Ahead of the adoption of her opinion on 'Conservation of fishery resources and the protection of marine ecosystems through technical measures' at the CoR December plenary session, we met CoR rapporteur Emily Westley, Member of Hastings Council, (PES/UK).
EU technical measures on fisheries are currently being updated in light of the reformed Common Fisheries Policy. As part of this process, the European Commission has put forward a new framework proposal for technical conservation measures. Which elements of the proposal are most important from the point of view of the EU's cities and regions?
As a councillor for one of the most famous towns in the world following a very important battle, I am proud to say that Hastings also has the largest under 10meter beach-launched fishing fleet in Europe. It is with that in mind that I felt it important to use the opportunity of the Commission's looking to overhaul the technical measures within the Common Fisheries Policy via the CoR NAT commission for the benefit of all Member States. This is such an important issue for all of the cities and regions of Europe, not just those which have fisheries, because we all have a vested interest in safeguarding the future of the marine ecosystem.
It is for this reason that I am happy to see the technical measures encompassing conservation by protecting juveniles, seabirds, shellfish and cetaceans to name just a few, although I would say that it may need to go further by taking a more robust approach to the issue of pulse trawling until such time as there are accurate results on the impact on other sea life and the marine ecosystem in general which may take several decades to appear.
Small-scale fisheries agree that the industry's sustainability depends on ensuring the protection of juveniles and limiting the environmental impact of fishing; the proposal to regionalise the issue is therefore of paramount importance. Regions have local and historical knowledge which is passed down the generations and not easy to replicate at pan-European level. This regionalisation aspect will bring a trust-based approach: 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.
