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Following a family tradition established by his grandfather and elder brother, 29-year-old Bosco, decided to buy his first fishing boat in 2021. This made him the youngest independent fisherman in Ciutadella in Menorca, Spain. After seven years as a crew member on his brother’s boat, he decided to take the leap that many fishers dream of making one day; to become his own boss by being the skipper of a fishing boat.

“Having to decide for oneself where to set the nets is not the same as being told where to set them”, says Bosco. However, despite the experience gained from fishing with his brother and the good fortune of inheriting the traditional ecological knowledge of his fishing family, being the skipper of a fishing boat is no easy task, no matter how small and artisanal the vessel is.

The lack of generational renewal in fishing is a major problem that is putting the future of the sector at risk in many ports in this region. Very few young people decide to work at sea; it is a very unattractive profession for young people, although as Bosco’s brother confides “if you like it, it is the best job in the world. You don’t have a boss, you decide on the number of hours you want to work and you can earn a good living”. Those who do take the plunge, like Bosco, encounter many obstacles before being ready to put to sea for the first time.

Bosco’s first step was to choose and buy a boat, in this case a typical Mediterranean llaüt.  His budget was limited; he did not count on any external support, and he only had his own savings and those of his partner. Nowadays several fishermen retire every year in the Balearic Islands and the Catalan coast, so finding a licensed fishing boat is easy. However, in Bosco’s case, like most young fishers, his limited budget forced him to buy a rather old llaüt. In September 2021, he bought the boat from a retired fisherman in the port of Ciutadella.

Buying an old boat means more maintenance work. In this case the engine needed fixing as it wouldn’t start, and “it’s not so easy to find a reliable mechanic on the island, many already work with several fishermen but don’t necessarily accept more work”, Bosco shares. On the other hand, fishing boats nowadays have more and more technology, including at least a depth sounder and a GPS.  These devices allow for more precise and fruitful fishing, even if this represents an investment.

In September 2021, Bosco told me, for example, that he would like to be able to install a computer programme that allows him to see the seabed in 3D, a programme that many fishermen carry, but he can’t find anyone on the island who wants to sell him the programme, or he doesn’t know where to buy it. Setting up a boat involves being an electrician, a mechanic, a painter, savvy about repairing fishing gear, as well as being capable of dealing with the administrative tasks, which are complex in the fishing sector. Fortunately, for these he has the support of the secretary of the fishing guild (Cofradia) and his partner, an accountant and manager. Thus, the first few months after buying his boat were dedicated to getting the boat and the fishing gear ready: “Every day there is a new surprise, but little by little I’m getting there”, he says.

However, when I asked him what was the most difficult thing about starting out as a self-employed fisherman, I was surprised by his answer: “I don’t know how much I have to charge (for my fish) to cover my expenses”. Being a fisher means being an entrepreneur, each boat is a small business, it has its fixed costs such as mooring fees or loans, but also many variable costs such as fuel, boat maintenance, port taxes on the catch and various other taxes. “As a crew member I didn’t have access to the accounts of the boat/company, I don’t know exactly how much we charged as I was paid on a share basis, according to what we caught”.

Secrecy in fishing is a common and a normalised concept among fishermen. Although in this case, the skipper with whom he worked for the last 7 years was his brother, there was still some kind of secrecy about the company’s accounts. Being a successful fisher nowadays involves knowing not only how to fish, but also how to sell and manage a business. In this respect, it is worth noting that professional nautical-fishing training courses do not offer any training in fishing company management, accounting, etc. In the past, women played an important role in the management of the accounts, as they were in charge of selling the fish for the men in the family. This is no longer the case today, and although the traditional family fishing business model is disappearing, Bosco does have the support of his partner who works as an accountant and administrative manager, “I am lucky to have her support, she encouraged me to buy my own boat”, he says.

There is no fish market or auction system in Menorca, and sales are carried out directly, which means that each fisher has to establish his or her own sales channels and find a way to sell the daily catches. “I still don’t know who I’m going to sell the fish to”, says Bosco. In a place as small as Menorca, the sales channels are already established between fishermen and wholesalers and it is not easy to carve out a niche for yourself, especially in winter when demand is low. Fishing is a sector where cooperation and competitiveness exist side by side. If you have a serious problem at sea, you can usually count on the support of the other fishers, but on land this cooperation does not always exist.

In April 2022, at the start of the lobster season in Menorca, and after a winter spent getting the boat and fishing gear ready, Bosco officially started work. Due to bad weather, he was only able to go out for 9 days in that first month of the year. At the end of April, he told me that the second day he wanted to go out, his engine failed and he had to go to lift the nets with his brother’s boat. “It was a bit sad to fish my first lobsters with my brother’s boat and not with mine, … but my boat is now fixed”.

I was surprised to see that he was not going out alone, his sister has accompanied him today as a crew member, it is also a first time for her. She has never worked as a fisherwoman before, and she has come to try it out, she tells me. She is not the only fisherwoman in the port as two other girls are working on their father’s boat.

That same day at the end of April, I saw Bosco in front of the Ciutadella fishermen’s association waiting to weigh his catch after arriving at the port while talking about his day at sea with Andreu, another fisherman with whom he has a good relationship. He seemed cheerful although not entirely happy with his catch; he has 4 or 5 lobsters “only” but also a few fish. With these catches you can cover your daily expenses at least! says Andreu to cheer him up. The lobster season continues until the end of August.

Annya Crane

The data collected for this article are the result of several conversations with Bosco during 2021 and 2022.

Historical injustices have deprived 70% of the European fishing fleet of fair and secure access to fishing quotas and fishing grounds. This fleet segment accounts for 50% of the fishing jobs at sea. Due to these injustices, the sector has to fall back on “non-quota” species and so is restricted to only 5% of the EU’s fish catch.

In times of famine, historically the European aristocracy were reputed to say about the protesting poor: “If they have no bread, then let them eat cake”. Similarly, today, those with quota privileges are all too often quick to say, “the quota is legally ours, let them fish for non-quota species”, when the small-scale fishers demand a fair share.

The issue of fairness is a central plank of the EU’s CFP (Regulation (EU) 1380/2013). Article 2 f) states that the CFP shall contribute to a fair standard of living for those who depend on fishing activities, bearing in mind coastal fisheries and socio-economic aspects.

However, for those with privileges and entitlements, what is fair and equitable may feel like oppression.

Last week, on Friday 22 April, a webinar with the title: Preventing Conflict in EU Waters, was organized by 2 European research groups. The event, organized by the European Fisheries and Aquaculture Research Organisations and MARE gathered around 80 participants. The keynote presentation was given by Dr Marloes Kraan from MARE. She gave an overview of the main areas of conflict in European fisheries, focussing on management aspects of large and small-scale fisheries in Europe, in the context of change (climate, blue economy, and policy (Brexit)).

“Given that there is only one policy framework (CFP) for many, diverse fleets and much change ahead, there is pressure on governability, which if not addressed in time provides much basis for conflict”, said Dr Kraan. There are aspects of allocating space to several diverse activities (Marine Spatial Planning) but also dealing with a rather broad policy framework. “How can we get ahead of this, and what do we need to know?”, she asked.

The issues addressed by her presentation were mainly about allocating access to a public resource and managing the activities of those with the privileges and entitlements to exploit them. It also touched on the threat to the fisheries sector from climate change and the development of the blue economy, where other economic interests are increasingly competing with fisheries for access to marine areas.

In such a context, conflict is inevitable, given that the fisheries resources and marine areas are public property, and given that a privileged minority have concentrated a lion’s share of the entitlements. Conflicts arising must be managed, and just solutions sought.

One just solution would be for the CFP to adopt a differentiated approach to small-scale and large-scale fisheries. This was a suggestion put forward in the 2009 Green Paper on CFP Reform but was not taken up.

The Low Impact Fishers of Europe are calling for “fair fisheries”, i.e. an equitable allocation of access rights and a say in how the access is managed. Article 17 of the CFP could provide a mechanism for achieving fairer fisheries. However, the “big industry” reject the proposal to introduce the necessary alternative allocation mechanisms for fishing opportunities through Article 17. “We are legally entitled to these privileges” say the multinational Pelagic Freezer Trawler Association (PFA).

“No bread (quota species) for the small-scale fishers? Well, then let them eat cake (non-quota species)”, says the PFA.

Where there is such an imbalance in power relations and concentration of fishing rights, conflict is inevitable.

As well as concentrating the entitlements to fishing opportunities, the “big industry” also controls the functioning of the democratic bodies set up to resolve conflicts and provide a voice for the sector. They preside the Advisory Councils, the Producer Organisations and the National Fisheries structures, and claim to represent both small and large fishing companies.

The Cornelis Vrolijk, a Dutch multinational fishing company now controls the French National Fisheries Committee and one of the largest French POs, for example. How can a Dutch multinational corporation represent the interests of the small-scale fleet?

It’s all about the market

A key element missing from the presentation concerned the fish market and supply chain. Fishing clearly does not exist in isolation but is an integral part of food production and supply (value chain) systems, delivering a high value internationally traded commodity.

Here in Europe, our fisheries provide only about one third of what our consumer markets demand. The rest comes from aquaculture and imports. Nearly 50% of what we eat comes from 5 species: Tuna, Cod, Salmon, Alaska pollack, Shrimps

Access to markets is also a key factor, and a source of much conflict – current and future – and must be part of the discussion on managing our fisheries. The trade, processing and retail industry are also determining the future shape of European fisheries, and from where we source our fish supplies.

“Blue Food” is now seen as the way forward, in the marketplace and on the consumer’s plate. Just as the Blue Economy is displacing fisheries, Blue Food will replace seafood and fish as we know it. It includes all aspects of food production from marine organisms – plant and animal, harvesting and aquaculture, and industrial production. Blue food will bring mass produced blue food products from algae, single celled proteins and other non-traditional industrially produced marine products.

Small is bad, big is good?

Dr Kraan also highlighted that there are no universal definitions of small-scale fisheries, and that whilst catch and effort data are more available for larger scale fishing activities, socio-economic data is more available scarce for smaller-scale fisheries.

Whilst there may not be any universal definition, it is quite simple really. If you want to know what small-scale fishing is, just go down to the fishing quay and ask.

Seriously though, small-scale fishing is carried out by thousands of nano- or very small household enterprises, fishing with relatively small vessels and passive gears, going to sea daily, catching 10s of kilos of fish and earning hundreds of euros. These enterprises are critically dependent on unpaid labour for many of the shore based administrative and maintenance activities – tasks often done by women family members. They provide the possibility for many low-income families to live on the coast, with reasonably comfortable lifestyles, and supporting a wide range of ancillary activities.

Unlike the larger scale fleets which are able to achieve economies of scale by landing several tonnes of fish at a time and earning tens and hundreds of thousands of Euros, these small enterprises depend on higher margins from their lower landings. To be viable, they need to benefit directly from the value addition of their daily caught fresh products. They depend on being price makers, not price takers in the marketplace. Bulkier catches from the larger scale fleets have a depressing effect on market prices, which undermines the viability of these enterprises. Small-scale products need to be differentiated in the marketplace. Afterall, they come from a different kind of production system.

The Catch with Data

Whilst it may be true that there is a lot more catch and effort data available for larger scale fisheries, just how reliable is this data? Just how are catches, landings and fishing effort measured? Closer inspection reveals many holes in a leaky system. In Denmark engine capacity fraud is known to take place on a wide scale, and in the Netherlands there are only 2 inspectors to check the hundreds of thousands of tonnes of fish landed in Dutch ports every year. How representative are these cases in Europe, where Member State governments are having to trim budgets, and fisheries is not a priority?

Another issue raised by Dr Kraan was the relative impact of smaller scale and larger scale fleets. She cited a recent WWF report (The Untrawled Truth) that states: “vessels of less than 12 metres overall length have the highest value of catch per weight and small amounts of space onboard, while catching high value and potentially sensitive, threatened, and endangered species, such as bluefin tuna, swordfish or marine mammals and seabirds.”

A little knowledge would show that this statement is just not true. The small vessels referred to simply do not have access to bluefin tuna and swordfish quotas. They are not allowed to catch either bluefin tuna or swordfish, as the larger scale purse seiners and long liners have a quota monopoly. They have the highest value of catch per weight because they are catching mainly demersal, higher value species – including crustaceans. Their catch is also more valuable, because it is fresher, caught and sold on a daily basis.

In terms of impact, there is little comparison between the impact of these passive gear vessels which catch only 5% of the entire EU catch and the larger scale trawler fleet, which they are never going to replace. 5% after all is well within the margins of error on the mass landings of fish from the larger scale fleet segments.

Nevertheless, small-scale fishers have a right to exist, and to earn their livelihoods in the manner they choose – providing a healthy product locally, in season, supporting a wide range of ancillary activities including tourism, and anchoring communities on the coast. If they were to disappear, our coastal areas would be much poorer places, devoid of fresh locally caught fish, colourful fishing boats, small-scale socio-economic activity, and traditional cultural events associated with the sea.

That would be an irreplaceable loss in terms of local knowledge, cultural heritage and socio-economic opportunities.

One of the problems facing the small-scale fishing sector is a lack of dedicated representation in the official bodies of the profession. This is particularly the case in France where small-scale fishers are struggling to unite to defend their interests. For Bertrand Cazalet, Secretary and Legal Adviser of the Syndicat professionnel des pêcheurs petits métiers d’Occitanie (SPMO – Professional Union of Small Scale Fishers of Occitania), Fisheries Producers’ Organisations (FPOs) provide a tool that European small-scale fishers would do well to invest to secure their future, and particularly so in the Mediterranean to better defend their traditional management methods based on polyvalence and strong territorial linkages. Interview.

This interview was conducted by LIFE as part of the Foodnected project and originally published on the Foodnected website.

What is a Fishery Producer Organisation? What role do FPOs play in the EU?

A Producer Organisation (PO) is a specific European tool created within the framework of common European policies, first the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), then the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP). POs bring together producers (fishers, farmers, etc.) in a given area, often in cooperatives, but also as other organizational and legal structures.

The recognition of a PO is done at national level through a process overseen by the EU. FPOs are seen as key to achieving the objectives of the CFP, and the management of their production and marketing activities is delegated to them:

– Production: includes the general organisation of fishing activities, the allocation, management and monitoring of catch quotas and fishing effort, the management of licences, elaboration and implementation of internal rules, the control and sanction of FPO members;

– Marketing: includes the organisation of the first sale (in conjunction with fish auctions and port markets), the improvement and monitoring of traceability and the application of sanitary measures, and the implementation of initiatives to enhance the value of the products throughout the value chain.

Each PO must produce an annual or multi-annual production and marketing plan that determines all the elements necessary for the PO to achieve its objectives under the conditions defined by the European regulations.

Are Mediterranean small-scale fishers represented in the POs? Are there any POs specific to small-scale fishing in the region?

When we talk about small-scale fishing, we are talking about relatively small boats using passive or non-towed gears. In France small-scale fishing is synonymous with “petits métiers”, and in Spain “artes menores”. For the European Commission, small-scale fishing is carried out by fishing vessels of an overall length of less than 12 metres and not using towed fishing gear.

There are a few examples of POs dedicated to small-scale fishing in Europe[1] but no specific PO for small-scale polyvalent fishing exists in the Mediterranean. In France, POs are either composed of industrial fisheries only or are mixed POs with different fleet segments represented. However, even the latter were originally created and controlled by larger fishing companies. In both cases it is very difficult for small-scale fishers to have their interests recognised and defended. In the Mediterranean more than 80% of small-scale fishers do not belong to POs. This is due to historical reasons and to the Mediterranean fisheries management system, where fishing access is not based primarily on licensing and quotas.

And what is the situation outside the POs in the Mediterranean today?

Small-scale fishers in the Mediterranean are mainly individual skippers whose activities are seasonally polyvalent and carried out close to shore. With 80% of them not associated into POs, they are undermined by 1) the weakening of the Prud’homies (traditional community-based management structures specific to the French Mediterranean), some of which no longer function at all; 2) the difficulties faced by some Fisheries Committees, particularly at departmental level, which are struggling to maintain their capacity to represent and act for their members; 3) the reduction in the means available to the State and its administration, which is tending to increasingly delegate the management, monitoring and control of fishing activities to POs.

Similarly, there is increasing political and professional pressure on fishers outside POs to join existing POs: they are informed that they will have fewer rights, that they will lose their track records, their licences, that they will not be entitled to European funds. This is absolutely false from a purely legal point of view because there can be no discrimination in the rules of access to fishery resources and financial support. The French State also recognises that it needs to rebalance the system of fishing rights that is very largely favourable to POs, but which, given that fisheries resources are a public good, is questionable from an equity perspective[2].

The organisation “Golion” has initiated a process to be recognised as a PO: why?

Golion has been operating officially on behalf of a group of small-scale Mediterranean fishers (“petits métiers”) for 10 years, with a structure (GIE) recognised by ministerial decree to manage species subject to quota (bluefin tuna and swordfish). The structure is associated with a professional union but it is limited in its scope (bluefin tuna and swordfish), in its powers to manage fishing rights (licences), and in its duration (because its structure must be renewed every three years).

To get out of this legal insecurity and to act across all the small-scale fisheries, we decided to initiate a process to recognise the association Golion as a PO. Launched in 2014, Golion is the owner of a group “own-label” under which the products of its members are marketed. As Golion’s structure includes an economic dimension, it meets the necessary pre-conditions to launch a PO process, a process that was initiated without any form of public or private financial support.

What do you expect from getting Golion recognised as a PO?

The advantage of being recognised as a PO is first of all institutional, as it allows you to organise yourself better, to be better represented and supported (administratively, technically and financially) and therefore, in the end, to better defend your rights. Faced with the growing demands of the CFP and its management rules, we, as POs, would have a structure that would give us official weight as well as the right to be heard by the authorities and the administration. It is also a way to assure our organisation’s future as an officially approved organisation.

Small-scale fishing is going to face increasing pressures on its fishing areas, including due to the conditions imposed by the Western Mediterranean (West Med) plan and the implications for trawlers,[3] resulting notably in a transfer of fishing effort towards the coast. European regulations as a whole will continue to be tightened and the most fragile fleet segments will be the first to disappear. The “petits métiers” will not be able to overcome the constraints and costs imposed by monitoring, control and surveillance rules, unless they manage to unite. In the French Mediterranean, there are still 1,000 small-scale vessels outside POs, a fact that fully justifies the recognition of a dedicated small-scale fishing PO. Such an initiative is also in line with France’s commitments to the regional fisheries body – the GFCM (General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean) – and the Regional Plan of Action for Small Scale Fisheries (RPOA SSF) the GFCM adopted in 2018.

What other benefits could the creation of a small-scale PO have for the fishers themselves and for fishing in general?

Within the PO, we want to defend our Mediterranean management methods, which adopt an approach not by species but by territory, the use of polyvalent techniques and seasonal diversity. In this type of management, the rules are established according to the context, the areas and the local practices. These are in fact the management principles of the Prud’homies, age-old bodies that are not recognised either at state or European level. These bodies could be revitalised and re-legitimised through being associated in a small-scale fisheries PO.[4]

Small-scale polyvalent fishing is generally a headache for managers and scientists, who find it easier to model a specialised, monospecific system of catch quotas or effort per boat. We are often criticised for a lack of monitoring of small-scale fishing effort: with a dedicated small-scale PO, we could document fishing operations, process catch, effort and commercial data, support the fishers and better integrate them into the monitoring systems. Only a dedicated small-scale PO would be able to do this, as the existing POs in the Mediterranean could not offer the thousand or so non-PO associated vessels such a framework that is geared solely towards the great diversity of the practices and characteristics of small-scale fishing.

What is the procedure for creating a PO? Are there any particular conditions to be met?

You need to have an already established economic structure of producers, such as our economic interest grouping (GIE), and to prove its representativity, particularly in terms of the volumes and value of catches, or in terms of the number of vessels. Our application is based mainly on the criteria of the number of vessels (85% of small vessels in the Mediterranean) and on the value of production rather than on volumes produced. We have put together an application that meets the requirements of the French state for the recognition of POs. Ours is more than 70 pages long and includes the statutes, the internal regulations, the presentation pack, the production and marketing plan, the data of all the fishers (licences, catches), etc. It must then be submitted to the DIRM (Mediterranean Regional Authorities), which is the branch of the French administration that examines applications at the Mediterranean level. It then formulates an opinion, which it sends to the DPMA (Department of Marine Fisheries and Aquaculture), the national level administration on fisheries and maritime affairs, which takes the final decision.

And have you managed to mobilise the fishers around the need to create a small-scale fishing organisation?

This is the main difficulty we face. We have only our very limited means to achieve our goal and no form of public aid. As mentioned above, our representativity will not be evaluated on the volume of catches because we have few landings and quotas, but on the number of boats. What makes us special is that we represent many boats in one area, the French Mediterranean. In our initial file submitted to the DIRM, we have 112 boats, which would make us the leading French Mediterranean PO in terms of the number of small-scale vessels. But this is not enough, we need to reach 150 vessels to fully meet the recognition criteria. We therefore need to attract new members and to do this we need to mobilise people in the ports, in the Prud’homies, etc. Our lack of means gives us a long-term disadvantage.

Are you confident about the future?

I’m fairly confident because we meet the criteria, and I don’t see any legal or technical obstacles to our application. I also think that the administration has understood that there is a professional interest in structuring the “petits métiers” in a PO. There are going to be fewer and fewer resources and more and more constraints, so anything that can encourage the autonomy and capacity of the fishers is a good strategy to have with the administration. Finally, I am hopeful that the professional representatives will in turn become aware of the basic need to structure the “petits métiers” into POs. With the forthcoming elections in the Fisheries Committees (which also represent the “petits métiers”), we could garner a more favourable interest for our project and establish some concrete collaborations to enable us to quickly finalise this vital process for the “petits métiers”.

To find out more, click here:

Report

Cazalet, B and O’Riordan, B. 2020. ” The Pros and Cons of Creating Producer Organisations (PO) for Mediterranean Small-Scale Fishers” Low Impact Fishers of Europe. 41 pages.

https://lifeplatform.eu/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/LIFE-Producer-Organisations-PO-Guidelines-EN.pdf

Online article:

https://lifeplatform.eu/the-pros-and-cons-of-creating-producer-organizations-for-mediterranean-small-scale-fishers/

[1] The “Organizacion de Productores Artesanales de la Lonja de Conil” in CONIL de la Frontera in Andalusia (Spain), which brings together around 50 artisanal fishing boats using passive gears (“artes menores”); FSK (Low Impact Inshore Fishing PO), one of LIFE’s members in Denmark, a PO which brings together 45 vessels belonging to a number of inshore fishing associations; and the PO Estuaire in France, which is a single-species PO and is solely dedicated to managing the elver (juvenile eel) fishery activity. See in: Cazalet, B and O’Riordan, B. 2020. ” The Pros and Cons of Creating Producer Organisations (PO) for Mediterranean Small-Scale Fishers” Low Impact Fishers of Europe. 41 pages

[2] The new government action plan presented in March 2022, although very general, plans to “encourage technical support for small businesses by reforming the rules for distributing quotas”, including “increased attention to the production outside POs”. https://mer.gouv.fr/sites/default/files/2022-03/Plan-action-peche-durable_DP.pdf

[3] European management plan within the CFP which envisages a 40% reduction in fishing effort over five years (2021-2025) in a defined area of the Western Mediterranean.

[4] Prud’homies date back to the Middle Ages, they have been listed as part of France’s intangible heritage since 2021 and a process of classification as part of UNESCO’s intangible heritage is underway.

The Cofradías (fishing guilds) of Ibiza, Sant Antoni & Formentera, staff from the Ibiza and Formentera Fisheries Local Action Groups (FLAGs), and staff from Councils of Ibiza and Formentera recently announced the creation of the “Comisión de Pesca Pitiusa” or Piyiusic Fisheries Committee.

The Pityusic (or Pine) islands (or Pityuses) form part of the Balearic archipelago in the Mediterranean and include Ibiza and Formentera. Annya Crane from LIFE is an anthropologist supporting small-scale fisheries in the Balearic islands. “The Pityuses fishing sector  is rooted in deep social and cultural traditions.” she explains. “Fishing is mostly small-scale, run by family firms and carried out as a daily inshore practice. There are three fishing guilds in the Pityuses: one in the town of Ibiza, one in Sant Antoni and one in Formentera. Small-scale or artisanal fishers represent the majority of fishers in these islands and focus on species such as lobster, groupers, sea bream (Dentex dentex), greater amberjack (Seriola dumerili), rockfish, red scorpionfish amongst others.”

In a statement, the Pityusic fishing guilds explained that they established a joint fisheries committee to improve local fisheries management and to guarantee the future of the professional fishing sector. They plan to analyse the current state of the fishing sector, exploited resources and regulations, and to provide a space to discuss the various projects that affect the fishing sector in the Pityuses. This committee will also foster greater coordination amongst fishers and promote measures and initiatives towards more sustainable fishing.

Marga Serra from the Cofradía of Ibiza, and a consultant for LIFE will be providing technical support. According to her “The creation of this committee seeks to be one more step on the path towards improving sustainability. The objective is to have a strong sector, capable of facing the new challenges and difficulties that arise. These local Cofradìas have already achieved a number of milestones, including the implementation of the Peix Nostrum brand (a pioneering label in the Mediterranean with an individual tag for certain species), and the creation of reserved areas for  low impact fishing . To date, the Pityuses have 3 such marines reserves and will soon include two more on the West side of Ibiza.”

LIFE staff are supporting the creation of the “Comisión de Pesca Pitiusa” in partnership with Marilles Foundation.

Brussels 1 April 2022

The European Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries Virginijus Sinkevičius responds quickly to another crisis in the fisheries sector but stresses that mitigating rising fuel and energy costs must not conflict with achieving Green Deal climate neutral targets.

Increases in fuel and energy prices triggered by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine have hit the viability of the fishing sector hard. The whole European seafood value chain is affected by the unfolding crisis – fishers, aquaculture farmers, processing and marketing companies. This is also causing higher prices for consumers and adding to the cost of living crisis.

EU dependence on Russian fuel is also indirectly financing Ukraine’s destruction by Russian hands. The EU has spent 35 billion Euros on Russian energy since the start of the invasion, compared to 1 billion Euros in support of Ukraine.

That said, the European Commission was quick to react, providing emergency funding under the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF) to mitigate the impacts of the crisis to the fisheries sector – across the board.

At a second meeting with fishery sector representatives last week on April 1 to discuss the developing situation, European Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries, Virginijus Sinkevičius reminded the sector that given the current grave situation, the Green Deal transition to climate neutrality by 2050 is even more imperative. Measures to alleviate the current crisis must not detract from achieving longer-term climate objectives he said; there must be no conflict between taking short term measures to mitigate the crisis and the EU’s longer-term climate ambitions.

The European Green Deal envisages a climate neutral Europe by 2050, with greenhouse gas emissions reduced by 55% below 1990 levels by 2030. Climate neutrality includes off-setting greenhouse gas emissions against funding greenhouse gas emissions elsewhere.

However, as yet there are no commercially available off the shelf solutions for the fishing fleets to invest in to seriously reduce their carbon footprints.

Fishing is an energy intensive extractive industry. However, it uses energy only to extract what nature has already produced. Therefore, compared to livestock production, fishing is able to put animal protein on our plates with a relatively low carbon footprint. But that is only one side of the picture. Fishing also impacts the food chain and marine biodiversity, reduces resilience of marine ecosystems, distorts predator-prey relations, and disrupts carbon sequestration.

These issues are to be addressed in the EU’s Biodiversity Strategy, which aims to restore the “good environmental status” of marine ecosystems.  An action plan to conserve fisheries resources and protect marine ecosystems will include measures to limit the use of fishing gear most harmful to biodiversity, including on the seabed.

The larger scale sector has responded by forming a European Bottom Fishing Alliance to lobby against reforms that may prejudice their interests.

More pain, but little gain for small-scale fishers from fisheries aid

Another takeaway from the meeting was that whilst some considerable support is being channeled to the European fisheries sector, relatively little is finding its way directly to the smaller scale fleet. The focus of the Commission’s and Member States efforts is on larger scale fishing which provides the bulk of the catch and economic benefits. However, there are no specific mechanisms in place to support the struggles of the smaller scale low impact fishing fleet in the face of this crisis.

These are nano- or micro-enterprises, with comparatively low business turnovers – cottage industries if you like. In many cases they do not qualify for VAT rebates or tax-free fuel, and have to buy their fuel straight from the pump. Many vessels too use petrol outboard engines. In most cases small-scale fishers do not belong to Producer Organizations and so can’t access Storage Aid and other State Aid provided to the fisheries sector as part of the emergency measures.

Small-scale fishing provides 50% of the employment in EU fishing sector, and 70% of the fleet. It relies extensively on unpaid labour, mainly from women family members, to ensure economic and functional viability. Although restricted to only 5% of the catch, small-scale landings provide high quality fresh fish on a daily basis to local communities, hotel and restaurant businesses, local tourism, and providing jobs and economic and cultural activities where few alternatives exist.

Don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater

These hard-pressed family businesses and the many thousands of direct and ancillary workplaces they provide could easily go to the wall if the current crisis continues without any respite.

That would be unforgiveable. Small-scale low impact fisheries could provide a vital part of the necessary transition to the climate neutral future sought by the EU’s Green Deal – low in environmental impact, low in fuel consumption, high in social and cultural value, and providing a top of the range product.

We urge the Commission and Member States to adapt mechanisms to support this vital sector through the crisis and support it to innovate hydrocarbon free propulsion and energy alternatives.

photo: Annya Crane 

Wither the Baltic Cod?

The Future Prospects for Baltic cod and those of small-scale fishers are closely linked.

Stockholm, 23 March 2022. The Fisheries Secretariat (FishSec), a Swedish non-profit organization advocating for sustainable fisheries at the EU and Baltic sea levels, is hosting an online event on March 24th to present its new report on Baltic cod. It will explain the decline of the Baltic cod looking into several factors (biology, fisheries and management) and give recommendations for a recovery of the species.

Representing small-scale low impact fishers (SSF), who comprise 90% of the vessel fleet and 65% of the jobs in fishing in the Baltic,  FishSec invited LIFE to respond to the report and give its view on the future of Baltic cod and its management. Christian Tsangarides, LIFE’s Baltic and North Sea Coordinator, will be representing our platform.
Ever since the closure of the iconic Canadian Grand Banks cod fisheries in 1992, cod is a species that has become synonymous with overfishing and bad management decisions. In the Baltic Sea targeted cod fisheries are currently closed because the populations are in such bad shape:

The Baltic Sea cod collapse, together with the demise of several other fisheries, has had a tremendous impact on SSF fishers’ livelihoods. Around the Baltic, small-scale fishers are highly dependent on cod and the fall in catch opportunities has severe socio-economic implications for local communities – for further details see https://lifeplatform.eu/please-give-baltic-cod-and-small-scale-low-impact-fishing-a-chance/.

According to Christian Tsangarides “The Baltic cod was not destined to collapse. While environmental factors have exacerbated the problem, mismanagement has caused this man-made disaster. Will the cod recover? At present it seems unlikely. As long as the EU continues its policy of attempting to fish at the maximum sustainable yield for all stocks, including prey species, then predators such as the cod will not recover.

To exacerbate the problems facing the cod recovery, Baltic Member States are currently working on a delegated act to legalise the discarding of plaice, which is caught together with cod, a perfect example of the type of decision which led to the collapse of the cod stocks and is causing irreparable damage to the small-scale low impact fishery.

It is time to implement co-management of the stock, giving fishermen whose livelihood is dependent on the success of the stock a seat at the table alongside managers when decisions are taken. Furthermore, we need to adopt a differentiated approach: to move larger scale fishing operations away from cod, and to maintain a limited small-scale low impact fishery to enable the small-scale fleet to survive.”

A Renewed Commitment: a decade on the Low Impact Fishers of Europe (LIFE) renews its commitment to unite European small-scale fishers to achieve fair fisheries, healthy seas and vibrant communities.

Brussels, 5 and 6 November 2021: Representatives of 26 organizations from 15 European countries attended a virtual “Fisher Forum” and General Assembly meeting organized by the Low Impact Fishers of Europe (LIFE). The meeting celebrated nine years of LIFE’s existence and renewed its commitment to the cause of low impact small-scale fisheries.

This was the first time that LIFE members had met since October 2016 at the Third European Artisanal Fisheries Congress in Warsaw and marked nearly 10 years since the launch of LIFE at the First Artisanal Fisheries Congress in Brussels in 2012. It provided an opportunity to review the progress made and to discuss the challenges to be faced in the coming period.

LIFE’s General Assembly voted in a new 10-member Board of Directors, based on their representativity in LIFE’s 3 regions of operation – 3 from the Baltic and North Sea, 3 from the Atlantic (North and South), and 4 from the Mediterranean and Black Sea. LIFE Members also reviewed and approved a 5-year strategy (2021-2025) and LIFE’s revised statutes and internal regulations.

In his capacity of Senior Adviser and as one of the founders of LIFE, Jeremy Percy retraced the steps that led to the launch of LIFE, starting in 2009 with the “Green Paper Process” on the reform of the CFP. He highlighted how small-scale fishers had been able to come together at that time thanks to the alignment of socio-economic and environmental interests intent on meaningful CFP reform. Going forward it is vital for LIFE to build synergies and strategic alliances with like-minded interests to achieve common goals.

Brian O’Riordan, Executive Secretary, then gave an overview of LIFE’s progress since 2012 and the key milestones achieved. The key challenges of securing access to resources and fishing grounds on the one hand, and access to markets on the other remain the main focus of LIFE’s work.

Breaking through these barriers to achieve a level playing field and fair fisheries requires both advocacy work at EU and national level, as well as direct capacity building work with the fishers themselves. These latter aspects were highlighted by Marta Cavallé, LIFE’s Mediterranean Coordinator, in 2 keynote presentations on Co-Management and on a relatively new project of LIFE called “Foodnected”.

Cavallé highlighted that co-management provides a central plank underpinning LIFE ’s Mission to restore the health of European seas through improved governance, to bring fishers from the periphery to the centre of decision taking, and to strengthen the three pillars of sustainability. The Foodnected project is designed to pioneer alternative, more sustainable, localised and fair food systems, based on the shared values of small fish producers and consumers, providing a fair price to the fishers and a high-quality fresh and sustainable product to the consumers.

O’Riordan then presented a list of key issues for LIFE to consider for the 2022 review of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP). He noted how systemic failure of CFP implementation is disproportionately affecting small-scale low impact coastal fishers, undermining the sustainability of fishing communities and the natural resources on which they depend. Several participants raised concerns about the need to protect their fishing areas from the incursions of larger more powerful fishing activities; that an inshore fishing area needs to be reserved for small-scale low impact fishing under a co-management regime, with a differentiated approach to the management of larger scale off-shore fisheries and smaller scale inshore fisheries.

It was then the chance for LIFE’s Members to have their say. “LIFE Members are LIFE’s life-blood, giving life to LIFE and without whom LIFE’s actions would have no meaning” observed O’Riordan, “they provide strength in numbers, strength in diversity and strength in depth”. The short video presentations submitted by LIFE Members highlighted how much small-scale low impact fishers have in common, despite cultural, geographical, sea-basin and eco-region differences.

At heart, low impact fishing is all about using the right gear, in the right place at the right time to secure viable and sustainable fisheries, underpinned by LIFE’s Mission to unite European small-scale fishers to achieve fair fisheries, healthy seas and vibrant communities.

Given adequate support, and a level playing field, small-scale low impact fishing could provide an important part of the solution to the problems besetting Europe’s troubled seas.

Presentations from our members:

Other key documents and presentations:

LIFE Statement on the Implementation of the Common Fisheries Policy

Presentation on co-management (Marta Cavallé)

Presentation of Foodnected (Marta Cavallé)

LIFE from 2012 to 2021 (Brian O Riordan)

LIFE History (Jerry Percy)

The Schleswig-Holstein Fishermen’s Protection Association EN

The Schleswig-Holstein Fishermen’s Protection Association DE

The GFCM and the Friends of SSF are pleased to announce the 2022 programme of the SSF Forum!

Launched in 2020, the SSF Forum is a space where small-scale fishers from across the Mediterranean and the Black Sea come together to share knowledge, exchange best practices, and build their capacities to deal with the many common challenges they face both at sea and in a broader context.

Key themes to be addressed during the training and educational workshops this year include the importance of data collection in fishery decision-making, and how small-scale fishers can increase their involvement with it and participate more fully in management planning. Innovation in value chains is also in the spotlight – specifically, where it offers openings for fishers to add value to their products without having to increase the quantity of fish they land. Diversification can also create new revenue streams for fishing communities, and there will be a workshop on fishing tourism and other ways through which fishers can supplement the income they receive from their catches.

Along with sessions on promoting the next generation of fishers and updates on GFCM research programmes for the management of important commercial species such as rapa whelk and European eel, the SSF Forum aims to celebrate the International Year of Artisanal Fisheries and Aquaculture. 

Last year’s programme comprised 12 online workshops that attracted more than 240 participants, of whom more than 90 percent found the sessions “very useful” and said they were likely to apply what they learned to their work. Activities planned for 2022 build on this success, with the added possibility of face-to-face exchange events taking place later in the year subject to COVID-19 restrictions.

The small-scale fishing sector is anything but a small part of the region’s fishing industry. Its 70,300 vessels make up 84 percent of the total fleet, and the 150,000 jobs these provide represent 60 percent of all onboard roles. In countless communities across the Mediterranean and Black Sea the small-scale sector plays a vital socio-economic role. 

That’s why it’s so important to develop the capacity of small-scale fishers and fish workers to operate more effectively and sustainably, and to enable their participation in management and decision-making processes that affect their livelihoods. With these aims in mind, the SSF Forum plays a key role in the GFCM’s efforts to empower the region’s small-scale sector.

You can find out more about the SSF Forum by clicking here

The Low Impact Fishers of Europe (LIFE) calls on the Council of Ministers not to institute a closure of all eel fishing in 2022, as recommended in the ICES Advice of November 4 2021. This is not needed; it would be counterproductive and would do more harm than good.

Rather “smart measures” are needed to assure fluvial continuity from source to sea, measures to stop eels being killed by hydro-power plants and industrial water abstraction, and an end to the illegal capture, trade and trafficking of eels.

Any restrictions on eel fishing must be commensurate with the impact of the fishery. Marine catches are estimated to only cause 3% of eel mortality, and marine fisheries have relatively little impact on the biomass of the silver eel or their ability to reach the spawning grounds in the Sargasso Sea.

Any tightening of measures beyond what is already in place would have a profound impact on the viability of the Baltic Sea small-scale fishing fleet.

In the Baltic Sea, small-scale fishers account for over 60% of employment in fishing, and over 90% of the fleet by vessel numbers, with their catches destined for direct human consumption. But they are gasping for air. Increasingly their options are being closed down. Demise of and restricted access to crucial fish stocks – notably cod, herring, and eel – combined with increasing competition from predators such as seals and cormorants, is undermining the viability of their livelihoods.

Fishing for eels provides an important supplementary activity and source of income to small-scale fishers in the Baltic Sea, without which their livelihoods would become non-viable.

There are signs that the European Union’s Eel Regulation (establishing measures for the recovery of the stock of European eel), implemented since 2009 may be working. Since 2011 the dramatic decline in eel populations (90% over a few decades) seems to have been halted, and since 2013 eel restocking programmes are showing some increasing trends. According to Willem X. Dekker, a renowned eel biologist: “We are not sure that the Eel Regulation works, but we know that the expected effect does happen”.

According to DG Mare: “in the Member States having developed a comprehensive eel management plan, the Eel Regulation ((EC) No 1100/2007) has been effective.

For years eel fishers have been engaged in conservation efforts based on catching and transporting eels to stop them getting blocked by dams or damaged by hydropower installations. Europe has 12 million dams – one for dam every 400 metres of water. It is these barriers to eel migration and the damage being done to eel habitats, including the draining of wetlands, that are amongst the principle causes of eel declines.

Marine catches impact marginally on European eel stocks – causing only 3% of the overall mortality. In 2018 DTU Aqua concluded that capture of adult eels in

the marine areas has relatively little impact on the biomass of silver eel. However, predation and other anthropogenic impacts account for nearly 50% of eel mortality. In addition, the larval stages of the European eel are subject to large-scale illegal capture, trafficking and trade, described as Europe’s largest wildlife crime.

This is not to belittle the vulnerable situation of the European eel. The species is listed as critically endangered by the International Union for Nature Conservation (IUCN). The species also appears on CITES Appendix II, and is listed by the Convention on the Conservation for Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS). Urgent action is needed to bring the European eel back from the brink.

In 2017, LIFE recommended a 5 point plan, which we stick by today. This includes:

· Introduction of an all-encompassing Catch Documentation Scheme for European eel – for all stages of its life cycle;

· Increase efforts to curb the illicit capture, trade and trafficking of eels

· Facilitate eel migration by enhancing fluvial continuity from source to sea – including through “smart measures” based on eel migratory habits

· Reserve the glass eel fishery for restocking purposes only

Closure of the eel fishery in LIFE’s view would be counterproductive. Controlling and monitoring legal eel fishing and trade effectively would provide scientists and regulators with an important source of information on eel dynamics. It would also help to shine a spotlight and expose illegal eel catching and trade.

According to Andrew Kerr of the Sustainable Eel Group: “if we close the fishery, we will not save the eel. We will open up the rivers to uncontrolled poaching – widespread, widescale and on an incredible basis…”

So, please let’s preserve the fishery, conserve the European eel, and save the small-scale fishers.