Unfortunately
it feels like one step forward and two large steps back when it comes to
reforming the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP). Back in February, the European Parliament
voted overwhelmingly to reverse thirty years of failed EU fisheries management
in favour of an ambitious reform of the EU’s Common Fisheries Policy. We were ecstatic. This was a huge step forwards - at last we
were putting an end to over-fishing.
However,
recently MEPs on the European Parliament’s Fisheries Committee have been
discussing the future of the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF). The EMFF provides funding to the fishing
industry and coastal communities to help them adapt to changing conditions in
the sector and become economically resilient and ecologically sustainable. A truly sustainable CFP needs an EMFF that
supports the end of overfishing and the rebuilding of fish stocks - one without
harmful subsidies. We are concerned,
however, that the Fisheries Committee are considering the reintroduction of
public subsidy through the EMFF to build new fishing vessels and engines. This type of subsidy has been shown to
contribute to overfishing and was phased out by the 2002 CFP reform. You
can read more about this here.
It is
common sense that public subsidy should help move to a sustainable fishing
sector. Instead of subsidising the
capacity to increase overfishing, investment should be increased to enhance
control, improve enforcement , improve data collection, and to develop less
damaging fishing gear to reduce discards and the
environmental impact of fishing activity.
Let’s
hope MEPs on the Fisheries Committee see sense before they vote on 10 July. You
can help by writing to your MEP (find
them here).
