PlanetArk 18 Sep 08;
BRUSSELS - EU regulators on Wednesday called for a full-scale review of EU fisheries policy, saying current rules were doing little to curb overfishing, quota busting and other illegal fishing practices.
EU fisheries policy was last reformed in 2002 and is due for review by 2012 at the latest. While much had improved since 2002 -- much stricter controls on illegal fishing, for example -- there were many shortcomings, the European Commission said.
Short-term decision-making coupled with irresponsible behaviour by certain parts of the fishing industryin the European Union had penalised those fishermen acting for the common good, it said.
The result was a vicious circle that undermined both the ecological balance of the oceans and the economic profitability of the fisheries sector, it said in a statement.
Many species -- cod and hake, for example -- are depleted in certain EU waters due to years of chronic overfishing, exacerbated by poor controls and fines that, until recently, were not set high enough to deter lawbreakers.
"In its current form, the CFP (Common Fisheries Policy) does not encourage responsible behaviour by either fishermen or politicians," EU Fisheries Commissioner Joe Borg said.
"The management tools we use reward narrow-minded, short-term decision-making, which has now undermined the sustainability of our fisheries," he said in the statement.
In May, the Commission signalled all was not well in the fisheries sector when it issued a policy statement changing the basis for calculating its proposed fish catch volumes for 2009 and said 88 percent of EU fish stocks were overexploited.
That huge number compared with 80 percent at the same stage last year and a global average of just 25 percent, it said. The stocks situation was "alarming" and bold action was needed.
Europe's share of fish products from domestic resources had also fallen from 75 percent in the early 1970s to 40 percent now as it depended more and more on imports, it said.
Scientists say that unless fishing is curbed, or in some cases stopped altogether, many species in EU waters risk extinction. Cod is a prime example, especially in the North Sea and off the west coast of Scotland.
But the Commission usually shies from proposing outright fishing bans or a "zero catch", fearful of the economic impact it would have on small coastal communities that depend on fishing for their livelihood.
In any case, if the Commission does suggest quota cuts, they usually get diluted down by EU ministers who have to agree the final numbers before the next year's quotas enter into force. (Editing by Sami Aboudi)
Story by Jeremy Smith
EU urges action on fishing fleet's overcapacity
Yahoo News 17 Sep 08;
Europe must tackle the chronic overcapacity of its fishing fleet, which can haul two to three times more fish than the seas can produce in a sustainable way, the European Commission said Wednesday.
Urging a sweeping review of the European Union's fishing policy, the EU's executive arm said that Europe needed to prepare for a major shake-up of its fisheries policy, with fleet overcapacity at the top of the list of problems.
The current form of the common fisheries policy "does not encourage responsible behaviour by either fishermen or politicians," said EU Fisheries Commissioner Joe Borg.
"The management tools we use reward narrow-minded, short-term decision-making, which has now undermined the sustainability of our fisheries," he added.
Borg did not say by how much he thought the European fishing fleet should be reduced, although he told AFP recently that a cut of 40 percent might be necessary.
Last year, some 88,000 fishing boats were operating out of the EU. The number has been declining steadily in recent years, falling from 97,600 in 1999, according to figures from the commission.
A 2002 reform of the EU's fishing policy aimed to cut overcapacity, but the commission said it did not go far enough and that new measures were now needed.
Long sounding the alarm about overcapacity in Europe's fishing industry, the commission said that "at present, the fleet is capable of catching between two and three times the maximum sustainable yield."
Eager to protect stocks, the commission has drawn fire from fishermen recently for banning industrial tuna fishing during the peak of the season in June.
The commission said that any overhaul of the EU's fisheries would have to be designed so that protecting fish stocks would be placed before protecting fishermen's jobs.
It said that "fishermen must be made responsible and accountable for the sustainable use of a public resource."
