Thursday, 23rd April 2009
Scots MEP protects anglers against European quotas
Scots Tory MEP, Struan Stevenson has been the driving force behind the European Parliament’s decision to adjust plans to bring recreational anglers into the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP).
Struan Stevenson’s tabled amendments to re-word the legislation so that national governments could decide whether they would include recreational fishermen in the regulation, has gained support from the full Parliament in a vote this week.
Mr Stevenson has also written to Fisheries Commissioner Joe Borg urging him to support the European Parliament position.
Article 47 of the proposed regulation would have required recreational fishermen to register their boats and whatever they catch would be counted against the fisheries quota for that country. Each country would also be required to allocate a share of its quota for each fish species for both commercial and recreational fishermen.
Speaking after the vote, Mr. Stevenson said:
"The Parliament's approval of this amendment, together with assurances we have received from Commissioner Borg, reassures me that recreational anglers have nothing to fear from the revised article 47.
"During the debate he told us he wished all member states to conduct an analysis of the impact recreational angling has on fish stocks.
"I hope he will accept the view of the European Parliament, who rejected this by an overwhelming majority and accepted the Conservative amendment that leaves it up to individual countries whether they apply these measures or not.
"Rather than attacking anglers, the European Commission must sort out the crazy situation with discards, where millions of tons of healthy fish are wasted every year."
