Today, the members of the CoR's NAT commission adopted, by overwhelming majority, the draft opinion on Conservation of fishery resources and the protection of marine ecosystems through technical measures by Emily Westley, Member of Hastings Council, (PES/UK).
Technical measures in fisheries govern the different fishing practices that can be used to catch fish, as well as the areas and seasons for fishing. Aimed at limiting unwanted catches and at reducing fishing's impact on nature, EU technical measures in fisheries have, over time, developed into a complex set of rules, which are currently being updated in light of the reformed Common Fisheries Policy. As part of this process, in March of this year, the European Commission put forward a new framework proposal for technical conservation measures.
While welcoming the European Commission's proposal as an "important step towards simplification and regionalisation" of the European Common Fisheries Policy, CoR rapporteur Emily Westley's draft opinion emphasises the need to focus more on small-scale fisheries. "Small-scale fisheries are the very backbone of the fragile socio-economic life in coastal communities throughout Europe, and a leading example of sustainable fishing culture, which we must preserve", she told NAT members, calling for provisions to allow small-scale fisheries to manage quotas and catches directly, on the basis of a set of established conditions and under strict control.
The rapporteur also advocates a trust-based approach, based on partnership between all stakeholders on the ground. "Policy-makers should be able to trust fishers to fully implement the reform, and fishers should be able to trust policy-makers not to be left behind", she underlines, also pointing to social and environmental elements as important parts of the future framework.
The draft opinion is due to be adopted at the CoR plenary session of 7-8 December.
