Saturday, September 29, 2012
Friday, September 28, 2012
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Monday, September 24, 2012
Sunday, September 23, 2012
Saturday, September 22, 2012
Fisheries Committee delays key vote
The Rodust (S&D, DE) report on the proposed basic regulation on the CFP – a fundamental part of the reform – has attracted over 2,500 amendments. It was up for vote in the Fisheries Committee on 9 October, but this has now been delayed until 22 November. In turn, the mid-November Plenary vote will also be postponed.
The new basic regulation of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) was originally scheduled to become legislation at the start of 2013. It is clear, however, that when this deadline passes no final agreements will have been made. To date, only the Council has made significant progress, with their June General Approach, in which key proposals concerning the recovery of fish stocks and a discard ban were watered down.
The reform process is the first major test of the new co-decision procedures on fisheries policy in the EU, and an opportunity for the European Parliament to really influence the long-term future of the EU’s fisheries, as well as the health of our seas.
It is hoped that these delays provide time for a greater depth of discussion within the Parliament. Last week’s Plenary, which featured votes on the Common Market Organisation and the overarching communication on CFP reform, found a very small majority of MEPs voted to water down the MSY target proposed by the Commission. However, several MEPs subsequently realised they had not voted as they intended and changed their position as a result, giving the “above MSY” camp a majority.
The fine margins involved in this decision and the novelty of the CFP being voted on in the Parliament have contributed to the delays that have beset this reform. However, the Parliament has a crucial role to play, and a second reading agreement with Council will be beneficial for a more thought-out fisheries policy with a long-term perspective to emerge from the EU.
Monday, September 17, 2012
Models are not religion – it´s ok to cheat
Dr. Christensen, the lead developer of both the Ecopath and Ecosim modelling software, widely used for ecosystem-based management of marine systems, held a seminar at the Swedish Royal Academy of Science last Friday.
The seminar began with Dr. Christensen giving a short overview of the use of ecological network theory for fisheries management and continued by describing how ecosystem models have been developed to be used for making predictions.
The main message Dr. Christensen sought to convey with his seminar was that we cannot expect a single model to give all the answers, the models are not sophisticated enough to alone provide accurate answers. Instead, to be able to grasp the complexity of ecosystems, several models should be used to make reliable predictions. Dr. Christensen used his own work to illustrate the need to combine several models, in which he uses three models simultaneously.
Dr. Christensen currently facilitates workshops on Ecopath around the world. One of his core projects for many years is the Sea Around Us Project a “database-driven, ecosystem model construction”, with the aim of using ” global, spatial databases to parameterise, balance and fit ecosystem models“.
Ecopath is a static, mass-balanced snapshot of the system while Ecosim is a time dynamic simulation module for policy exploration. Both Ecopath and Ecosim have been used when developing the multispecies plan for the Baltic Sea.
Sunday, September 16, 2012
Saturday, September 15, 2012
Friday, September 14, 2012
European Parliament plenary undermines efforts to rebuild fish stocks
In this week’s European Parliament plenary, several votes that will shape the future of fisheries management took place. The first reading of the Common Market Organisation (CMO) has been completed and voted through by the Parliament, along with the overarching communication of the Common Fisheries Policy.
Significant changes concerning consumer information have been put forward by the Parliament, within the CMO. Mandatory information on labels should now show both where and how the fish has been caught, including the gear type used. Moreover, the date landed will also be included along with information on what stock the product is from. These changes will enable consumers to be more discerning with their choices.
Under the overarching communication however, the Parliament rejected proposals by the Commission and the ENVI committee to rebuild fish stocks above their maximum sustainable yield, by a narrow margin of five votes. Amendment two, introduced by over 70 members of the centre-right EPP group, the largest in the Parliament, sought to water down ambitions to increase fish populations in the medium-term.
The proposed amendment changed the text, replacing “above” with “at levels close to” MSY. Such a change would however fail to guarantee a revival of European fish stocks, which have long been blighted by overfishing and mismanagement. Increasing stocks to above their MSY level would enable populations to grow and help to safeguard the future of the fishing industry. Much responsibility has been placed in the hands of the European Parliament since the Lisbon Treaty, yet optimism in their ability to secure a sustainable CFP reform is perhaps misplaced. However, it is the November plenary that will be crucial in determining the direction of European fisheries policy for the coming decade.
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Monday, September 10, 2012
Saturday, September 8, 2012
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
What lies ahead – Baltic Sea Future Scenarios
Last week WWF Sweden hosted their tenth annual Baltic Sea Seminar, as part of the Baltic Sea Festival. During the seminar WWF launched the report, “Counter Currents”, which presents a range of possible futures for the Baltic Sea leading up to the year 2030.
The exploration of the future is told in four story lines, entitled Clear Waters Ahead, Dangerous Currents, Islands in the Stream, and Shipwrecked. In each scenario, WWF presents a different combination of possible developments, and what sort of impacts those combinations of forces might have on the health of the Baltic Sea and the populations and businesses it supports.
The report outlines and explains in detail how decisions made today may impact what will happen in 20 years’ time. The message to the audience, managers and practitioners is to read the report, to start making decisions based on which scenario we want to achieve.
There is still time to “save” the Baltic Sea if the right decisions are made today.
Monday, September 3, 2012
Council General Approach labelled “irresponsible”
A joint NGO response to the General Approach, which was agreed to by a majority of Member States at the June Council, has called on MEPs to reject their approach for the CFP reform and “fix Europe’s broken fisheries policy”.
Central to criticisms of the Council are the watering down of targets to recover European fish stocks, through the maximum sustainable yield (MSY) approach. In June, Ministers agreed to the unambitious target of reducing fishing pressure by 2020 for all stocks, while failing to address the need to increase the biomass and abundance of stocks. Moreover, there are loopholes in place for mixed fisheries (GA Art. 9.3) and stocks shared with third countries (GA Art. 2.2bis) which may threaten several vulnerable and data-poor populations. By contrast, the ENVI committee in the European Parliament have stated that stocks should be managed above their MSY level by 2015, with further improvements to be made by 2020.
The Council also weakened the discard ban that has been proposed by the Commission, and is a cornerstone of Commissioner Damanaki’s vision for the CFP. Certain fisheries have been excluded and several derogations from the ban have been proposed in the General Approach. By contrast, concrete measures to improve selectivity and to handle unwanted catches have not been addressed convincingly. Sweden and the Netherlands voted against the Council majority because of reservations regarding the undermining of the MSY principle and the discard ban.
In a surprise move, conditionality clauses for EU financial assistance which would have prevented vessels that have broken the rules from receiving subsidies have been weakened (new GA Art. 50). This was coupled with a watering down of provisions which require Member States to comply with the rules of the new CFP in order to receive funding (new GA Art. 51). The NGO coalition called on MEPs to address these failings, stating that “far too often, EU funds have been abused and given to Member States and operators that have failed to comply with the rules of the CFP. We urge you to ensure that this misuse of public money will no longer be tolerated.”
BALTFISH continues to evolve under its third presidency
The first BALTFISH meeting to take place under the Estonian presidency took place in Tallinn yesterday. There was also a technical working group focused on implementation of the discard ban, which will most likely come into force in 2014 as well as discussions centred upon TACs and quotas for 2013 and the multispecies management plan for the Baltic.
At the Council meeting in June, a General Approach was agreed to by a majority of Member States which included a three step process to bring a discard ban into being, concluding in 2018. This agreement was however roundly criticised by NGOs and the Swedish and Dutch governments rejected it for being too unambitious. The mornings technical working group session sought to bring consensus on how the discard ban in the Baltic could be more far-reaching than that agreed to in Brussels. Implementing with shorter timeframes, including more species, exempting those with high survival rates and identifying choke species such as species caught as bycatch like plaice in the cod fishery and salmon in the pelagics for which some Member States have insufficient or no quotas for.
Representatives from Poland and Latvia were keen to emphasise the importance of selectivity. For them as well as NGOs the key goal should be to avoid unwanted bycatch, juveniles and thus discards. The Latvian delegation also argued for all catches to be landed, with provisions for mandatory releasing, rather than for the landing obligation to merely include regulated species. Several Member States also highlighted the necessity for sea trout to be included on the list of species due to its proximity to salmon.
During the discussion regarding the minimum landing size (MLS) or minimum conservation reference sizes on cod, two groups were clearly defined. Denmark, Latvia and Germany want to remove or lower the MLS and Sweden, Finland, Poland together with NGOs and a unanimous BSRAC support keeping the MLS at 38 cm. In his concluding remarks the Danish representative leading the discard discussion, sought to explore at future meetings a Baltic-wide agreement for a two step discard ban; in 2014 for pelagics, salmon and industrial fish, with all other EU regulated species such as cod, flatfish and sea trout to be in place for the start of 2015. No reference was made to non fish species or mammals.
Regarding TACs and quotas for 2013, which will be finalised at the October Council, Member States limited themselves to preliminary reactions to the recommendations provided by ICES, STECF and the Commission. They were though broadly in favour of the proposals and sought to follow scientific advice for all stocks to reach their MSY levels. Discussions will also take place on whether or not to continue following the management plan for western Baltic cod. In the plan, the fishing mortality target is set at 0.6, which is far in excess of that needed to bring the stock to its MSY. The Danish delegation and NGOs both recommended lowering this, with ICES evaluating Fmsy to be 0.25, STECF estimate 0.33 and Dr.Rainer Froese has suggested a value of F=0.2.
On the multispecies management plan for the Baltic, Stuart Reeves from the Commission presented a preliminary “state of play with the Management plan for Baltic stocks of cod, herring and sprat”. DG Mare is currently working on a proposal for a long-term management plan which will cover the three main species. The main discussions concerned the target fishing mortality to be used in the model, what stocks to include in the plan and what TAC constraints to include in the plan. The Commission presented a paper that used the same F values as those currently used in the single-species model, except for Gulf of Riga herring, and the paper also gave several options on what to include or not. A majority of the meeting favoured to keep a TAC constraint of +-15% and to keep the plan focused on the eastern Baltic fish stocks. NGOs underlined that several scientific models implicate lower F values than in a single species management and referred to Pikitch et al. (2004) that states that modelling for ecosystem-based multispecies management at MSY levels, Fmsy needs to be lower than for single species.
The proposals are still in their infancy and there was agreement that the scientific basis for the model is not where it needs to be in order for it to be used as a basis on which to managed stocks and set quotas. An increase in the EMFF funding allocation for data collection could help to redress this balance.
Regionalisation and discards on the agenda at the 11th Polish Fisheries Roundtable meeting
The CFP reform, with a focus on regonalisation and discards were the priorities during the 11th Polish Fisheries Roundtable meeting.
The Roundtable meeting, held on 2nd of July, was devoted to the Common Fishery Policy reform (CFP). Utilisation of the Polish TACs for 2012 in the context of the present fishing capacity was also discussed. Among others the Fisheries Minister Kazimierz Plocke attended the meeting.
The meeting was well attended, with over 50 participants, with representatives from the fishing sector, NGOs, scientists and the Fisheries Department. Another two Polish Fisheries Roundtable meetings to discuss the CFP reform are planned for 2012, to which the Polish Minister has been invited.
The Polish Fisheries Roundtable was established by WWF Poland in 2009. It is a forum which encourages exchange of information and discussion between all stakeholders engaged in the management of Polish Fisheries i.e. representatives from the fishing sector, non-governmental organisations, scientists and fisheries administration. The number of participants of the roundtable meetings is increasing every year.
An attack by sea – an art happening has moored in Stockholm
“Among the beautiful veteran ships and resplendent yachts in the harbour a peculiar vessel suddenly appears: A boat crammed with refugees. In one of the masts is hanging a 3 meters face of bronze. A banner hung up between the masts displays the number 2015. The ship moors alongside the quay, and the refugee sculptures are spreading in the harbour in the streets of the town and in the shops. An art happening has been launched, an attack by sea on the town with the aim of highlighting our moral obligation towards our fellow humans in the south, who have been born into unfathomable poverty.”
Danish sculptor Jens Galschiot in cooperation with Living Sea, and PATC (The Project Advice and Training Centre) consisting of 250 development NGO’s have transformed the Living Sea’s cutter M/S Anton into a floating art installation with more than 70 bronze sculptures.
When coastal areas around the world are depopulated and impoverished, it is often due to tremendous pressure from capital heavy international industrial. The refugee boat is a work of art and a political manifestation that brings the feel of the world’s refugee problems all the way into the city port to create reflection and debate.
The art installation aims to put attention on the issue of why people flee. The refugees speak about the problem they have to find a place to stay and live their lives – and the problems which have driven them from their homes. One of the causes and issues raised in the installation emerges from the problems associated with the European fishing fleets, which empty the waters of fish off the cost of developing countries. As a consequence, people on land are forced to find food elsewhere and too often find no other option than to escape their country – becoming a refugee travelling the seas on a boat.
M/S Anton is moored at berth 17 on Strandvagen in Stockholm, Sweden, as a visiting art installation during the 2012 Stockholm Cultural Festival which takes place around the city between the 12th – 19th of August.
Greenpeace calls for action on the EU fisheries reform
Greenpeace’s inflatable fishing boat takes over the city Centre in Gdansk, Poland, in a call for Poland and the EU to take action and support a sustainable CFP reform.
On Wednesday, 11th July, the Greenpeace inflatable fishing trawler, on tour through Europe, sailed from Germany to Gdansk city center. The vessel features an exhibition and information sessions, which draw attention to overfishing and the EU?s Common Fisheries Policy (CFP). Residents of Gdansk and the tri-city area were invited to learn more about the threats to our shared fish resources. The CFP reform is, according to Greenpeace, “the last chance to halt the demise of the European fish populations and the EU fishing sector”.
In their Call for Action Greenpeace highlight five steps which they see needs to be included in the reform: i) recovering fish stocks and reducing the risk of depletion, ii) transitioning toward sustainable fishing practices, iii) reducing fishing power to sustainable levels, iv) protecting the marine environment by limiting impact and v) making the allocation of quotas and subsidies conditional on conscientious environmental practices.
The need for the Polish government to focus on responsible fisheries management is especially pertinent at the moment. Ahead of the July Council, they signed a declaration along with France, Spain and other Member States associated with unsustainable practices, calling for further subsidies for fleet modernisation and decommissioning. Both of these practices had been excluded from the Commission CFP reform proposals, as they seek to reduce overcapacities and balance the European fleet with the availability of fishing opportunities.
The tour fills an important role, as we move toward the conclusion of the CFP reform. The inflatable fishing trawler continues its tour and is now sailing towards Central and Eastern Europe.
Commission report on EU overcapacity branded “inadequate and lacking clarity”
In their evaluation of national efforts during 2010 to achieve a sustainable balance between fishing capacity and fishing opportunities, based on reports submitted by Member States, the Commission concluded that “it will be difficult to eliminate overcapacity in the short term if no changes are made to the current policy”.
The Court of Auditors was particularly scathing in its response to the report. They argued that “the rules under which Member States report are inadequate and lack clarity…with the consequence that it is impossible to derive conclusions regarding fishing capacity”. Previously the Court has identified overcapacity as the key problem for EU fisheries management. Moreover, the Commission concluded that despite commitments to reduce overcapacity, Member States have failed in their obligation to do so. Member States reported a decrease in the number of vessels of 0.96%, coupled with reductions in tonnage and power of 3.8% and 2.5% respectively, however, the Commission criticised these efforts as being “hardly sufficient to compensate an estimated technical progress of 3% per year”.
Reports submitted by Denmark, Estonia and Sweden seem to indicate that their respective ITQ system have led to a concentration of fishing effort on fewer, more efficient vessels. In these cases, the reduction in tonnage and power outweigh the decreases in number of fishing vessels. However, due to the narrow definition of capacity used, we are unable to understand whether fishing capacity, in terms of the number of fish that can be caught by the available vessels, has actually decreased.
The Commission states that it “is difficult to verify whether the engine power is stated correctly” and that the measures used are too static and fail to capture technical progress. This is not an acceptable situation and it is hoped that future reporting addresses these issues under the framework of the new CFP. As the Court of Auditors criticism suggests, using the data to understand whether capacity and fishing opportunities match is not possible.
This report on capacity provides further evidence that Member States are failing to manage European fisheries effectively. Overcapacity has long been identified as one of the key problems driving overfishing, however, subsidies and quotas exceeding scientific advice have kept a bloated fleet in business.
Currently, several capacity regulating measures are already in place in EU fisheries management, namely long-term management plans, the entry-exit system, scrapping schemes and capacity ceilings. However, these measures are quantitative and fail to provide a vision for the type of European fleet we wish to see in the future. A policy of access criteria, which has been pushed to be included in the CFP by NGOs, would use the incentive of quota allocations to provide a structure to shape the fleet in a sustainable direction, without the need for taxpayer funding through subsidies or privatisation.
On a positive note though the General Approach, agreed by a majority of Council members in June, has acknowledged that where overcapacity is identified as a problem, action plans should be put in place to eliminate overcapacity (new GA Art.35). Moreover, the Council agreed to reinstall annual reporting requirements on the development of fishing capacity. These developments followed on from the Rodust (S+D, DE) draft report for the Fisheries Committee (PECH) on the basic regulation, that more stringent capacity evaluations would need to be submitted by Member States in the future. These recommendations are commendable, and it is hoped that future evaluations are specific enough to draw conclusions from.
Members of the Polish President´s office joins the Clean Up the Baltic Sea march
Our Planet Foundation is marching for a cleaner Baltic through their sixth educational program “See the Baltic…”, for the International Clean Up the Baltic campaign. The most important event of the program is the march along the Baltic Sea which started on July 16th and ends later this week on July 28th .
The march along the Baltic Sea from Miedzyzdroje to Hel, organized by the Our Earth Foundation and the Clean Up the World Foundation – Poland, is the cumulative event of the program. During the march the Our Earth and Clean Up the World Foundations are monitoring the health and cleanliness of the beaches along the Baltic Coast. Several local businesses, organisations and local residents have joined the walk along the coast. With members of the Polish President’s office joining the marchers at the end of the march in Hel.
The march and its opening and closing events are part of Polish celebrations of the European Fish Weeks, an event coordinated by the international coalition OCEAN2012. It is an opportunity to show policy makers that the Common Fisheries Policy needs to be reformed. Currently the campaign is focused on stopping overfishing; the object is to inform policy makers of the problems in the Baltic and demand that the fish population be allowed to rebuild and the ecosystem restore balance.
Commission proposes Baltic quotas for 2013
Today, the Commission has proposed quotas for Baltic Sea fish stocks for 2013. These will be negotiated at the October Council by national fisheries ministers, and concern five species; cod, herring, sprat, salmon and plaice.
The Commission has recommended TACs which are broadly in line with scientific advice, although suggested cuts for all species were slightly less than those put forward by ICES. Suggested salmon quotas have been the most controversial though, after ICES advice for a TAC of “not more than 54,000 individuals” for the main basin stocks was ignored, with the Commission putting forward a recommendation of 108,762 pieces or an 11% cut.
In their evaluation of the quota advice, STECF have presented data to show that a catch of 108,762 salmon would equate to a fishing mortality of F=0.1, which is the figure that the Commission have put forward to the Council. Yet, given that a significant proportion of mortality is derived from angling and unreported catches, which are not covered by the quota, in reality catches of salmon will be higher than those recommended. With some salmon rivers in a vulnerable state, this could exacerbate problems for some local stocks.
Part of the Commission’s rationale has been improvements in control and enforcement, which have meant that previous estimates for unreported catches can now be added to the TAC. This is true to an extent, however, unreported catches and discarding have been estimated at 40% of the total catch, and these have been reduced rather than eradicated.
If improvements in control and enforcement continue to be made, and if the Council agrees to this 11% cut and continues to reduce fishing pressure in the coming years, then real improvements in Baltic salmon populations may be seen. However, given that Member States such as Finland and Sweden have already exhausted their 2012 quotas by August, there is pressure to persevere with an overly high level of fishing pressure for short-term gain.
Commission film on TFCs brings discard ban into the spotlight
With their film released over the summer, the Commission have given a final show of support for TFCs and put them in the CFP reform spotlight just months before the European Parliament plenary votes on the Basic Regulation package. Despite being rejected by both the Council and the ENVI committee in the Parliament, Commissioner Damanaki has continued to be a strong proponent of the system.
Commission staff have sought to connect the implementation of TFCs with their proposed discard ban. TFCs enable fishermen to haul a catch with fish they do not have quota, and then trade with their colleagues. Such a system is in operation in some fisheries in Denmark, Sweden and Estonia, with other countries in the Baltic also planning to implement.
If the Commission’s proposals for a discard ban are voted into the CFP legislation, all landings will be counted against quotas and fishermen may only receive a level of financial compensation for landing juveniles that would cover their costs. It is hoped that the landing obligation will force all catches to be landed and put an end to the wasteful practice of discarding, while providing a financial incentive for fishermen to become more selective. Subsidies will also be made available to enable fishermen to buy more selective gears.
In the film, a Danish Ministry representative makes the claim that “discards are reduced to very very low figures” under the TFC system. This has been the source of heated discussions within the Baltic Sea Regional Advisory Council (BS RAC), where fishermen from across the region, operating in the same waters with the same gear have reported markedly different discard rates.
ICES reports on the regional fisheries have not found significant differences between fishermen from different countries. Moreover, in their annual report on the Baltic cod fishery, WGBFAS – the Baltic Fisheries Assessment Working Group, they state that “the total Danish discard estimate in FishFrame at present is an underestimate of the real discard”. This is because they “decided not to provide discard estimates through FishFrame…Denmark is not prepared to use this facility in general”.
In 2011, 12 million cod were discarded in the Baltic Sea, mostly juveniles. Approximately 95% of these discards were attributed to the trawl fleet, which is also responsible for just over 70% of catches.
The discard issue is heavily connected to various trawl fisheries; however, the landing obligation alone will not be a workable solution. Improved selectivity mainly through new gear and improved fishing techniques are key to solving the discard problem at sea. If selectivity does not improve, fishermen might find themselves in a situation where they have to reduce the amount of non target fish or juveniles in order to remain profitable. For example there is a chance that discarding will continue at sea by simply slacking a trawl before lifting it up.
If a discard ban is to be effective and controllable it should cover all species, rather than merely certain commercial stocks as has been proposed. From a distance it is not possible to see if a boat is discarding cod or a flatfish species, which makes control problematic.
The Baltic fisheries are operating in a non-complex environment with 3-5 possible species being caught, depending on the target species and gear used. If the discard problem cannot be solved here it will be far more difficult in more mixed fisheries. Therefore a complete discard ban for certain gear types is the best solution.
The king of the Polish rivers inspires children and youth to care for clean rivers
Klub Gaja took over the streets of Katowice, Warsaw and Hel together with a school of salmon and children who came to learn about why the salmon needs clean waters to live in.
As a part of the “Adopt a River” programme, Klub Gaja – one of Poland’s oldest NGOs – organised a series of educational workshops and happenings for children in three cities around Poland; Katowice, Warsaw and Hel. Around 600 children and youths attended the workshops where they learnt about the life of the salmon -the king of the Polish rivers and the Baltic Sea – that needs clean water to live in.
The children were encouraged to seek answers to questions related to the protection of clean rivers and the Baltic Sea. The grand finale of the “Adopt a river” tour took place in the city of Hel on the 8th of July, where young and old, as part of the Big Jump, leapt hand in hand in the water to express their concerns about keeping rivers and lakes clean. The “Adopt a River” workshop is a fantastic example of Klub Gaja?s innovative way of achieving public environmental awareness.
About “Adopt a River”
“Adopt a River” is one of Klub Gaja’s main work programmes. It started in 2005 and is a country-wide programme aimed at raising awareness of river environments. It consists of a mix of broader, long-term efforts such as a school programme, which involves educating children in over 4,000 schools about ecology and environmental issues, and more immediate, targeted activities such as river clean ups, often engaging local politicians, businessmen and decision-makers.
Big Jump reconcile people with their rivers
Big Jump aims at reconcile people with their rivers, to reclaim their environment and demonstrate their wish to have clean and living rivers again. The Big Jump project aims to capture the essence of current EU water protection legislation into one single public act: at one date, at one time, people will jump hand in hand into rivers all over Europe.