Fishing organisations in France and Spain have made clear their opposition to the forthcoming shutdown of fishing for vessels over 8 metres in length in the Bay of Biscay.
The shutdown lasts from 22nd January to 20th February. This measure is intended to address cetacean mortality. A similar shutdown took place last year, and under the current regulation this will take place again in 2026.
According to Olivier Le Nézet, President of the CNPMEM, the industry will respect the closure that prevents 338 fishing vessels from operating for a month, but maintains its opposition to it, stating that such measures do not serve to provide solutions.
‘We deplore all these ‘stop-go’ experiments to reduce accidental catches. One ruling says that it is not enough, another ruling says that it is positive and in between, we lose long months of experience as fishermen work to secure solutions,’ he said, commenting that significant efforts have gone into developing efficient technical devices which will allow fishermen to continue their activity while limiting as much as possible their impact on biodiversity.
He added that the downstream part of the sector has been further weakened because lost consumers are not easily regained, while operators have no choice but to go back to sea as soon as the shutdown ends – regardless of the weather.
‘The conclusion is that we will not be able to implement a real fisheries policy in the face of organisations that use every legal and media resource to bring French artisanal fishing to its knees. We are staying the course by supporting all the professionals in all trades and all ports who need to regain the visibility and stability necessary for any economic sector,’ Olivier Le Nézet said.
