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The 15th of October is the International Rural Women’s Day, and the Balearic Government joined the celebration by organizing the first Day of the Equality Plan of the Balearic Islands (Spain).

The primary sector is represented by women in the agricultural, livestock, fishing and agri-food sectors. Of all the sub-sectors, according to the statistics of the Balearic Government, it is in the fishing sector where the presence of women is a minority, with only 2% of women crewing boats and 7% of women working in the value chain of the fishing sector.

The Regional Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Mae de la Concha, opened the conference explaining the importance of strengthening the leadership and visibility of women in the sectors that comprise the primary sector. “Women have always been there, but not as owners of farms, as owners, as full wage earners, nor are they on many social security lists, and they often have ridiculous pensions, after a lifetime of work, not only in the fields and the sea, but also taking care of the house and the family”.

Anna Masdeu Lalanza, LIFE coordinator in Balearic Islands participated in the first women’s round based on women’s leadership in the primary sector, contributing her vision of the role of women in the Mediterranean fishing sector, as well as her experience as a woman in the agri-food and fishing sector in which she has spent her career as a professional.

Fisherwomen from Ibiza and Menorca gave their testimonies, emphasizing the need to reconcile their fishing schedules with their families, and the need for social or economic aid to be able to continue carrying out this productive activity that they are passionate about and do not want to give up.

The Director General of Fisheries of the Balearic Islands, Joan Mercant, the president of the Balearic federation of fishermen’s guilds, Domingo Bonin, and the president of the Spanish federation of fishermen’s guilds, Basilio Ortega, coincided in valuing the role of women in the fishing sector.

The head of the office of the Regional Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Mar Mas, presented the Balearic Islands Equality Plan as a tool for cooperatives, fishermen’s guilds and agricultural organizations to promote the participation and presence of women in decision-making in the primary sector in the Balearic Islands.

Prizes were awarded in the 2nd “From the sea and the land” photography competition, with two young fisherwomen from Ciudadela (Menorca) winning three prizes in the fishing category.

You can watch the recording of the event here.

The Low Impact Fishers of Europe (LIFE) is a European platform uniting small-scale fishers (SSF) to achieve fair fisheries, healthy seas and vibrant communities. LIFE is an organization of organizations from across Europe, providing a dedicated voice for its members, supporting them to organize regionally, and building their capacity at national and local level both as small producers and as agents of change.

LIFE is currently seeking an experienced, self-motivated and multi-skilled candidate to fulfil the role of Baltic and North Sea (BANS) Regional Coordinator. LIFE has 10 member organizations in the BANS region, from Denmark, Sweden, Germany, Poland, Finland, Latvia, Netherlands and France.

The BANS Coordinator will work remotely, but in close collaboration with LIFE’s Brussels office.

Main Tasks and Duties

• Follow closely the fisheries policy making agenda in the region, especially the agenda and work programmes of the relevant consultative bodies including the regional Advisory Councils, Baltfish Forum, HELCOM, the Scheveningen Group and others.
• Provide effective support for LIFE’s members and other small-scale fishers to prepare position papers and articulate messages to be transmitted at national, regional and European level
• Establish strategic alliances with like-minded groups – NGOs, scientists, academia, and others to promote small-scale low impact fishing
• Advise and support LIFE members and other small-scale fisher associations to establish Fish Producer Organizations and other structures to enable them to secure improved access to fishing opportunities and markets
• Initiate, promote and engage in capacity building workshops, exchange of best practices, cooperation with scientists and partners, and projects to develop solutions to problems facing small-scale low impact fishers
• Promote LIFE at regional level

Fisheries Affairs

• Monitor regional consultative bodies and support and encourage the participation of LIFE’s members and other small-scale fishers in these, especially the regional Advisory Councils;
• Support LIFE’s members and other small-scale fishers to establish positions, articulate messages and disseminate them at local, regional and EU level
• Identify common interest and needs, promote initiatives, projects and co-operation among fishers in the Region
• Coordinate regional capacity building, develop networks of small-scale fishers and facilitate their presence at key meetings at both Member State and Brussels level

Meetings/Logistics

• Organise workshops, seminars, trainings, conferences, inter-fisher organisation meetings
• Carry out field work, visiting small-scale fishers organisations
• Keep track of annual regional planning and reporting timetable, work with LIFE’s Baltic and North Sea members to achieve shared objectives within agreed timelines
• Undertake the support of particular projects in consultation with LIFE’s Executive Secretary

Administrative/Reporting

• Manage the day to day administrative operations of LIFE’s Baltic and North Sea members
• Act as a conduit of communication to Board of Directors, Members of LIFE and LIFE’s team
• Establish and maintain filing systems with reports and records.
• Work with LIFE’s Brussels Office to ensure adequate financial record keeping and reporting

Communication

• Act as a first point of contact for Regional external and internal queries
• Disseminate information about LIFE and increase membership
• Maintain up to date knowledge of LIFE’s work, in particular for activity reports, and maintain contact with similar regional organisations
• Maintain an active presence on social media
• Monitor regional media in relation to fisheries issues

Education & Experience

• Relevant fisheries background or equivalent experience OR Master’s Degree in Fisheries, Political Science, Economics, Communications, Environmental Affairs or equivalent professional experience
• Project management experience is considered an asset

Administration/Secretarial

• Experience of developing, operating and maintaining effective administrative systems
• Experience of and familiarity with Microsoft Office software (Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint) packages and video conferencing systems
• Experience of organizing and administering meetings, including minute taking
• Ability to understand, analyse and collate complex data in a meaningful way
• Project Management skills or experience preferable
• Experience working with a similar organisation

Logistics

Ability to organize conferences, meetings (travel, accommodation, venue, catering, etc)

Communication

• A high standard of written and oral communication skills
• Fluency in English (both written and verbal)
• Good knowledge of German and Polish; knowledge of a Scandinavian language is considered an asset
• Excellent minute-taking and drafting skills

Personal Qualities

• A high degree of motivation and professionalism
• Excellent inter-personal skills
• Respect for confidentiality at all times
• Ability to develop effective working relationships at all levels
• Ability to work unsupervised and with a high level of initiative
• Proactive, creative and flexible in finding solutions to problems
• Ability to remain calm and deliver to tight deadlines under pressure
• Takes in information and learns new skills quickly

Flexibility and reliability

• Personal belief in and support for the aims and objectives of LIFE
• Willingness to work unsocial hours and travelling if required Remuneration: 40K€ annual gross salary

Starting Date: Post to commence January 2022, or soon after

• This is a self-employed full time collaboration contract, renewable annually.
• Location: home based within the BANS project area

If you are interested in applying for this position, please send your CV in English along with a covering letter to: deputy@lifeplatform.eu

Closing date for applications: November 13 2021

Next week, on Tuesday 11 October, the Council of Fisheries Ministers will meet to discuss the allocation of fishing opportunities in the Baltic Sea for 2022.

ICES advice on cod catches in the entire Baltic Sea for 2022 is a wake-up call and demands an appropriate response as a matter of urgency. This is something small scale low impact fishers in the Baltic Sea have been demanding for years. Despite falling catches over the last 20 years, falling recruitment has left cod stocks in a dire state.

The Baltic Sea Members of the Low Impact Fishers of Europe (LIFE) call on the Commission and EU Baltic Sea Member States to secure the future of both the cod stock and the fishing communities around the Baltic Sea.

Baltic cod stocks are in a highly fragile and stressed state. They are assaulted from all sides, from both overfishing and from a hostile environment caused by pollution, predation (especially from seals and cormorants), intense competition for scarce food supplies, worm infestation, dredging and oxygen depletion. The fish are in a poor condition, with low growth and high mortality rates, and with low and ever declining levels of recruitment and stock size.

LIFE urges the Commission and Member States to take all necessary steps to realize the CFP objective to manage fisheries so as to achieve economic, social and employment benefits (Article 2.1).

Small-scale low impact fishing activities deliver the highest quality fish which commands the highest prices – the cream of the catch -, targeting medium-sized fish and largely avoiding by-catch. These activities must be given priority to safeguard livelihoods, to safeguard fish stocks, and to deliver fish to local markets. 90% of the fishing fleet in the Baltic is small in scale using low impact passive gears, but currently allocated just 7% of the catch.

LIFE urges that any cod quota should only be made available to small-scale low impact fishing as a by-catch quota, and catches should be prioritised for direct human consumption.

See here the letter LIFE wrote to Charlina Vitcheva, Director General of DG Mare.

Catalan small-scale fishers commit to develop a label to highlight the quality and sustainability of their catch. They also demand access to bluefin tuna quota to enable them to reduce effort on pressure stocks like rockfish and lobster.

Lloret de Mar, 19 Septembre 2021. The 1st Low Impact Fishing (Artes Menores) Congress brought together fishers from 15 Catalan confrarias to set a “bottom-up” agenda and to be heard by decision makers. Officials from the administration, scientists and environmentalists were also invited to the Congress to address the future of the sector with the fishers.

Dra. Sílvia Gómez, a social anthropologist from the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB), the rapporteur in charge of documenting the conclusions highlighted that the aim of the Congress was to “join forces” so that artisanal fishing can be an effective lobby and “demonstrate that the quality of their products is superior to more industrially produced ones”.

Staff and members of the Low Impact Fishers of Europe (LIFE) attended the event, where Mediterranean Coordinator, Marta Cavallé, was an invited speaker. She presented LIFE’s Foodnected Project, a partnership between LIFE, Slow Food, Global Footprint Network and GoB Menorca that seeks to link small-scale low impact food producers more closely with consumers through their shared ethical values (https://foodnected.org/).

One of the main conclusions reached at the Congress by the Catalan small-scale fishers was the need to promote the high quality and sustainability of their catches through a specially developed label. They also called for a quota of Bluefin tuna to be assigned to their associations to enable them to reduce pressure on more overexploited species.

The Congress was an initiative of the fishers themselves, resulting from the efforts of the two associations “Asociacion de Atuneros artesanales con línea de mano” and “Medartnet-Spain”, both of them members of LIFE. Prior to organizing the Congress they had carried out a participatory process to collect the concerns and needs of artisanal fishers.

Dra Sílvia Gómez Mestres commented that ” artisanal fishers are, first and foremost, small producers who compete with large producers in the industrial agri-food value chain. In addition, international trade agreements work against their interests. So it is important for them to join forces to respond to these challenges”.

To enable consumers to be able to distinguish the local nature and sustainability of their products, the fishers are calling for a quality label to identify and give value to the product. According to Dra. Gómez Mestres, this quality label must serve to describe not only environmental sustainability, but also social and economic sustainability. “As important as identifying their product as ones with reduced environmental impacts is demonstrating that they are produced with decent working conditions and with a fair price”.

The process is very much linked to food sovereignty whilst ensuring that the overexploitation of fisheries in other countries is avoided, which affects the local economy of other communities of artisanal fishers: “It is a link in a much broader food chain, and we must try to ensure fair trade”.

The president of the Co-management Committee and co-organizer of the congress, Javier Pulido, also mentioned that they plan to strengthen the small-scale fishers by obtaining a share of bluefin tuna quota. According to him, unlike in the past, small-scale fishers do not currently have access to these species: “Since 2006 we have been excluded, and in Spain only three or four interest groups were granted access”. They consider this to be “illegitimate”, and demand that the Spanish government rectify the situation by allowing them to fish for bluefin tuna.

According to Pulido, artisanal fishermen could “give other more overexploited species the chance to rest”, such as lobster, rockfish or cuttlefish. “What we are demanding is a fair, equitable and socioeconomically acceptable distribution,” he said.

The Director General of Maritime Policy and Sustainable Fisheries of the Generalitat, Sergi Tudela, who closed the Congress explained that recently they had made this same request to the State – but the answer was “no”. However, Tudela is happy that the fishers are involved in co-management and urges them to make it work effectively through the seven co-management committees supported by the Government. “Together we can make it happen”, he said.

Long awaited court victory for French and European small-scale fishermen.

Port la Nouvelle, 29 July 2021,

After a seemingly endless wait of more than four years, French justice has finally ruled in favour of the Union of Small-Scale Fishers from the Occitan Region (Syndicat professionnel des pêcheurs petits métiers d’Occitanie (SPMO)). A class action was brought by the SPMO and three other stakeholders¹ (CDPMEM du Var, Prud’homie de la Ciotat and Plate-forme de la petite pêche artisanale française). The LIFE platform (Low Impact Fishers of Europe) gave financial and moral support to this procedure to ensure that the concerns of other EU small-scale low impact fishers were represented, facing as they do similar difficulties of access to fishing rights.

The case is important because the judge’s ruling from the hearing at the Administrative Court of Montpellier has implications for how fishing quotas are allocated not only in France, but in the wider EU. A key issue highlighted by the judge is that the Bluefin tuna quota allocation mechanism falls short of requisite European standards, is neither transparent nor objective, and fails to take proper account of Article 17.

The action was bought by the small-scale low impact fishers to challenge the way the allocation of national quota is done in France, and to replace it with a more equitable system. Such a system should ensure a wider distribution of quota to benefit the small-scale fishers who exert the least fishing effort but who receive a minimal allocation or are excluded altogether. At the preliminary hearing on 17 June 2021, the Clerk of the Tribunal made particularly strong and substantiated submissions in favour of the Applicants (the small-scale fishers). His analysis clearly informed the decision of the judges, who confirmed, on 15 July 2021, the annulment of the 2017 order allocating the bluefin tuna quota.

What are the consequences of this judgment?

Firstly, it creates an unprecedented body of case law at national level which small scale fishers can use to advocate changes to the allocation mechanism for the bluefin tuna quota. The principles adopted could also be applied to other allocation mechanisms in force for different species under quota.

Secondly, it constitutes a legal precedent of major interest at European level because the Court’s analysis is based on provisions derived from European law (the Common Fisheries Policy). This will enable other professional representatives to use it in similar national situations where there is non-compliance with EU rules.

Thirdly, this judgment provides a substantive analysis that is decisive in the interpretation and application of European law by France. The central element included by the judges is the failure to take account Article 17 of EU Regulation 1380/2013 on the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP). The latter requires States to use transparent and objective criteria to allocate fishing opportunities, including of an environmental, social and economic nature. While the French State is free to adopt its own allocation method, it must do so in accordance with European standards. In this case, the Court noted that the environmental criterion was neither defined nor integrated into the bluefin tuna quota allocation system. Furthermore, the method used was found to be non-transparent and non-objective, justifying the annulment of the contested order – i.e. the rejection of the Bluefin tuna quota allocation mechanism.

Fourthly, this judgment encourages reconsideration of the French quota distribution system across the board – for all species. The Court recalls that France may use its own allocation criteria² in an unequal and non-hierarchical manner. However, in the interests of the fishery and its participants, this unequal allocation framework must not be disproportionately so. During the hearing, this point was given priority attention by the Public Prosecutor, who considered that the principle of proportionality was infringed by the almost exclusive use of the criterion of track records for the distribution of the quota (more than 90%). The analysis was based in particular on the evolution of the French quota between 2012 and 2017. This finding should result in a rebalancing of the system in order to use all the criteria to achieve a fairer outcome.

This historic step marks a new avenue for the small-scale fishers, who must now prepare to meet the future deadlines for the allocation of the bluefin tuna quota. They must capitalise on the decision and formulate concrete, realistic and constructive proposals. This builds on their commitment to achieve, on the one hand, a fairer allocation system, and on the other hand, to allow access to bluefin tuna for new small-scale fishermen.

The SPMO and its partners invite all interested fishermen to join them in their struggle to obtain a fairer allocation of fishing quotas, based on Article 17.

The signatories :

– Syndicat Professionnel des Pêcheurs Petits Métiers d’Occitanie (SPMO) ;

– Platform of the French small-scale fishing industry ;

– LIFE “Low Impact Fishers of Europe”;

– Comité départemental des pêches maritimes et des élevages marins du Var ;

– Prud’homie des pêcheurs de la Ciotat (Bouches du Rhône) ;

¹In April 2017, the CRPMEM PACA had also voted in Council to participate in the appeal as a voluntary intervener and co-financer. However, its President, Mr Molinero, knowingly refused to commit his Committee and to proceed with the necessary formalities with the lawyers in charge of the procedure. This illegal attitude has been denounced by several members of its Board. It shows a clear lack of respect by Mr Molinero for his mandate and for all small-scale fishermen in the PACA region. The “legal advisers” of the CRPMEM PACA had also considered, with great pertinence, that such an appeal had no chance of success.

²There are three existing criteria: track record, socio-economic balance and market orientation, to which the environmental criterion should now be added.

Over 50 participants from the Mediterranean small-scale fisheries (SSF) sector, from Spain, France, Malta, Italy and Cyprus attended LIFE’s webinar last Friday 18th June. The theme was “The Pros and Cons of Crating Producer Organizations for Mediterranean Small-scale Fishers. The webinar was also attended by DG Mare.

Fish Producer Organizations (FPOs) are described as the key to achieving the objectives of the EU’s Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) and the Common Organization of the Markets (CMO) in fishery products. However, up to now, FPOs dedicated to small-scale fisheries are the exception, not the rule.

The Low Impact Fishers of Europe (LIFE) has therefore been encouraging its members to set up SSF POs. LIFE organized this webinar to learn from their and other experience, to understand the steps required to set up FPOs, and examine the Pros and Cons of doing so.

SSF activities differ markedly from larger scale fishery (LSF) activities, socially, economically and environmentally. Despite having strength in numbers, SSF have been marginalised over decades by successive CFPs designed for LSF management. In the Mediterranean SSF accounts for 80% of the fleet, 50% of the jobs at sea and 77% of the fishing days at sea. In terms of fish catch, although SSF only account for 14% by volume, they contribute 26% by value, highlighting the importance of value addition and the relatively high value of their products compared to LSF.

Incomes in the SSF sector are about half of what they are in the LSF, a difference which may be partly accounted for by the part time and seasonal nature of the SSF activity. Due to significantly higher catch volumes, LSF can operate on lower margins to SSF, whilst for SSF viability is highly dependent on capturing value addition. Compared to LSF, key constraints to successful SSF activities are access to resources (i.e. access to fishing rights) and access to value added markets. All this makes SSF vulnerable to shock, and so it is vital that SSF can organize themselves effectively to secure fair access to resources and access to markets and a fair price for their products.

FPOs dedicated to SSF could be game changers in this regard. SSF FPOs could also provide an opportunity for SSF to become better organized, and to engage SSF as protagonists in fisheries management and decision-making processes.

The 4 cases presented and discussed at the webinar included the following initiatives:

· the Union of Professional Small-scale Fishers from the Occitane region of France, who launched an initiative in December 2020 to establish a SSF PO for French Mediterranean low impact (artes menores) fishers.

· Artisanal Fisheries Producers Organization from the Conil Fish Auction (OPP-72), established in 2016.

· The FSK PO (Low Impact Coast Fisheries PO) from Denmark, established as a PO in 2019

· The Irish Islands Marine Resources (IIMRO) PO, recognised in February 2021, but still in process of producing a Production and Marketing Plan.

Some of the key messages:

– Creating SSF POs is very relevant, but very challenging

– Mixed POs tend to respond to demands of LSF, and not to SSF, hence need for POs dedicated to SSF.

– SSF POs are a very effective way to organize SSF, as provides official recognition and access to European funds and other support;

– Significant bureaucratic challenges, particularly as regards drafting a production and marketing plan and accessing European funding;

– Takes time to set up a PO – between 12 and 36 months;

– Getting access to funding is critical but time consuming;

– Criteria for PO recognition defined by Member States, not by the Commission.

– EU Member States now in process of drafting National Plans for European Funds 2021-2027, so important to ensure that SSF POs are high on the list of funding priorities;

– Important that SSF POs build on existing structures;

– SSF POs can take advantage of unique “SSF Brand”, associated with low environmental impact, cultural heritage, high socio-economic value, to help fishers to fish less and earn more;

Further reading: The Pros and Cons of Creating Producer Organizations (PO) for Mediterranean Small-scale Fishers in English i Spanish.