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Blue Growth Razzmatazz: time for a reality check.

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growth

Blue Growth Razzmatazz: time for a reality check.

Brussels, 26 April 2016

Brian O’Riordan

LIFE Platform

Blue Growth is the new snake oil of the world economy. It is being promoted as the miracle cure for stagnant growth, overexploited and dwindling resources, and insufficient food on dry land in the context of ever increasing needs of a rapidly growing world population. In the absence of a “Planet B”, Blue Growth provides a glimmer of hope.

The idea of the Blue Economy came out of the 2012 Rio + 20 process under the auspices of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development – building on the 1992 Earth Summit. Advocated for principally by Small Island Development States (SIDS), it is rooted in the Green Economy, which in turn is seen as vital for “achieving sustainable development, to contribute to eradicating poverty as well as sustained economic growth, enhancing social inclusion, improving human welfare and creating opportunities for employment and decent work for all, while maintaining the healthy functioning of the Earth’s ecosystems” (from Para 56. The future we want. UNCSD 2012 http://www.un.org/disabilities/documents/rio20_outcome_document_complete.pdf).

The potential of the seas and oceans – the Blue Economy – to meet sustainable development needs is enormous; but only if they can be maintained in and/or restored to a healthy, and productive state.

However, LIFE is concerned that amid all the hype and razzmatazz, sight is being lost of the fact that Blue Growth has huge implications for fisheries, be they small or large in scale. Blue Growth only takes an interest in those sectors which exhibit growth potential – and it sees the fishery sector as one in decline. At the same time, the economic sectors targeted by Blue Growth include many that will encroach on the spaces traditionally occupied by fisheries, and which will undoubtedly have an impact on the resources on which fishery activities depend. These include industrial scale aquaculture, ocean energy, and seabed mining.

Although maritime spatial planning is included as an “essential component”, more attention is needed to ensure that the European Blue Growth strategy seeks coherence and complementarity with the CFP. If not the CFP will be overwhelmed by the tsunami of Blue Growth.

LIFE also asserts that Blue Growth should not be a license for business as usual and more of the same “brown” development. Up to now oceans have been treated as a means of free resource extraction and waste dumping, and environmental and social costs have been externalised from economic calculations. Blue Growth is a call for fundamental change; ongoing trends in the exploitation and degradation of marine and coastal ecosystems show that endeavours to date have been insufficient and that more needs to be and must be done quickly. The huge amounts of marine debris building up in the oceans, especially plastics, demands urgent action. This was highlighted in a speech last year by Commissioner Vella, delivered to the Microplastics conference in Brussels on 12 May, 2015   https://ec.europa.eu/commission/2014-2019/vella/announcements/eliminating-plastic-and-microplastic-pollution-urgent-need_en. Addressing the problem must go beyond paying fishermen to become litter collectors at sea.

Along with Blue Growth razzmatazz, LIFE is also concerned that large, private and non-governmental organizations are investing in the Blue Economy, and taking on the roles traditionally occupied by States.

Increasingly States are ceding land and marine concessions to large environmental NGOs, which are often set up as “Trusts”. These NGOs then manage the environmental reserves ceded to them on behalf of the States. These NGOs, whose activities are often financed by transnational corporations, then decide by themselves – without any democratic control – environmental actions to be undertaken. Local communities and citizens are often uninformed about these projects or kept out of managing these environmental reserves. Whilst the fight to combat climate change has in large part been entrusted by States to large environmental NGOs, and for various reasons transnational corporations finance these NGOs, the question now arises as to how what is often referred to as the “environmental industry” is regulated.

At the same time, international banks, private equity funds and other financial players seeking new areas for investment, are speculating on the oceans through carbon trading, debt for nature swaps and other such schemes.

The need to reign in this environmental industry, and to make it accountable and transparent was recently highlighted by Professor Gilles Lhuilier in “Le Marin” http://www.lemarin.fr/secteurs-activites/environnement/24995-initiative-pour-la-transparence-dans-les-ong.

Blue Growth and small scale fisheries was also one of the main themes of the recent Regional Conference on “Building a future for sustainable small-scale fisheries in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea” organized by the GFCM and the FAO in collaboration with the Algerian Government –  http://www.fao.org/gfcm/meetings/ssfconference2016/en/.

The Consultant presenting the case for Blue Growth highlighted that in order to be included in the rush for Blue Growth, fisheries would need to demonstrate how they can maximize their contribution to the economy and to growth, and to “reposition” themselves accordingly. This would require he said a) applying a “use right” system to achieve economic efficiency, and b) generating an “investible surplus” that could be invested in growth.

The CFP reform process brought to the fore the way the traditional use rights of the fishery sector and of fishing communities, and their access to fisheries has been eroded over time. Such traditional rights and access in Europe, as in many other areas of the world, have been replaced by private and tradable rights. This has transformed resources that were previously public into privately owned quotas, concentrated into fewer and fewer hands.

By contrast, the FAO’s approach through its Blue Growth Initiative (BGI) offers some hope. The BGI aims at building the resilience of coastal communities and restoring the productive potential of fisheries and aquaculture, in order to support food security, poverty alleviation and sustainable management of living aquatic resources.

Blue Growth and small scale fisheries, far from being incompatible, are entirely complimentary. But for such complementarity to be effectively transformed into a “win-win” situation, greater attention needs to be paid to safeguarding the fishing rights of small scale fisheries, and providing them with secure and priority access to their traditional fishing areas.

Implementing Article 17 of the CFP could go a long way in this regard.

 

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Crisis in the Mediterranean: Small Scale Fisheries must be included as part of the solution.

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Medmare

Crisis in the Mediterranean: Small Scale Fisheries must be included as part of the solution.

Brussels, 20 april 2016 By Brian O’Riordan, Deputy Director Low Impact Fishers of Europe (LIFE)

“Our patient is ill, but still breathing. The diagnosis is serious, but there is still hope.” From Commissioner Vella’s Opening Speech in Catania 9 February 2016, High level seminar on the Status of the Stocks in the Mediterranean and on the CFP Approach.

“Concerted effort needed to ensure that best practice become standard practices in small scale fisheries” – conclusion of GFCM Regional Conference on Small Scale Fisheries.

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The Low Impact Fishers of Europe (LIFE) contend that if Mediterranean fisheries are to recover from their current crisis, small scale fisheries have to be included as a central part of the remedy.

Any solution to the crisis in the Mediterranean must be built around small scale fisheries, as this sector provides the social and economic backbone of fishing communities.

Den oversight of the Spanish Government to include representatives from the small scale sector in their recent consultation with the fisheries sector, environmentalists, scientists and regional authorities must be remedied. Meeting in Madrid on April 7 to lay out details of its draft plan for the recovery of Mediterranean fisheries, the Fisheries Secretariat of the Ministry for Agriculture, Food and the Environment failed either to acknowledge the strategic importance of small scale fisheries to the success of such a plan, they also failed to invite representatives from the sector.

The Spanish plan is in preparation for a Ministerial conference in Brussels, hosted by DG Mare, on April 27, to coincide with the European Seafood Show (now called Seafood Expo Global). The meeting is spurred by the fishery crisis in the Mediterranean, and is the next step following the two day “high level seminar” on the state of stocks in the Mediterranean that took place in Catania, Sicily earlier this year. It will include Fisheries Ministers from all the countries bordering the Mediterranean, with the aim of agreeing on the actions necessary to address the crisis in the Mediterranean. Proposals from this conference will be taken to the 40th Session of the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM), the Regional Fisheries Management Organization (RFMO) for the Mediterranean and Black Sea, on 30 May.

The importance of small scale coastal fisheries (SSCF) in the Mediterranean is highlighted by the 2014 Annual Economic Report on the EU Fishing Fleet by the Scientific and Technical Committee on Fisheries (STEFC). This finds that, according to the available data, for the Mediterranean & Black Sea fleet, the small scale fleet (SSF) possessed 69% of the fleet in number and accounted for 67% of the effort but provided jobs for only 51% of the total employed. In terms of production, the SSF landed only 13% in weight but 23% in value; overall generating 27% of the revenue.

Whilst emphasising the important social and economic weight of the sector, these figures also highlight the huge gap in the available data on landings. Any visitor to a Mediterranean fishing port will be impressed by the quantity of small boats, the quantities of fish they collectively land, and the availability of fresh locally caught fish in the nearby restaurants and retail outlets. Clearly their contribution to landings is higher than available data shows.

Mediterranean wide, according to the General Commission for Fisheries in the Mediterranean – the GFCM –  SSCF “constitute over 80 percent of the fishing fleet, employ at least 60 percent of total on-vessel fishing labour and account for approximately 25 percent of the total landing value from capture fisheries in the region. At their best, small-scale fisheries exemplify sustainable resource use: exploiting living marine resources in a way that minimizes environmental degradation while maximizing economic and social benefits. Concerted effort is needed to ensure that best practices become standard practice.”

Small scale low impact activities using passive gears applied in a non-intensive and seasonally polyvalent manner also provide a ready-made solution to the problems of overfishing and environmental degradation caused by larger scale intensive, industrial fishery activities. Of course, considerable environmental impact is also being caused by the unrestricted use of small-meshed monofilament gillnets, and the associated effects of ghost fishing. Such irresponsible practices must be halted, in the same way that irresponsible industrial practices must be halted.

LIFE also contends that Article 17 of the CFP (“Basic Regulation” (EU) No 1380/2013) has an important role to play in favouring more sustainable ways of fishing, based on smaller scale, low impact fishing methods. Article 17, designed to promote responsible and socially beneficial fishing, obliges States to use transparent and objective criteria including those of an environmental, social and economic nature when allocating the fishing opportunities available to them. It also encourages States to provide incentives to fishing vessels deploying selective fishing gear or using fishing techniques with reduced environmental impact, such as reduced energy consumption or habitat damage.

At a meeting organized by LIFE in Athens on 28 November 2015, smaller scale fishers and their representative organisations from Greece, Croatia, Italy, Cyprus, France and Spain demanded a greater voice in the development of fisheries policy at national and European levels. The meeting highlighted the need for the creation of long term plans as an integral element of the more dynamic and effective management of Mediterranean fisheries. Fishers also highlighted the need to reduce and then eventually eliminate pollution in the Mediterranean due to its a very significant adverse effect on coastal fisheries and the wider marine environment

However, although fishery activities undoubtedly have a significant impact on fish stocks and on the marine habitats essential for fishery production, it would be incorrect to lay the entire blame for the fishery crisis in the Mediterranean on fishing alone. The Mediterranean is a semi-enclosed sea, and highly vulnerable to the impacts of human activities. Including Gibraltar and Monaco there are 23 countries bordering the Mediterranean, and the impacts of industrial and domestic sources of pollution are considerable, as are the impacts of port, shipping, and offshore oil and gas exploration and extraction, and the actual and potential impacts of climate change (including acidification, increases in extreme weather, sea level rise, warming of the sea etc.).

The Mediterranean also has a notorious reputation for illegal (IUU) fishing. Sometimes this is carried out under the guise of “sports fishing”, the impact of which is considerable. In addition, due to the complex nature of national maritime boundaries and inadequate monitoring, control and enforcement, much illegal, unregulated and unreported fishery activity takes place beyond national boundaries. In many cases these extend out to only 12 miles. There is also a lack of harmonized policies between EU Member States and other Mediterranean countries, hence the need for action at the RFMO level, in the GFCM.

The question also arises as to what extent fishery specific measures can be used to restore fish stocks and the marine environment, and to what extent a raft of much wider measures is needed. For example, MSY is unlikely to be achieved solely by applying such fishery specific measures as closed seasons, fleet capacity reductions, technical measures to reduce the impact of fishing gears, etc. Unless environmental degradation caused by pollutants, marine debris (including plastics), by acidification from increasing CO2 levels etc. is addressed, fish stocks will not be able to rebuild themselves to pre-crisis levels.

Except for professional fisheries, all traditional sectors of Mediterranean maritime economy such as tourism, shipping, aquaculture and offshore oil and gas are expected to keep growing during the coming 15 years. Comparatively new or emerging sectors such as renewable energy, seabed mining and biotechnology are expected to grow even faster, although there is greater uncertainty concerning these developments and their expected impacts on marine ecosystem.

For sure, the road to recovery will be paved with a complex array of difficulties. However, unless policy makers include small scale fisheries and the stakeholders from the sector in their plans and consultations, it will be a rocky road to nowhere.

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European Parliament Calls for a Regional Approach to Small Scale Fisheries

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European Parliament Calls for a Regional Approach to Small Scale Fisheries, for the fair allocation and gradual increase of quotas to small‑scale fishing

 

Brussels, 18 April 2016

LIFE Platform

On Tuesday 12 April, at their plenary session in Strasbourg, the European Parliament adopted a resolution on “innovation and diversification of small-scale coastal fishing in fisheries-dependent regions (2015/2090(INI))”. http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?pubRef=-//EP//TEXT+TA+P8-TA-2016-0109+0+DOC+XML+V0//EN

The Rapporteur, Croatian Euro-deputy Ruža Tomašić, highlighted that a new regionalized framework was needed for small scale coastal fisheries in order to take account of the specificities of different fisheries regions. Citing the example of the Mediterranean, Tomašić emphasised the need to abandon the one size fits all approach that has characterized the CFP to date.

LIFE completely agrees with, and has been calling for such an approach since it was founded in 2012. Such a differentiated approach is the only way to halt the erosion of fishing rights and the demise of small scale fisheries. We take on board Mr Vella’s comment that a “regionalised approach to the definition could have some merit but would also risk creating an uneven playing field.”

However, a regionalised approach to defining small scale fisheries need not alter the EMFF definition. Rather, for example, Regional MAPs and the technical measures adopted by them would take greater account of different craft gear combinations in the smaller scale non-towed gear categories. This could be in the form of derogations, or specific technical measures to be applied to the passive gear fleet segments.

In LIFE’s view the implementation of Tomasic’s report would go a long way to righting many of the wrongs dealt out to the small scale fisheries sector, and create a fairer and more level playing field.

Responding to the initiative, Commissioner Vella observed that “it is a fact that small-scale coastal fishing vessels are fundamental for the viability and resilience of coastal communities dependent on them, and I fully agree with that view.”

Den Low Impact Fishers of Europe (LIFE) congratulates Madame Tomašić for her report, and the European Parliament for adopting it. The report endorses LIFE’s contention that the specificities of small scale coastal fisheries require a differentiated approach, and that such fisheries are best defined at local level, within a regional framework.

Commissioner Vella rightly highlighted that in the European Union at least 3 out of 4 vessels (75%) are characterized as being small in scale, i.e. under 12 metres using non towed gears.

Unlike larger scale, more industrial kinds of fishing operations, these small-scale activities generally have a low impact on the environment, whilst having a high social and economic value providing fresh fish, jobs, and supporting economic and cultural activities locally.

However, LIFE fully agrees with Commissioner Vella that the fleet needs regulating, and that further relaxing regulatory requirements on small-scale coastal fishing risks encouraging fishing by additional vessels and could worsen crowding in the coastal band, especially in areas where there is already a lot of pressure on regulated and unregulated stocks.

LIFE notes with concern that there are significant regulatory loopholes through which illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing passes in the guise of sports fishing. These loopholes need closing.

Since the Common Fisheries Policy was launched in 1983, the small scale sector has been neglected, marginalised and treated unfairly. For this reason, this fleet segment of often referred to as Europe’s “Forgotten Fleet”. Over the last 20 years, this segment of the fleet has declined the most, in some instances by as much as 40 to 50% since 1995.

Successive CFPs dating back to 1983 have tended to focus on larger scale fisheries, leaving national authorities to deal with smaller scale fisheries. With notable exceptions, national authorities have also tended to neglect smaller scale fisheries, and this has resulted in unfair treatment compared to larger scale fisheries (in terms of fishing access rights, access to markets, access to decision taking etc.).

Until the most recent review and reform of the European Union’s Common Fisheries Policy (CFP), the management of small scale fisheries was considered to be a national issue. The “Green Paper” consultation initiated in 2009 questioned whether or not the CFP should adopt a differentiated approach to the management of fisheries: one approach for small scale fleets in coastal communities with a focus on social objectives, and another for large-scale fleets, with capacity adjustment and economic efficiency at the core.

Although this suggestion was not incorporated into the new CFP, it was endorsed by the European Parliament, which proposed a comprehensive range of measures to defend and promote the small-scale sector.

LIFE welcomes the fact that the financial instrument for implementing the CFP, the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF  – (EU) No 508/2014), as well as the Market Regulation ((EU) No 1379/2013 ), and the Regulation for the Advisory Councils (Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2015/242) all contain provisions which positively discriminate in favour of small scale fisheries.

However, as noted by Commissioner Vella, the implementation of these measures depends on Member States; that it is their responsibility to decide, under the respective operational programmes approved in late 2015, how to translate their strategic preferences into concrete support to their small-scale coastal fishing fleet.

LIFE calls on Member States to recognize the importance of small scale coastal fleets through specific plans for the modernization of the fleet. LIFE also fully endorses the call of the European Parliament for the quotas allocated to non-industrial fisheries to be increased, in order to boost this socially and ecologically sustainable form of fishing.

In our view the implementation of Article 17 is vital in this regard. Article 17 calls on Member States to “use transparent and objective criteria including those of an environmental, social and economic nature”, when allocating the fishing opportunities available to them. “The criteria to be used may include, inter alia, the impact of fishing on the environment, the history of compliance, the contribution to the local economy and historic catch levels. Within the fishing opportunities allocated to them, Member States shall endeavour to provide incentives to fishing vessels deploying selective fishing gear or using fishing techniques with reduced environmental impact, such as reduced energy consumption or habitat damage.”

Such measures, if applied in the spirit of the Article, would undoubtedly go a long way to providing the affirmative action necessary for small scale fisheries to regain their prominence in European fisheries.

Although many of Mrs Tomasic’s proposals are already contained in the new CFP, her report highlights the inertia in Member States to take the affirmative actions on small scale fisheries proposed, and the need for its full implementation.

 

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Mike Warner: Back to the Future

Ferry

Back to the Future

By Mike Warner,

Eastcoastavocet.com

By my reckoning, it’s 34 years since I last crunched my way down the little shingle beach, beyond the boatyard at Felixstowe Ferry, in my trusty “Bullseye” thigh boots and clambered aboard the dinghy which was tender to Dougie Goodall’s fishing boat “Swallow II”. Little did I realise, as we rowed to the mooring, that this glorious, early summer’s morning back in 1982, would be my last trip made for many, many, years. The closing scene of a boyhood that had borne witness to the travails of our local inshore fishermen and that had come to forge and represent the passion for the industry and its participants, that I now feel so keenly.

During the summers I spent potting for crab and lobster and the winters longlining for cod and skate, I would willingly while away the precious hours of my holidays and weekends at sea in an open clinker-built motorboat, with no VHF, no life jacket, EPIRB, GPS, mobile phone, or indeed quota, meaning we fished for what we wanted where we wanted. For me, a perfectly idyllic (albeit often impoverished) existence that only the demise of my school days marked the end of, having instilled an innate love of seafood in me and moreover, a profound and deep-seated respect for those who endure not only the daily vagaries of weather, tide and season, but also the complex and often errant doings of the Common Fisheries Policy, etched out by officialdom with rigorous and determined enforcement.

But I’m here again, oilskin-donned and with the biggest of grins across my face as I’m rowed to the Valerie Ann (IH322) at the invitation of Under 10m skipper Ed Butters, to steam once more from this diminutive but much-loved, weatherboarded and weatherbeaten gem of Suffolk’s heritage coast, on the hunt for the first of the new season’s lobsters.

A southerly and sometimes overlooked cousin to the much vaunted holiday destinations of Aldeburgh and Southwold, Felixstowe Ferry with its rich maritime history, exudes an eclectic and individual charm that beckons thousands of visitors in a year-round pilgrimage from both sea and land. Situated two miles North of its expansive and dominating commercial neighbour, the Port of Felixstowe, that currently boasts one of the largest container terminals in the world, its underlying allure, undoubtedly stems from its timeless and unadulterated simplicity and the fact that development over the years has been tempered. An individual and indeed very autonomous community exists here with the inhabitants benefiting from a church, (St Nicholas) a pub (The Ferry Boat) and two cafés.

John White, fisherman, boat-builder and now Harbourmaster tells me exactly what 70 years as a Ferry resident and fisherman has meant to him and how times have changed. “My parents moved here after the war when my father left the Merchant Navy,” he recalls. “He started fishing here and I’ve always been part of that scene”

A mainstay of the community, the fishing fleet back then, numbered many more skippers and crew, but still a significant number operate from the mouth of the Deben today, with currently nine full-time registered craft. “Of course”, continues John, “nowadays we actually have more boats fishing out of here commercially than Lowestoft.” A galling fact, when you consider the historical status and importance of the East coast’s most famous trademark, but now erstwhile fishing port.
Yachting and the services it demands, plays an increasingly important part too in the economy here. Visiting UK sailors and from nearby Belgium (only 80 miles), Holland and France, drop in regularly for supplies and fuel or just to appreciate the stunning scenery of the surrounding Suffolk coastline and countryside with views up river to further moorings at Ramsholt, Waldringfield and Woodbridge. Centrepiece is the well-known and much photographed jetty, where the Ferry has run for generations, latterly skippered by John and before that, his father in law and well-respected local figure Charlie Brinkley, providing travellers with a crucial, time-saving crossing to Bawdsey on the northerly bank and still hugely popular with walkers and cyclists.

“We get hundreds of vessels visit over the course of a year” enthuses John. Being Harbourmaster he also acts as a pilot for those visitors requiring assistance in bringing their vessels safely into the Deben. Facilities abound here too, for boating enthusiasts under either motor or sail. The sailing club is well established with a thriving membership and the Ferry Boatyard affords repairs, haul-outs, chandlery and moorings, as well as still building a number of boats from basic shell-like dinghies to the beautiful lines of modern 26ft fishing boats, one of which currently resides in the workshop, for completion this year and destined to remain fishing here, carrying on a worthy tradition of manufacturing quality sea boats, of which Andrew Moore and his team at the Felixstowe Ferry yard are justifiably proud.

As we leave the mooring and motor steadily against the young flood tide out to the lobster grounds, where Ed’s pots lie fishing, I notice the shingle bars and spits that mark the river entrance have shifted considerably since my days afloat here. Ed points out the depth of water we have to negotiate, on the sounder and indicates the position of the channel buoys which John monitors constantly to ensure they always mark the most safely navigable route.
“At High Water we can still nip over the bar with our draft,” Ed explains, “but you don’t want to be caught short coming home with a boat full of fish and not much freeboard, so it pays to be careful.”

 

Earlier, John reminded me that in summer, the submerged shingle bar with its confused waters, harbours schools of wily bass, eager to swallow tempting lures, although now recreationally restricted since the enforcement of their new catch regulations in January.

Steaming now into the northerly inshore sea area, locally known as East Lane, the familiar landmark of Bawdsey Manor looms up to port, it’s turrets and wings once playing host to the team headed by Robert Watson-Watt and his critical wartime invention of radar, which seems oddly symbolic as we cruise past, toward the first dahn (marker buoy).

With lobsters our main quarry, Ed is anxious to know what his pots might yield, having not hauled since Easter – a constant blow keeping him ashore since then. “We may find some of them have moved” he tuts. “I shoot them in lines and each end pot is a heavier one to act as a marker.” The dahns hove into view and I’m reminded that with a strong tide running now, quite often the gear will “run under” only popping back into sight as it slackens towards High Water.
Lobsters have been plentiful, in recent years, although not in such numbers as John White and his father saw immediately after World War II, when a lack of fishing meant massive recruitment and low mortality for that species. Now the pressure is back on though, as restricted areas for the nearby wind farm developments and associated cabling work, have meant that fishermen have been forced into ever decreasing spots, with individual gear often shot in close proximity on the more productive patches. As Ed hauls the first pot, I’m told that at present the gear is being fished as “singles” whereas later in the season with more fish on the ground then they’re made up into “shanks” and fished eight pots in line, as a string.
  

Nothing on the first haul but the second pot yields a keeper, just exceeding the gauge on its carapace, another one on the third and a selection of cock and hen crabs appear too as we haul, mainly on the muddier ground, with the lobsters dominating the cleaner rock.
With several lobsters in the box, I set to work banding the claws as Ed hauls, making sure I at least contribute something to the morning. I’m encouraged to see the number of smaller, undersized fish (or “Nancies” as my father used to call them) that we return unharmed to the water. One more “shed” or moult for those specimens and they themselves will be going ashore.

Ed and his brother Rob (out too this morning, fishing for cod and skate over the horizon) sell most of their catch locally. Dave Hicks of SpringTide Fish, right by the jetty, buys as much local fish and shellfish as he can from the Butters’ and the other Ferry fishermen with most of the residue travelling the 50 miles by road to the auctions at Lowestoft. Dave’s business at the Ferry is another rung on the sustainability ladder of this vibrant little community, as customers flock year round to his hut to purchase a range of fresh, top quality seafood, keeping money and value within the locality.

The wind freshens now as the sun gets up and Ed skilfully re-shoots all the pots back in their correct rows rebaiting each one with the standard salted herring, caught in the same waters months before. The inshore seas of this coast are alive with herring at present, although they currently attract little premium, being now “spent” after spawning, sustaining only hungry cod and bass before they once more, move off to deeper water.
The final pot disappears over the gunwales and we make for home on the last of the flood. An exciting morning with a fascinating and hugely nostalgic insight into low-impact and selective fishing carried out in time-honoured fashion using techniques which the years have failed to erode.

As we tie up and decant the catch into the “keep pot” on the mooring, I reflect on the emotions and feelings that have drawn me back here after so long. Saltwater is definitely in my blood and it runs stronger with each trip I make to harbours, markets, auctions and of course to sea. Fishing out of Felixstowe Ferry again, has crystallised this for me. I feel such a strong affinity for the place and its inhabitants and it has only further cemented my feelings and passion to be involved in supporting this bastion of the last wild hunters, as much as I can.

Sitting later with a coffee in hand, on the decking of the “Winkle” cafe overlooking the jetty, whilst waiting for Rob to come ashore and watching the different elements of this community at work and play, it’s easy to see why Felixstowe Ferry still thrives. It is sustainable. Fishing and its support services, manufacturing, retail, food service, tourism and recreation all combine beautifully here in a microcosm, on a relatively small but critically defined scale.


It’s truly amazing to both witness and experience and now even more so for me – I’ve just applied for a mooring.

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Technical Measures: heading in the right direction, but not far enough.

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Technical Measures:

heading in the right direction, but not far enough.

 

There is much in the new Technical Measures Regulation proposal, published by DG Mare on March 11, that is to be welcomed (see http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:52016PC0134&from=EN).

For example, there are provisions for regional implementation through Multi-Annual Plans (MAPs); for incentives to be provided to fishing vessels that use gears that are more selective and with less impact on the marine environment (in line with Article 17); and towards a balanced representation of stakeholders on the Advisory Councils.

It is also to be welcomed that the need for technical measures to be applied to recreational fisheries is taken account of.

The rationale for a new regulation are spelt out in the Executive Summary of the impact assessment, available on the link http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:52016SC0056&from=EN.

However, overall, like previous technical measures, the proposal fails to differentiate sufficiently between small and large scale, and mobile and fixed gear operations.

In the preamble, the proposal notes that “the catching sector comprising around 82,000 vessels and employing 98,500 Full-time equivalents (FTE) is the most affected by potential changes to the technical measures regulations. Of these approximate 82,000 fishing vessels, almost 98% of them would be classified as micro-enterprises employing fewer than 10 persons and whose annual turnover and/or annual balance sheet total does not exceed €2 million. With such a high proportion of the sector being micro-enterprises exempting them from this proposal would undermine the conservation objectives of the CFP as few fishing enterprises would be governed by the general rules.”

However, not once in the proposal is reference made to the small scale fleet segment (under 12 metres and using non-towed gear) which comprises 80% of the 82,000 vessels mentioned above. That said, some exemptions can be found in the Annexes to rules applied to vessels in the Baltic Sea under 8 metres and under 12 metres, such as permissible length of passive nets, and access to closed areas.

LIFE agrees that the majority sector (80% of the fleet), which is small in scale should not be exempted. However, the measures should take more account of the specificities and different levels of impact of the two distinct – small and large – fleet segments. The proposal does not go far enough in this regard.

It must be recalled that whilst the Green Paper on the CFP reform had floated the idea of adopting a differentiated approach to managing small and large scale fishery activities, and this was endorsed by the European Parliament, such an approach was not adopted in the new CFP. However, despite this, the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund Regulation ((EU) No 508/2014) does include many provisions designed to defend and support small scale fisheries, as does the Commission Delegated Regulation ((EU) 2015/242) laying down detailed rules on the functioning of the Advisory Councils under the Common Fisheries Policy.

On regionalisation, the preamble notes that the framework for the regulation of technical measures “should establish general rules to apply across all Union waters and provide for the creation of technical measures that take account of the regional specificities of fisheries through the process of regionalisation introduced by the CFP”, and “where no technical measures are in place at regional level then defined baseline standards should apply.” It notes that “Member States in conjunction with stakeholders can develop joint recommendations for appropriate technical measures that deviate from the baselines in accordance with the regionalisation process set out in the CFP”.

It is therefore vital that small scale fishers become more active at the regional level, especially through engagement with the Advisory Councils (ACs). The new CFP contains specific provisions to promote a balanced representation of stakeholders in the ACs, bolstered by this new proposal, including reserving spaces in the ACs (at Executive Committee level) for the participation of small scale fishers and their representatives.

Rightly, the focus of the new DG Mare proposal is on the taking and landing of fishery resources, on the operation of fishing gears, and the interaction of fishing activities with marine ecosystems. Its specific objectives are to provide protection for juveniles and spawning aggregations; to minimize and where possible eliminate discards; minimize the environmental impact of fishing on marine habitats; and to promote compliance with the Habitats, Wild Birds, Marine Strategy Framework and Water Framework Directives. All good stuff.

The proposal sets out measures and conditions to be applied for the use of towed and static gears, which are detailed in the Annexes according to regional sea basins and sensitive habitats.

However, in the case of towed gears (Article 9), no account is taken of the effects of engine power and gear design on selectivity (mesh size opening), or of the environmental impact of ground ropes, trawl doors, twin rigging “clumps”, or of the shoes and beams of otter and beam trawls on marine fauna and habitats. Some provisions should be included on parameters relating to the size and weight of ground gear and net design generally, including engine power. Such provisions may not be easy to apply, but a balance is needed between giving fishers the scope and responsibility for reducing their impacts, whilst ensuring that regulations are not flouted.

It must also be noted that originally the landings obligation came into being as an incentive to fishers to design and use fishing gears that would avoid aggregations of juveniles, spawning adults, prohibited species, and other species that may choke the fishery. With the ongoing uncertainties as to the final shape of the landings obligation, the Technical Measures Regulation is needed mainly as a back up to limit the negative impacts of fishing. At the same time, it is important to avoid over specifying rules on technical measures that would rob fishers of the flexibility needed to comply with the landing obligation and make a living.

LIFE Members from the Western Baltic Sea also point out that reported levels of by-catch of undersize cod from trawl fisheries is much higher than the 2% reported. In practice this can be as high as 40%.

LIFE is also concerned that previous measures restricting the use of pulse beam trawling to “no more than 5% of the beam trawler fleets of Member States” appears to have been lifted. The International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) observed that as of November 2015 “84 licences had been issued to use pulse trawl in the Netherlands for scientific research and data collection purposes. This is well in excess of the 5% limit included in the original legislation. The increases in the number of licences issued were agreed at EU level in 2010 and 2014” and “it would seem (that these increases) are over and above levels that would normally be associated with scientific research.”

Given the significant lack of scientific evidence regarding the impacts of this type of fishing on both target and non-target species and on the wider marine environment, though clear damage caused to some species of fish by electric pulses has been found, LIFE questions why DG Mare’s new proposal has removed this limitation? And, if there is no longer such a limitation, how does the Commission propose to monitor and regulate the use and the impacts of this gear? The above comments from ICES indicate that the beam trawl fleet finds this fishing method to be commercially advantageous, and the increasing numbers of vessels using this potentially destructive method has no scientific rationale, and flies in the face of the precautionary approach.

LIFE also questions whether the measures and the capacity for monitoring, control and surveillance at Member State level are sufficient to ensure that the fleet of pelagic super trawlers fishing in coastal waters off Ireland, UK, France and other Member States comply with quota regulations and regulations concerning discards and by-catch. Recent anecdotal reports indicate that little or no control can be applied to the operation of these vessels to prevent unwanted catches of prohibited species, and catches of species that are over quota and undersize. Due the methods used to catch and retain the catches on board, the crew are often not aware of what is in the catch till it is pumped ashore into processing facilities.

But the devil is in the detail, and to get to grips with the implications of this new proposal, some immersion in the 11 Annexes to the proposal is required. These set out the baseline measures that will apply in the absence of measures being put in place regionally. They include baseline mesh sizes, minimum conservation reference sizes (MCRS), closed or restricted areas to protect juveniles and spawning fish and other regionally specific measures.

Annex I lists the prohibited species that if caught as bycatch must be returned immediately to the sea; Annex II provides a list of areas closed to fishing established for the protection of sensitive habitats (referred to in Article 13), with details of the restrictions to be applied on the carrying and use of fishing gears, use of VMS, reporting, vessel registration, etc.; and Annex III provides a list of species that are prohibited for capture with driftnets.

Annexes IV to XI contain baseline measures by sea basin (i.e. North Sea, Baltic, Northwestern waters, Southwestern waters, Mediterranean, Black Sea and the outermost regions).

It is therefore at the regional level that most effort will be required to ensure that small scale low impact activities are not tarred with the same broad brush as larger scale high impact activities.

Small scale needs to get its act together; it needs to get to the decision taking table, be it in the ACs, with their national authorities, or with parliamentarians at national and European level. Tomorrow is not soon enough to ensure that issues affecting small scale coastal fishery activities are not overlooked or marginalised in the implementation of the CFP.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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NOTICIAS DESDE LA CUBIERTA

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NOTICIAS DESDE LA CUBIERTA

El boletín mensual de los pescadores de bajo impacto y pequeña escala de Europa

 

PRINCIPALES EVENTOS DEL MES

 

Reunión con la DG Mare en temas del Báltico

El 4 de marzo, LIFE organizó una reunión con la Dirección General de Asuntos Marítimos y Pesca de la Comisión Europea (DG MARE), para discutir los temas que afectan a los pescadores de pequeña foto balticescala en el oeste del Mar Báltico. La reunión contó con la participación del personal de LIFE de la oficina de Bruselas, Wolfgang Albrecht (Director de LIFE, Alemania), Katarzyna Wysocka (Director de LIFE, Polonia), David Lange y Hanne Lyng Winter (en representación de FSK – Dinamarca, un miembro de LIFE). La reunión fue organizada por la DG Mare, con Bernard Friess, Jefe de la Dirección C (Atlántico), Jefe de la Dirección E (Mar Báltico) y su personal.

Los principales temas de discusión incluyeron el estado de los stocks, el cierre de la pesquería de bacalao, la selectividad y la captura incidental en la pesquería de arrastre, excepciones dadas a la pesca industrial, el trato justo para los pescadores de pequeña escala, y la participación de la pesca de pequeña escala en los Consejos Consultivos Regionales. La reunión fue muy positiva, y Bernhard Friess sugirió reuniones más frecuentes con LIFE y sus miembros para intercambiar sobre temas de su interés.

La Conferencia Regional de la CGPM sobre “Construir un futuro para la pesca sostenible de pequeña escala en el Mar Mediterráneo y el Mar Negro”

Miembros del equipo de LIFE participaron en la Conferencia Regional sobre la pesca a pequeña escala en el Mar Mediterráneo y el Mar Negro, organizada por la Comisión General de Pesca del Mediterráneo (CGPM), en colaboración con la FAO y el Gobierno de Argelia (http://www.fao.org/gfcm/meetings/ssfconference2016/en/ ).  La CGPM es la Organización Regional de Ordenación Pesquera (OROP) responsable de los mares Mediterráneo y Negro.

Asegurar un futuro sostenible para la pesca a pequeña escala en el Mediterráneo enfoto algeria el contexto del crecimiento azul fue uno de los temas principales de la reunión. Otros paneles temáticos incluyeron la cogestión, las Áreas Marinas Protegidas [AMP], el papel de los pescadores de pequeña escala en la cadena de valor, y la aplicación de las Directrices voluntarias para Garantizar la pesca de pequeña escala (Directrices SSF). Brian O’Riordan, Director Adjunto de LIFE, fue ponente en el panel relativo a la pesca a pequeña escala, e hizo una presentación sobre “las implicaciones de la reformada PPC para los pescadores de pequeña escala” y Marta Cavallé, Coordinadora de LIFE en el Mediterráneo fue entrevistada por el equipo oficial de comunicación del evento.

La reunión también dio a LIFE la oportunidad de establecer contactos con algunos políticos,  actores internacionales involucrados, pescadores del norte de África y para organizar una serie de reuniones para impulsar su estrategia Mediterránea.

Reunión con el gobierno de Reino Unido

LIFE recientemente trabajó en estrecha colaboración con Amber Rudd, Secretario de Estado de Energía y Cambio Climático y miembro del parlamento para Hastings y Rye en la costa sureste de Inglaterra para facilitar un encuentro entre una de nuestras organizaciones miembros del Reino Unido, la Asociación New Under Ten Fishermen’s Association (NUTFA, www.nutfa.org), la Organización de Productores Costera (http://fish.coop/) y el Ministro de Estado de Alimentación, Agricultura y Medio Ambi

ente, George Eustice MP.

La reunión, que tuvo lugar el jueves día 10, contó con la presencia de Jerry Percy, Director Ejecutivo de LIFE, y se cubrieron una serie dfoto uke temas, incluyendo la no deseada reciente decisión del Gobierno del Reino Unido de imponer un límite a las licencias de pesca a los buques menores de 10 metros que capturaron menos de 350 kg de especies sometidas a cuota durante el período de referencia, para hacer frente a la capacidad latente percibida dentro de este sector, la futura gestión de la lubina con respecto a los efectos de los controles adicionales implementada recientemente, el alcance y la magnitud de los incrementos de cuota proporcionados por el Ministro de Pesca como consecuencia de los alegatos de NUTFA y el uso innecesario de las reglas de composición de las capturas de la flota de bajura.

Sin dejar de estar profundamente descontentos con respecto a la cuestión de la capacidad latente, la reunión fue por otro lado más positiva y el Ministro evidenció un apoyo específico a la iniciativa de la Organización de Productores Costera, actualmente impulsada por todas las organizaciones interesadas en la reunión.

Además de proporcionar apoyo a una organización miembro, la presencia de LIFE en la reunión también nos ha ayudado a entender más claramente la visión de una administración de un Estado Miembro en relación a la formación de la Organización de Productores
Costera. Esta iniciativa es potencialmente beneficiosa para otras organizaciones miembros en toda Europa.

OTROS EVENTOS EN TODA EUROPA

  • El Director Ejecutivo de LIFE fue invitado por Bord Iascaigh Mhara, el Consejo de Pesca del Mar de Irlanda, para presentar a LIFE y su amplia experiencia en procesos de participación en el sector pesquero a la Irish Inshore Networking Forum (Foro de Redes de Flota de Bajura Irlandesa), que tuvo lugar este jueves día 3 en Galway, Irlanda. Después de una exitosa reunión donde se le pidió que presidiera la sesión de clausura, también aprovechó la oportunidad mientras estaba en Irlanda para tener una reunión formal con una organización miembro irlandesa de LIFE, la Irish Islands Marine Resource Organisation (IIMRO – iimro.org ) (Organización de Recursos Marinos de las Islas Irlandesas).

  • Ese mismo día, el personal de LIFE asistió al evento “Agricultura inteligente: La cosecha de los dividendos digitales en toda la UE” en las instalaciones de Digital Europe, en Bruselas. Fue una ocasión para sensibilizar al sector de las Ciencias de la Tecnología e Información (TIC) sobre la importancia del desarrollo de herramientas y servicios para los productores de pequeña escala, y en particular para la mejora del acceso a la banda ancha y el desarrollo de aplicaciones de teléfono orientadas a la producción de datos y al mercado.

  • Mientras que la mayor parte de la producción de los pescadores artesanales se vende directamente como pescado fresco entero, existen posibles oportunidades para añadir valor a algunas especies en algunas áreas. Esta es la razón por la que Jerry Percy, Director Ejecutivo de LIFE, el 8 de marzo se reunió con un procesador de pescado en Devon que se dedica a tratar pescado capturado de forma sostenible desde el sector de la pequeña escala, junto con los proveedores más importantes del esquema de la Caja de Verduras Orgánicas en el Reino Unido, para saber más acerca de los productos alternativos y las cadenas de suministro. Las lecciones aprendidas serán de igual valor a las organizaciones miembros dondequiera que se basen.

  • El Director Ejecutivo de LIFE asistió al evento “Blue New Deal“, que tuvo lugar el miércoles 9 de marzo en Londres y se centró en la mejora de la resistencia de las comunidades costeras. El Blue New Deal es una iniciativa promovida por la New Economics Foundation, que tiene como objetivo ofrecer economías más fuertes para las comunidades costeras del Reino Unido a través de un medio marino saludable. (bluenewdeal.org). Este es otro ejemplo de cómo LIFE aprende de las mejores prácticas para replicar en toda Europa.

  • El 10 de marzo, el Director Ejecutivo de LIFE asistió a la reunión del Proyecto C-Bass en Londres. C-Bass es un proyecto de colaboración entre científicos pesqueros franceses e ingleses para determinar con mayor claridad la biología, los movimientos y actividades de desove relacionadas con la especie. Esto es de particular importancia para los operadores de menor escala, muchos de los cuales, en el Reino Unido, Países Bajos y Francia dependen de esta especie como un componente importante de sus ingresos.

  • LIFE participó en dos reuniones del Grupo de Trabajo (sobre los descartes y peces pelágicos) del Consejo Consultivo del Mediterráneo (MedAC) el 15 y 16 de marzo. La delegación incluía representantes de Pescartes, una organización miembro de LIFE de la costa mediterránea de España. Los principales temas tratados han sido los períodos de veda para la pesca del pez espada y el cumplimiento de la obligación de desembarque para las especies demersales en 2017. Se dio a LIFE la oportunidad de presentarse a los miembros del MedAC.

  • LIFE asistió a la audiencia “Nuevo marco para las medidas técnicas”, celebrada en el Parlamento Europeo el 21 de marzo. El evento, organizado por la Comisión de Pesca (PECH) (http://www.europarl.europa.eu/committees/en/pech/members.html), fue probablemente el primer debate público sobre la nueva propuesta de Reglamento de Medidas Técnicas. Se puso de relieve un consenso general entre los grupos de interés de realizar un enfoque más regionalizado en la definición e implementación de las medidas de conservación. La UE debe establecer los objetivos generales pero las medidas concretas deben decidirse a nivel local ya que el enfoque de “talla única para todos” no ha funcionado. Los ponentes fueron del sector industrial, con la excepción de un profesor de Croacia. A pesar de que él era el único ponente para defender a los pescadores de pequeña escala, varios eurodiputados también destacaron la necesidad de un enfoque diferenciado para la pesca de pequeña escala en el Reglamento.

 

NOTICIAS DE NUESTROS MIEMBROS

  • Asoar-Armega tuvo éxito en contra del proyecto de ley de Acuicultura!

Asoar-Armega, una organización miembro de LIFE de Galicia, España (http://asoararmega.es), fue parte de una plataforma regional que exigía el rechazo de un controvertido proyecto de ley de acuicultura. Como resultado de sus protestas, el proyecto de ley fue retirado por el presidente de Galicia, ¡”hasta que se cuente con el respaldo del sector”!

En diciembre del año pasado las autoridades gallegas redactaron un proyecto de ley de la acuicultura diseñado para transformar el sector tradicional marisquero en un sector de la acuicultura moderna, y la privatización de las zonas costeras mediante el otorgamiento de concesiones a 20 años para la acuicultura industrial! Después de varios meses de batalla, protestas y huelgas, en febrero de este año la comunidad gallega tuvo éxito en convencer a las autoridades en retirar el proyecto de ley, que habría destruido los medios de vida tradicionales de las comunidades pesqueras locales. (Http://www.efeagro.com/noticia/galicia-anula-su-proyecto-de-ley-para-la-acuicultura/). Gracias a la labor y el compromiso de la comunidad local, en marzo, las autoridades gallegas decidieron reorientar las inversiones por un total de 18 millones de euros a los sectores de la pesca artesanal y del marisqueo.

  • La Plataforma Francesa para la Pesca Artesanal celebró su Asamblea General

LIFE participó en el Congreso Anual de la Plataforma Francesa de la Pesca Artesanal (PPAF – Plateforme de la Petite Pêche Artisanale Française), celebrada el 1 de marzo en París en el acuario de la Porte Dorée. El Congreso fue una ocasión para examinar el importante trabajo realizado sobre la lubina a finales del año pasado que permitió a los pescadores artesanales de Francia, el Reino Unido y los Países Bajos obtener una serie de beneficios acordados en la reunión del Consejo de Ministros de diciembre. En particular:

  • Si bien el Consejo decidió el cierre general de 6 meses para la pesca de lubina entre enero y junio, se estableció una excepción para los palangreros y los pescadores de redes fijas, quienes fueron limitados a dos meses entre febrero y marzo.
  • Tanto a los palangreros como a los pescadores de redes fijas se les concedió un límite de captura mensual de 1,3 toneladas. Los arrastreros y otros pescadores de artes móviles están restringidos a 1 tonelada por mes en la temporada abierta y hasta el 1% de la biomasa total desembarcada como captura incidental de lubina en la temporada de cierre.

Teniendo en cuenta el resultado positivo de la colaboración, las dos organizaciones continuarán trabajando juntas durante el año en una serie de iniciativas políticas y de comunicación.

  • El Director de LIFE de Francia será miembro del jurado en el Concurso Olivier Roellinger

Gwen Pennarun, Director de LIFE en Francia y Presidente de la Asociación de Palangreros de Cabo Bretaña, participó como miembro del jurado en el concurso de Roelinger Olivier para la preservación de los recursos marinos, organizado por SeaWeb Europa el 23 de marzo. Estudiantes de hostelería de Austria, Bélgica, Francia, Alemania, Irlanda, Luxemburgo, Países Bajos, Reino Unido y Suiza compitieron en Dinard, Francia, presentando sus propias recetas con pescado de fuentes sostenibles. El concurso alienta la sensibilidad entre los jóvenes chefs sobre el agotamiento continuo de los recursos marinos – la próxima generación de chefs tienen un papel vital que desempeñar en la preservación de los recursos mediante la promoción de las especies sostenibles, a menudo menos conocidas. (Http://www.seaweb-europe.org/IMG/pdf/gb_2016_web.pdf)

 

¡BIENVENIDOS A BORDO!

Además de los miembros que se unieron desde el comienzo de 2016 (Pescartes (ESPAÑA), FSK (Dinamarca), pescadores de Freest (ALEMANIA), IIMRO (Irlanda), Pescadores de Pantelleria (ITALIA), NetVISwerk (PAÍSES BAJOS), las siguientes organizaciones se convirtieron oficialmente en parte de LIFE este mes:

  • Scottish Creel Fishermen’s Federation (Escocia)

SCFF es la asociación comercial nacional de la pesca con nasas. Esta forma tradicional y sostenible de la pesca costera de crustáceos es vital para las comunidades queSCFF viven alrededor de la costa de Escocia. ¡LIFE recibe a sus 1200 miembros y está a la espera de iniciar una cooperación fructífera!

  • Syndicat Professionnel des Pêcheurs Petits Métiers

du Languedoc Roussillon (SPMLR). (FRANCIA)

 

En representación a los pescadores de bajo impacto y de pequeña escala de la región de Languedoc Roussillon, logo_golionSPMLR es un sindicato fuerte e independiente que trabaja en cooperación con una serie de instituciones y organizaciones profesionales. Gestiona con éxito el proyecto de etiquetado Golion (www.golion.fr), que permite informar al público sobre la importancia de la pesca artesanal y sus productos locales y frescos. LIFE se complace en dar la bienvenida a sus 150 miembros, todos ellos pescadores artesanales comprometidos, que merecen ser reconocidos y que se visibilice su duro trabajo a nivel de la UE.

Este boletín es una sencilla “foto instantánea” de nuestras actividades externas del mes de marzo. Además, el personal de LIFE en el Reino Unido, Bruselas y España responde a una amplia gama de consultas relacionadas con nuestro sector y continuamente desarrolla y promulga políticas relacionadas con la pesca de pequeña escala y de bajo impacto. Nuestros directores regionales y todos los pescadores de pequeña escala también trabajan promoviendo los valores y beneficios de la pesca costera.

¿Le gustaría recibir información adicional acerca de un evento, proyecto o iniciativa específica? No dude en contactar con nosotros en communications@lifeplatform.eu

LIFE attends the GFCM regional conference on “Building a future for sustainable small-scale fisheries in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea”.

Brussels, 14 march 2016

LIFE attends the GFCM regional conference on

“Building a future for sustainable small-scale fisheries in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea”.

 

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The meeting of the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean, who took place from 7 to 9 March 2015, Algiers (Algeria), was attended by Brian O’Riordan, LIFE Deputy Director, and Marta Cavallé, LIFE Coordinator for the Mediterranean.

The purpose of LIFE’s participation in the meeting was to raise awareness about LIFE, its mission and objectives, to highlight the issues of importance for European small-scale low impact fishers, and to make contacts that will help LIFE and its work to become more widely recognized and supported.

Specifically, Brian O’Riordan represented LIFE in a round table discussion on the FAO’s Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Small Scale Fisheries (SSF Guidelines), where his input focussed on the opportunities and challenges for European small scale low impact fishers in the implementation of the reformed CFP.

The General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM) is a regional fisheries management organization (RFMO), and therefore plays an important role to play in fisheries governance in the region. Attending such a meeting is therefore very much in line with LIFE’s objective to “restore the health of our seas in Europe and the rest of the world”. It must be recalled that the Mediterranean faces a critical situation of overfished and depleted stocks, lack of effective management, IUU fishing, environmental degradation, and so on. DG Mare recently organized an emergency meeting on the state of stocks in the Mediterranean, and will host a ministerial fisheries meeting in Brussels of all Mediterranean states on April 27 2016.

Attending the meeting were delegations from North African countries, the European Commission (DG Mare) and the MedAC, some European delegations, North African fishers’ organizations, WWF, IUCN and various NGOs, and researchers.

One of the main themes of the meeting was supporting sustainable development of small scale fisheries through Blue Growth. “Blue Growth” aims to maximize economic returns to exploiting the seas and oceans in balance with environmental sustainability and social development. It is a new concept rooted in the Rio process on sustainable development, linked with the Green Economy. It is being widely promoted and could impact seriously on small scale fisheries. Blue Growth gives priority to those sectors with most potential for growth and economic benefits.

foto8The consultant presenting the discussion noted that fisheries are not visible in a macro-economic view of Blue Growth. There is little scope for increasing production in fisheries. As far as he was concerned, there was a need for fisheries to demonstrate how they can maximize their contribution to the economy and to growth, and to “reposition” themselves accordingly. This would require he said a) applying a “use right” system to achieve economic efficiency, and b) generating an “investible surplus” that could be invested in growth.

The next two sessions were run by WWF related projects, the first on co-management and the second on Marine Protected Areas and how their performance could be improved by the participation of small scale fisheries in their management and use. The presentations also highlighted the need for “no take zones” in the MPAs to make them more productive.

WWF has considerable relevant experience in the Mediterranean with MPAs and engaging with small scale fisheries through the MedPan project. We took contact with MedPan/WWF representatives to explore how LIFE Members could benefit from training and other support to help them to be better understood by fisheries authorities in protected areas. It was suggested to us that LIFE arrange a delegation to attend the 2nd Forum of Marine Protected Areas in the Mediterranean, to be held in Tangiers, Morocco from 29 November to 1 December 2016.

The fourth session discussed value chains in small scale fisheries and how to promote them in ways that enable fishers to benefit from value addition. One of the key issues facing small scale fishers is the high price their fish fetches on the market compared to the comparatively low price they receive. Various schemes were discussed, including cooperatives, training, ecolabels etc.

The final panel which Brian O’Riordan was on dealt with the FAO SSF Guidelines, and his presentation was on the Opportunities and Challenges for Small Scale Fisheries in the implementation of the CFP in Mediterranean, noting the challenges faced by Europe’s forgotten fleet, and the opportunities of Article 17, the Market regulation, EMFF and Advisory Councils.

The main conclusions from the conference are contained in a 7-page document, which proposes the establishment of a working group on small scale fisheries which LIFE could participate in. The GFCM were very positive about LIFE’s participation, and were very supportive of the idea of LIFE attending GFCM meetings.

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LIFE staff had meetings with many different people and organizations including:

Abdella Srour, Executive Secretary, GFCM.

Stefano Cataudella, Chairperson, GFCM.

Valerie Laine, DG Mare, Head of Unit for Conservation and Control in the Mediterranean.

Rosa Caggiano, Executive Secretary, MedAC.

Dr Vassiliki Vassilopoulou, Research Director, Hellenic Centre for Marine Research

Matthieu Bernardon, Fisheries Consultant to FAO and others, with considerable experience of sscf in the Mediterranean.

Giuseppe Di Carlo, Head of MPA Unit, WWF Mediterranean Programme

Julien Sémelin, Programme Officer, Mediterranean Basin Programme, MAVA Foundation.

Fabrizio De pascale, National Secretary, Italian Wokers Trade Union, Fisheries and Aquaculture

Margaux Favret, Marine Stewardship Council, Medfish project.

Hacene Hamdani, and others from the Maghrebian Artisanal Fishers’ Platform (along with other fishers from the region).

Representatives from the Spanish authorities.

 

TILMELD DIG VORES NYHEDSBREV

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