Representing small-scale fishing across Europe, LIFE Platform is calling for the immediate implementation of Article 17 of the Common Fisheries Policy, just as the European Commission is set to publish a report on the implementation of the CFP.
According to LIFE Executive Secretary Marta Cavallé, the last decade has been one of missed opportunities for small-scale fisheries, and it’s time to put things right.
‘Small-scale fishing activities are part of the solution, not part of the problem,’ she said.
‘Article 17 of the CFP is a potential game changer, if implemented fully. By giving those who fish more sustainably the rights to fish, rather than those who fish more intensively, fishery managers could transform the way we fish in Europe. This is the crux of Article 17.’
Article 17 of the 2013 Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) provides an opportunity to steer European fisheries towards the future envisioned in the European Green deal and United Nations Sustainable Development Goal Target 14b: climate neutral, economically viable, socially equitable, environmentally sustainable and fair for small-scale fisheries.
LIFE is telling Member States, the European Commission and Members of the European Parliament that it’s time to seize the opportunity to fully implement Article 17 of the CFP and so pave the way towards sustainable fisheries and thriving coastal communities. This would require Member States to develop and publish transparent and objective criteria of an environmental, social and economic nature and to the European Commission to provide guidelines and a detailed implementation plan with a requirement for Member States to report on progress on an annual basis.
‘You don’t treat things that are different in the same way,’ said the Portuguese Euro Deputy João Pimenta Lopes, author of the recently adopted Parliamentary Resolution on Small-scale Fisheries in the EU and future perspectives.
LIFE is urging legislators to follow the recommendations of this resolution, and to take a differentiated approach to the management of small-scale and large-scale fisheries, as outlined in LIFE’s Call to Action, which outlines that small-scale fishing in Europe provides 50% of the jobs at sea and represents 70% of the vessel fleet. However, it represents only 6% of the EU catch, reflecting the low impact nature of the activity.
