Catch of the Day – July and August 2024

News about fair fisheries, healthy seas and vibrant fishing communities

 

Small-scale Fishers Assess the Regional Plan of Action for Small-Scale Fisheries in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea (RPOA SSF) 

2024 marks a midpoint in the implementation of the Regional Plan of Action for Small-Scale Fisheries in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea (RPOA-SSF). To mark the occasion, the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM) invited small-scale fishers to participate in a dedicated mid-term event in Rome, as part of the Small-scale Fisheries Summit 2024 (SSF Summit 2024), to provide views on and take stock of implementation progress. The event took place over two days, on 6 and 7 July.  Taking part in the meeting were several of LIFE’s members from the Mediterranean and Black Sea, as well as SSF representatives from Turkey and several North African countries. LIFE’s Policy Adviser, Brian O’Riordan also attended the meeting, where he met with DG Mare, FAO, GFCM and MEDAC representatives, as well as engaging with SSF in the discussions. LIFE contributed to the drafting of the RPOA-SSF, and has been a strong supporter of it since its launch in 2018. For a fuller description and impressions of the event, see the LIFE interview to Macarena Molina, who took the floor as a panellist on behalf of LIFE membership, alongside other fisherwomen. The conclusions and recommendations of the meeting  are available on the FAO website. 

 

The European elections: New Commission, New Legislature, New Opportunities for SSF  

In early July, LIFE wrote to Von der Leyen, re-elected for a second term as President of the European Commission, highlighting its priorities for the 10th legislature. These include better science for fisheries management, a differentiated approach to large and small-scale fishing fleets, and fairer fisheries, with the Article 17 being used to allocate fishing opportunities based on sustainability criteria. At that same time,  newly elected MEPs took their seats in the European Parliament,  taking up their new roles and responsibilities.  Carmen Crespo Diaz (PPE), a new MEP from the port town of Adra in Almeria, was elected as chair of the PECH Committee. Ms Crespo knows her fisheries and has strong ties to the fishing Cofradias, having served as Mayor in the Adra Municipality, and as Councilor for Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Sustainable Development for the Junta de Andalucia. Four vice presidents were also elected: Sander Smit (EPP, the Netherlands), Giuseppe Milazzo (ECR, Italy), Stéphanie Yon-Courtin (Renew, France), and Jessica Polfjärd (EPP, Sweden).  . For more information, visit the European Parliament’s website. 

 

Nature Restoration Law adopted: a positive step forward after a rocky passage 

Despite the best efforts of farming and fishing lobbies to sink the bill, the EU Regulation on Nature Restoration, also known as the Nature Restoration Law, took effect on 18 August. Whilst there are no new provisions for restoring fish populations and the marine environment, the law refers to the requirements of the CFP to implement the ecosystem-based approach to fisheries management so as to ensure that negative impacts of fishing activities on the marine ecosystem are minimised, and to ensure that aquaculture and fisheries activities avoid degradation of the marine environment.

This law aims to put measures in place to restore at least 20% of the EU’s land and sea areas by 2030, and all ecosystems in need of restoration by 2050. Central to the new law are National Restoration Plans, based on the best scientific evidence with restoration targets. These plans need to take into account the provisions of existing laws, including the Marine Strategy Framework Directive, the CFP Regulation, the Technical Measures Regulation, and the emerging Action Plan to conserve fisheries resources. It calls for marine ecosystems to be protected in line with the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 requirements for stronger action to restore degraded marine ecosystems, including carbon-rich ecosystems and important fish spawning and nursery areas.

In its passage from EC proposal to law, the Nature Restoration law has been amended and watered down considerably. It is now up to the new Parliament as co-legislators to ensure that its implementation is effective, and for the new Commission, as Guardian of the Treaties to ensure the full engagement of Member States in its implementation.  

LIFE welcomes the new law as a step forward for both the fishing sector and Nature. It is very much in keeping with LIFE’s call for a differentiated policy and management approach to small-scale and large-scale fisheries, with inshore marine conservation areas reserved for small-scale fishing activities, co-managed through a bottom-up approach.

 

Baltic Sea Fishing Opportunities for 2025: LIFE calls for a reality check

Since the 1970s, 50% of the fish biomass in the Baltic has been lost, and since 2013, when the EU reformed its fisheries policy promising a new era with healthy fish stocks, stocks have declined by around 800.000 tonnes and catches shrunk by 130.000 tonnes. Year after year, scientists have estimated biomass levels and set fishing limits too high. It is no wonder that the Baltic Sea is now in crisis, with natural mortality rates exceeding fishing mortality, and fishmeal reduction fishing booming.

The ICES advice, published in May, shows that most stocks are not recovering or are even declining further. Sprat has now been added to cod and western herring as species at historically low levels. Whilst LIFE welcomes the ICES advice to reduce fishing levels, we are concerned that this advice does not go far enough, blinkered as it is, and unable to go beyond a simple single species approach. In the case of cod, fish are still being caught in large quantities in demersal trawl fisheries targeting flat fish (flounder and plaice). Far more cod is being caught (and discarded) as bycatch in these fisheries than in the fisheries targeting cod. The Commission’s proposal to develop selective gears is welcome, but a case of too little too late, and based on previous experience, unworkable.    

LIFE calls on fishery managers and scientists to get real on by-catch and to have a more robust  strategy for managing multi-species fisheries. In July, LIFE’s Baltic membership recommended closing fishing for Cod, Plaice, and Western Herring in sea areas 21-32, except for small-scale, low-impact fleets using passive gears. See the full recommendations on LIFE website. 

Such a reality check is noticeably absent from the EC’s proposal on the 2025 fishing opportunities for the Baltic Sea, where last year’s mistakes are to be repeated next year. We only find tokenistic gestures, like the closure of the western Baltic herring to small-scale coastal fishing, and unworkable technical measures for flatfish gears to reduce cod bycatch. 

 

Room for Improvement: Commission Publishes Report on the Implementation of Technical Measures for Fisheries Resources and Marine Ecosystems

The Commission has published a report on the implementation of the Technical Measures Regulation. The amended Regulation came into force in 2019 with the ambitious aims of supporting the goals of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) and achieving good environmental status, while finding the right balance amongst the economic, social and environmental objectives under the CFP. 

Technical measures are supposed to ensure the sustainable management of fisheries through various provisions to minimise the negative impact of fishing activities on marine biodiversity and ecosystems. 

The report cites a number of areas of progress and identifies various areas for improvements, including the adoption of measures to mitigate impacts on sensitive species. It notes that the involvement of various stakeholders, particularly the Advisory Councils, is crucial for the effective implementation of these technical measures. 

 

LIFE 2023 Annual Report: Focusing on Small-Scale Low Impact Fishing and Making Fisheries Fair 

The 2023 annual report of LIFE has been published, providing an overview of LIFE’s work in 2023 and its vision for small-scale fisheries (SSF) going forward , based on making fisheries fair, with a level playing field for both small and large scale fishing. The report explores the changing context of European policies, the impact on SSF of emerging policies like decarbonisation, energy transition and nature restoration,  and reports on LIFE’s responses to these.   . The report focuses on LIFE’s initiatives in the Mediterranean and Baltic and North Seas, and at EU policy level. Additionally, it mentions internal processes, such recruitment of  staff, the building of strategic alliances, and LIFE’s financial situation.  

Last but not least, the report is forward looking, sketching out plans for 2024 and describing the new projects that LIFE will engage in over the next 3 to 4 years.

 

Coming up 

4/9/2024: Meeting of the European Parliament Fisheries Committee. On the agenda is a presentation from DG Mare on Sustainable fishing in the EU: state of play and orientations for 2025, as outlined in its Communication SWD(2024)139 – COM(2024)235. The meeting will be live-streamed.

6/9/2024: Deadline to provide your feedback to the Call for evidence on the CFP and the EMFAF mid-term evaluation

11-13/9 The POLFISH Fair will take place in Gdansk (Poland). POLFISH is the only fair in Poland dedicated to the fish and seafood industry and one of the biggest of its kind in Central Eastern Europe. LIFE learned about the event thanks to the Round Goby project. LIFE is a partner in this initiative, co-funded by the EU under the Interreg Baltic Sea Region, that aims to develop a commercially viable fishery as a solution for dealing with the invasive Round Goby fish species. . 

18/09 (10:00-11:30) Online workshop by the Fish X project  “Setting Up Digital Collaboration”. In the framework of the amended Control Regulation entering into force, the Fish-X Project is pioneering digital solutions (essentially logbooks and VMS) tailored to SSF needs. This workshop is part of a series of 3 workshops dedicated to training and hearing views from the sector on solutions being developed. In this 2nd workshop, participants will learn and provide input about effective digital collaboration strategies using Fish-X digital tools such as by showcasing and demonstrating the operation of a “Fish-X Dataspace”, “Insight Platform” and “Traceability Platform”, followed by timely discussions. If you are a small-scale fisher, you can register to attend the webinar by reporting your interest directly to LIFE staff.  

30/9 – 4/10, Brussels: Oceana and LIFE are thrilled to welcome visitors to “We Stand for Transparent and Fair Fishing”, an exceptional photographic exhibition featuring low-impact fishers. This exhibition is part of the Oceans Week events and celebrates the dedication of LIFE Members David, Muireann, Neily, and Primitivo. Despite encountering daily challenges, these fishers from diverse European countries are committed to delivering fresh, high-quality seafood through sustainable practices and protecting their communities’ traditional heritage.  

Get in touch: communications@lifeplatform.eu