The decision announced earlier this week by French fishing company Scapêche to phase out its deep water activities has not been universally welcomed by industry figures.
Olivier le Nézet, president of the Brittany regional fisheries committee, commented that this was a decision ‘not worthy of a fishing company. It’s a strategy for grocers.’
He said that the Intermarché Group has colluded with NGO Bloom Associates.
He said that there is no question that the new direction will have effects on the rest of the industry as the Scapêche fleet will have to find fish quotas to replace the scabbard and ling fisheries it is about to abandon, adding that the deep sea fishery had been shown to be both responsible and sustainable, but media and NGO pressure has prevailed over common sense.
The move will also have implications for the fish trade ashore in the port of Lorient, which relies for 20 to 30% of its landings on the Scapêche fleet, Olivier le Nézet said.
