their decision-making processes to be developed. When these developments are met, the EU should then support an expanded mandate for these regional management organisations.
The FAO fisheries committee, which published its “code of conduct for responsible fisheries”, is seen by Lovin as providing a template for fisheries management. She argued that “overfishing would end in a year” if these policies were applied and followed.
As ice coverage around the Artic melts, and the EU fleet expands into waters further afield, there is a need for RFMOs to be robust institutions which enable fishing to take place within the limits of the ecosystem. There are numerous examples of fish stocks being driven down and top predators being fished out. In new waters, international cooperation will be essential for ensuring that stocks are managed in a sustainable manner.
Today, the Commission have also organised a conference on RFMOs. Commissioner Damanaki stressed the need for improving science and research. Moreover, compliance with regulations to prevent IUU fishing was identified as a point of weakness for RFMOs presently. She also echoed Lovin’s calls for these regional bodies to be more transparent and accountable for the decisions they take.
ICES advice for the Baltic quotas in 2013
On 31 May, ICES’ Advisory Committee (ACOM) published their advice regarding the exploitation of the Baltic Sea fish stocks for 2013. The attachment provides a summary and comment from FISH on the assessments and advice.
ICES has advised cuts to both cod stocks. Most notably, an 11% decrease for the larger, Eastern stock. This is because the increase in the size of the stock last year was less than had been expected and so a downward revision of the stock has taken place.
The advice from ICES, along with input from the Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries (STECF), will provide the basis for the Commission proposals on Baltic Total Allowable Catches (TACs). The Commission’s advice should be published in the coming weeks. Council will then likely set the 2013 fishing opportunities for the Baltic in October.