CoR members today adopted by overwhelming majority the draft opinion by Emily Westley, Member of Hastings Council (PES/UK), on Conservation of fishery resources and the protection of marine ecosystems through technical measures.
The rapporteur stressed that, "today small scale fisheries deliver 16% of the added value derived from European fisheries and comprise 8% of the tonnage from European fishing fleets. However, the small fishing section accounts for 48% of jobs in the fishing sector and 74% of the 86.000 fishing vessels in Europe. Maintaining jobs and creating new ones in this sector, while ensuring that fishing stocks are protected for future generations should therefore be a top priority".
While welcoming the European Commission's new framework proposal for technical conservation measures as an important step in simplifying and regionalising the European Common Fisheries Policy, 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 CoR 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.
In this regard, the rapporteur calls for current licenses for pulse trawling to be made subject to scientific (re-)assessment before being renewed, or otherwise given "non-prohibited" status.
The rapporteur also advocates a trust-based approach, based on partnership between all stakeholders on the ground, explaining that "for example when cross-border fishers identify a protected area, local cooperation and agreements will be in place to ensure the marine ecology is protected. This, coupled with local knowledge, will benefit the more eco-friendly and sustainable fishers and of course the biggest beneficiaries will be future generations and the environment".
"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 concluded.
The European Common Fisheries Policy will form a central part of the EU's Blue Growth strategy. PES member Christophe Clergeau, Member of the Regional Council of Pays de la Loire (France) will follow up on the topic in the NAT opinion on "A new stage in the European policy on blue growth", to be drafted in close cooperation with the Maltese Presidency of the Council of the EU.
