Friday, 24th April 2009
Long-awaited reform will provide calmer waters for fishing industry
UK fishermen have suffered years of quota cuts, catch restrictions, de-commissioning, lay-offs, tie-ups, emergency closures and redundancies.
But now there is a long-awaited opportunity for a radical overhaul of the management regime which has seen 60% of our whitefish fleet scrapped and thousands of jobs destroyed.
The publication of the European Commission's Green Paper on the future of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) represents a dramatic overhaul of the fishing industry and is a clear acceptance that micro-management by Eurocrats has failed.
There is every sign that this Green Paper will provide an opportunity to devolve fisheries management out of Brussels and down to those at the forefront of the industry.
The Green Paper leads to the possibility for control of day to day management moving to producer organisations involving the fishermen themselves.
The first indications of this new approach have already been seen in Scotland. The Commission agreed to reward fishermen with extra days at sea for using specialist gear to help certain depleted species to escape and for volunteering information on immature catches.
This increase in trust and a willingness to work with the industry rather than dictate to it from on high has marked the enlightened leadership of Fisheries Commissioner Joe Borg.
Similarly, the rapidly evolving EU Maritime Strategy will see major changes in the way our fisheries are managed. In 20 years time, it is likely that the EU fisheries sector will look very different because of external factors such as climate change.
Climate change will have altered which fish stocks are found where in EU waters. New species may have arrived and former species departed to colder climes. Evidence of such movement is already apparent in the case of North Sea cod.
Hopefully, improved management and conservation, linked to a diminishing fleet, will lead to an abundance of commercial fish and a good living for all those in the fisheries sector.
Certainly that is not the case just now, with over 80% of fish stocks in EU waters currently overfished, some outside safe biological limits.
Commissioner Borg is also keen to improve the image of fishing which is seen as dangerous and poorly paid. By striving for improved health and safety on vessels and better pay and conditions for crews, the Commissioner hopes that the industry will once again be able to attract young, skilled people into a career on the sea.
However, he recognises that this can only be achieved if the industry is sustainable and profitable.
The Commission and the European Parliament are also striving hard to end the disgraceful by-catch and discards problem.
A total ban on discards may end the annual abhorrence which has seen up to a million tonnes of fish thrown dead over the side of fishing vessels in European waters because they were either undersized, immature or out of quota.
It should be remembered that as marine fish stocks diminish world-wide, the importance of fish farming continues to increase in significance.
Last year, for the first time, the products of aquaculture sold annually around the world, exceeded wild catch. The EU has been at the forefront of this exciting development and can maintain its leadership position, providing healthy and nutritious food to an eager public if fish farms are allowed to develop in a way that is compatible with other coastal and maritime uses.
The importance of fish farming for often remote, rural communities where few other job opportunities exist cannot be over-stressed. The EU must strive to regain global leadership in this vital field.
Fifty years of micro-management from the ivory towers of Brussels has led to shattered fish stocks and broken livelihoods.
With the arrival of the Green Paper and the chance for meaningful industry and public consultation, a new era of calmer waters seems certain to lie ahead.
