Signed by 37 organisations representing thousands of fishing people across Europe, an open letter delivered this week to Commissioner for the Environment, Oceans & Fisheries Virginijus Sinkevičius outlines the steps the European Commission and member states could take in recognising that the low-impact, small-scale fishing sector is key to better management of stocks.
The organisations state that unfair subsidies and quotas driving overfishing, high rates of bycatch, discard and emissions, resulting in poor conditions for the sector, while if small-scale, low-impact fishers were incentivised instead, it could support more jobs, boost nature and halt the sector’s decline.
‘Small-scale low impact fishing activities are part of the solution but they are the forgotten and marginalised fleet,’said Marta Cavallé, executive secretary of Low Impact Fishers of Europe.
‘By giving those who fish more sustainably the rights to fish, rather than those who fish more intensively, fisheries managers could transform the way we fish in Europe and achieve fair fisheries, healthy seas and vibrant communities. This is the crux of Article 17 of the Common Fisheries Policy. It’s a potential game changer, if implemented fully.’
The European Commission is expected to prioritise making the quota process transparent in its next mandate, as a result of its evaluation of the Common Fisheries Policy. Guidance to Member States on using socio-economic and environmental criteria when allocating fishing opportunities will be part of this process.
According to the groups backing the Make Fishing Fair initiative, led by Low Impact Fishers of Europe, their action comes at a time when ‘agro-industrial and large-scale fishing lobbies are pushing back on environmental policies and nature restoration as anti-business.’
‘The lack of transparency in funding distribution has perpetuated practices that harm marine ecosystems, sidelining those who prioritize responsible fishing,’ said David Lange, director of the Danish small-scale fishing organisation, FSK-PO.
