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AKTEA’s women conquer Brussels

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Recognized, respected and rewarded: Aktea calls for a fair treatment and a voice for women in fisheries and aquaculture

 Over 40 fisherwomen from 9 Member States gathered for three days to raise awareness about their work, on the need for gender equality and for their important contribution to European fisheries.

Brussels, Belgium, 27h February 2019 – 40 women professionals from the small-scale fisheries sector, from the Netherlands, Ireland, Spain, Malta, Cyprus, Italy, Croatia, France and the Azores gathered in Brussels over 3 days from the 24 to 26 February, to revive, renew and relaunch the AKTEA European Network of Women in Fisheries and Aquaculture.

Strengthening the organizations of men and women professionals and their participation in governance is a key part the  project “Mainstreaming small-scale low impact fisheries in the Mediterranean”, which is implemented by the Low Impact Fishers of Europe (LIFE) with the support of the MAVA Foundation (https://lifeplatform.eu/eu-projects-2/). The pan European meeting was co-organised by AKTEA and LIFE, in partnership with the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), thanks to this project.

In a video address to the meeting, European Commissioner for the Environment, Oceans and Fisheries, Mr Virginijus Sinkevičius, acknowledged that there is still a long way to go in order to give women the place they deserve. He observed that many family enterprises in the small-scale fisheries sector rely on women for shore based administrative and manual tasks, which are “not remunerated, rewarded or recognized”. This puts women in a very precarious situation, he said. He further stated that it is unacceptable in the 21st century for women to be so strongly underrepresented in formal governance and in the decision-making bodies of professional organizations. He highlighted the potential of the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) to address deficits in gender equality, and underscored his commitment to promoting the social dimension fisheries – including gender equality and the role of women in fisheries in the implementation of the Common Fisheries Policy, which will be reviewed by December 31 2022.

On day 1, participants – shellfish and seaweed gathers, vessel skippers, gear riggers, entrepreneurs engaged in fish processing, marketing and “pesca-tourism”, and fishing family members supporting family enterprises – met informally, got to know about each other’s situations, and began to formulate plans for the future.

Day 2, hosted by the EESC, was devoted to a capacity building workshop, where participants learned about how European fisheries and social policies, if properly implemented, could make all the difference to their livelihoods.  Sr Gabriel Sarró Iparraguirre, EESC Rapporteur on the social dimension of fisheries, welcomed the participants. Drawing on his own experience working at sea in the fisheries sector over many years, he explained that it is the womenfolk – wives, mothers and daughters – who give value to European fisheries. They are the driving force and constant source of support to the work done by men he said. Brian O’Riordan, Executive Secretary of LIFE, highlighted how Europe’s fishing policies have become victims of their own success; promoting increased productivity and technological progress, industrial fishing had depleted European seas and marginalised traditional small-scale family based livelihoods, which could make all the difference if given the chance.

Katia Frangoudes, one of the founders of AKTEA in 2006, highlighted how gender equality is a fundamental principle of the European Union, with equal pay for work of equal value included in the 1957 Treaty of Rome. Despite significant progress at European level in recent years on equal treatment policies and legislation, gender mainstreaming, and despite the reaffirmation of gender equality in the Union in the 2007 Lisbon Treaty, gender equality is still a much-neglected area in the fisheries sector at member state level.

Marja Bekendam, the outgoing Chair of Aktea, highlighted the advances made by women’s organizations over the 10-year period that she has been presiding over Aktea. She emphasised that despite this progress, there is still a long way to go, notably for women to engage more meaningfully in the Advisory Councils, and to become more integrated into other decision-making bodies.

Participants spoke with passion on the need for inclusive fisheries policies based on socio-economic rights, implemented through EU regulations and schemes tailored to allow fair and safe working conditions. As highlighted by Farnet’s representative, recent studies show that women are key drivers of change and diversification of activities (such as in tourism, restaurants or direct marketing), providing an important share of income for their families, but that very often men remain the owner of the business.

The vital importance of women in the traditions and cultural fabric was illustrated in the presentations made by the participants, as well as the significant socio-economic and environmental benefits they generate. Their empowerment and inclusion are prerequisite for the sustainable management of fisheries activities and the conservation of the marine environment. Calls were made for EMFF funding to be channelled into training and capacity building dedicated for women in such areas as IT, accounting, business management and communication. They also saw the need for creating formal associations and organisations to make their voices heard, to take part in decision-making processes, and the need for measures to prevent the disappearance of their profession which is put at risk by the lack of generational renewal.

Women participants spent their final day discussing how to formalise cooperation through AKTEA, and agreeing on priority actions in the short to medium term. Working groups were constituted to develop proposals. The outgoing Chair of Aktea, Marja Bekendam, shared how much Aktea and the solidarity and support she had received over the years had helped her and her family enterprise through difficult times.

A request has been made for a formal meeting with Commissioner Virginijus Sinkevičius in the near future to discuss how the implementation of the CFP can be made more inclusive.

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Official pictures of the event here

 

Access the official presentations made by speakers here: Aktea- Marja Bekendam ; Aktea – Katia Frangoudes ; LIFE – Brian O’Riordan ; Farnet – Gilles Van de Walle ; Amarcarril ; Amarturmar ; Amarturmar II ; Federacion redeiras ; Anmupesca .

 

mullet in GNC net with Jan Stouten

Encircling gillnet recognized as very selective

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Fishers find their voice in the Netherlands:

their traditional gear is finally recognized.

 

Arjan Heinen, LIFE Member from NetVISwerk

28th of January 2020

The encircling gillnet (GNC) is a traditional fishing gear used in the Netherlands by small scale low impact fishers to catch mullet. The technique requires that the gear is set around the schools of fish, which must be located by eye. As seabass tends to associate with schools of mullet, they have come to represent an important bycatch for hard pressed small-scale mullet fishers. In recent years, the schools of mullet have decreased whilst the presence of seabass has increased in Netherlands waters. As a result, GNC fishers are catching increasing quantities of seabass.

Given the short time the fish are in the nets, the quality of the fish is very good. Since the only propulsion needed is for the location and surrounding of the schools of fish, and since the nets are very light, energy consumption is low. Another big advantage of the gear for the fishery is the relatively low by-catch. The large mesh-size also ensures that 99% of the fish is above minimum landing size. A clear case of the right gear, for the right place at the right time.

However, despite these advantages, and despite the traditional use of the gear and the fishers’ track records for seabass for 2015 and 2016, the Netherlands authorities omitted to inform the European Commission and Council about the gear. The GNC fishers were therefore dumbfounded to find themselves excluded from the gears permitted to catch seabass under conservation measures introduced in 2017.

Their case was taken up by the netVISwerk fisher’s association, a partner organization of LIFE in the Netherlands. Thanks to their intensive lobbying efforts, three years later this traditional fishing technique was finally recognized and incorporated into the regulations in 2020 as a permitted gear for seabass fishing. Over the previous 3 years, fishers using the encircling gill net have been deprived of a catch allocation of seabass, with no compensation. In the new regulation, GNC (Gil Net enCircling) operators are allowed to catch and land 1400 kg of seabass.

In coordination with LIFE and LIFE’s other member organizations netVISwerk will continue to lobby to ensure a preferential treatment for small-scale low impact fishers to access seabass and eel stocks.

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Rencontre PELA-Méd dans le Var

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Lutte contre le braconnage et la pêche illégale

 

Planète Mer et le Cdpmem Var donnent rendez-vous aux professionnels le 6 février 2020 à partir de 8h30 au Palais du Commerce et de la Mer à Toulon pour une session d’information sur le rôle des gardes-jurés.

“Cette journée, organisée dans le cadre du projet PELA-Méd, est réservée aux professionnels.
Elle sera l’occasion d’échanges entre pêcheurs, gardes-jurés du littoral ouest, procureur de la
république, instances maritimes et judiciaires… afin de préparer au mieux l’arrivée potentielle
de gardes-jurés en Méditerranée française et, plus spécifiquement, dans le département du Var.”

 

Plus d’informations ici

 

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Finland: Puruvesi fishers urgent call to the European Commission

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The Finnish Winter Seining Fishery could soon disappear because of climate change

UPDATE ON 22/01

Access here the response of DG Mare to the letter sent by LIFE members

 

Brussels, 13th of January 2019

LIFE members from Snowchange Cooperative raise the alarm: ice melting is leading to the disappearance of the traditional seining fishery season. Back in the 1960s the harvest could start in November and end in May, but fifty years after the season could be reduced to just a few weeks between February and March. This is having dramatic consequences on the livelihoods of local communities.

On the verge of economic collapse, they call on the new European Commissioner for the Environment, Oceans and Fisheries, Mr Virginijus Sinkevičius to take urgent action and establish specific support measures.

Access the official letter to the EU Commissioner here 

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A LIFE reflection on the LO

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The Landings Obligation – No Simple Answers

11th of December 2019

Jeremy Percy

On Monday, 2 December 2019, the PECH (Fisheries) Committee of the European Parliament organized a public hearing on State of play of the Landing Obligation: challenges and best practices (https://www.europarl.europa.eu/cmsdata/189086/Final%20Programme%20PECH%20public%20hearing-Landing%20Obligation_2.12.2019.2_EN-original.pdf).

During the previous session of the Parliament, just over 18 months ago on May 14 2018, the PECH Committee organized a similar hearing entitled: “Landing Obligation and Choke Species in Multispecies and Mixed Fisheries”. In summing up, the then Chair of the PECH Committee, Mr Alain Cadec, commented: “…the diagnosis is very clear: uncertainty, difficulty, complexity…”.  Plus ça change… https://lifeplatform.eu/choking-landing-obligation/

A key element of the 2013 reform of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) of 2013 is the gradual elimination of the practice of discarding through the introduction an obligation to land all catches. The landing obligation (LO) is supposed to have been phased in since 2015 through to 2019 for all commercial fisheries (species under TACs, or under minimum sizes) in European waters and for European vessels fishing in the high seas.

However, a thread running through the presentations of all the speakers at this hearing was that, at Member State level, the LO is not being implemented effectively. Former fisherman Jerry Percy, LIFE’s Senior Advisor and Director of the NUTFA (New Under Ten Fishermen’s Association of the UK) was one of the speakers. His presentation is available here, and drawing on his experience in the UK, he has penned the piece below for LIFE.

The LO: designed for trawlers, not fit for purpose for small scale low impact fishing

It is abundantly clear that the Landings Obligation [LO] was written very much with larger scale mobile gears in mind. Just one illustration of this concentration of interest is underlined by the massive difference between discard related studies done with regard to larger and smaller scale sectors respectively, 3760 on large scale v 164 on small scale. This does make the requirements of the LO clearly inappropriate and therefore not fit for purpose with regard to the small scale fleet, especially as circa 80% of whom use passive rather than mobile gears.

The combination of a relatively low impact on stocks due to both vessel size and the resultant lack of fishing power, combined with their use of passive gears, many of which produce a live catch that can be returned unharmed to the water does provide a strong argument against tarring them with the same brush as the larger scale sector. Furthermore, the small scale sector should in fact be recognized and rewarded for this lower impact and lack of discards via the provision of additional fishing opportunities best delivered via Article 17 of the CFP. This states that “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.”

The strategy to deter fishers from discarding, and the LO, need a rethink

Fishermen are fishermen and no fisherman gets out of bed and decides that he doesn’t want to catch much fish today. Our raison d’etre is to catch fish, lots of fish, and we have become very good at it and because we have become very good at it, we inevitably need systems in place to deter us from catching too much.

At the same time, there remains a commitment by member states to deal with the discard issue and it is still a live element with both eNGO’s and the public so as an industry we cannot simply ignore it, it’s not going to go away anytime soon.

The current failures of the LO are largely down to two major factors.

Firstly, that there has been precious little genuine monitoring or enforcement of the LO since its inception. This is exemplified by a recent comment from an official at the UK’s Marine Management organization (MMO) that 2018/19 was seen as an ‘education’ rather than an enforcement phase.  Furthermore, despite the LO being in place for the Baltic since 2015, it is common knowledge, including within the member states concerned that discards continue to run at over 50% for some species. On this basis and with very little real time monitoring or enforcement of discards it is hardly surprising that fishermen continue to dump fish.

Both carrots and sticks are required to encourage a change in culture

Secondly, it is equally clear that there has been much excellent work done to improve the selectivity of mobile gears in the last few years and discards in general have reduced significantly for many fisheries. The fact remains however that discarding is still extant within the mobile sector, there is a legal requirement in place that makes discarding illegal [whether we like it or not] and both carrots and sticks are necessary to encourage and support fishermen to change their culture as well as their fishing gears if discarding is to be reduced to the lowest possible level. Among the number of ‘elephants in the room’ referred to by various speakers at the recent hearing at the European Parliament on the subject, one that was not mentioned specifically was the fact that mobile gears are not inherently selective in the same way as passive gears, hence the seemingly insurmountable challenge of making them substantially selective.

It is also a fact that the leading gear technology expert certainly in the UK and probably the EU stated recently that his challenge was not only to develop more selective gears but it was an equal struggle to persuade fishermen to actually use them. Perhaps not surprisingly, some of the more selective gears inevitably lose some of the target species when trying to avoid other fish, hence the reluctance of some mobile gear operators to change their ways but change their ways they must to avoid breaking the law and also to avoid going bankrupt through being stopped from fishing in a choke species scenario [bearing in mind not only the zero catch quotas for 2019 for some species in some areas also but the parlous state of North Sea Cod that is shaping up to be a potentially major choke species for many vessels].

Some proposals

[1]: at the present time, cameras [REM] are the only reliable way of monitoring discards aboard fishing vessels. It is certain that technology will improve with time, but currently, cameras are the most cost effective and proven option.

[2]: All mobile gear vessels over a certain length [12 metres? / 15 metres?] as well as the larger passive netting vessels should be required to have cameras and perhaps other REM fitted, paid for via EMFF and its successors [as well as perhaps via any financial penalties incurred through overfishing].

[3]: As is currently the case, uplifts in quota should continue to be awarded to vessels to compensate to some extent for no longer being able to discard.

[4]: ALL fish caught must be landed

[5]: ALL fish suitable for human consumption should be sold for human consumption [only those species caught specifically for fishmeal are excluded – but still obviously count against quotas AND require cameras on the vessels concerned]

[6]: Fishermen are not penalized via their quota holdings for over quota landings [it is counter productive to reduce quota following a transgression that in turns means that the fisherman is further restricted on next trip and so on]. NB; the current inability of the under ten sector in the UK to be able to cross book [swap] quotas is a serious impediment to quota and catch flexibilities currently only available to the over ten PO sector [despite having an officially recognized Coastal PO for the under tens]. In the light of the LO, this is an absolutely vital component within this aspect of the initiative.

[7]: a sliding scale is introduced relating to the penalty for landing fish in excess of the vessel quota. Firstly, the value of the over quota landing is immediately subtracted from the overall landed value of the trip and secondly, a sliding scale of penalty directly related to the weight [or a percentage of the landing] is imposed. The initial suggestion is for the penalty to equal the value of the over quota element of the landing [ie, landing £1000 over quota results in £2000 overall penalty] but consideration should be given to a sliding scale, perhaps based on the premise that the more you land over quota, the higher the penalty, thus ensuring that a landing does continue to provide an income irrespective of size of vessel but is at the same time reduced and penalizes those who have a greater impact through catching fish in excess of their quota. The bigger the over quota landing, the bigger the penalty.

The basic premise being that the fisherman does not benefit financially from landing these fish and increasingly is penalized for doing so, especially if he repeats the overfishing whereby financial penalties should increase.

We recognize that not penalizing fishermen in quota terms for landing over quota fish goes against fisheries management logic but history suggests that this is in fact counter productive as the resultant reductions in access to quota generates a downward spiral as less quota equals more ‘discards’ and simply doesn’t work. The suggestion above recognizes that there will be an element of over quota landings initially but the penalties, especially if they are based on a progressive sliding scale, will provide more than enough encouragement for fishermen to avoid ‘discards’ very quickly. [at the same time, a backstop could be introduced based on a reduction in a vessel’s quota allocation to ensure no overall abuse of the system in the event of very significant or continuing over quota landings, perhaps aimed at the quota uplift element].

The approach outlined above also solves the problems highlighted by many commentators, namely that there will be no need to separate the catch on board, there will be no additional work required by the crew, no danger of cross contamination, no need to carry extra boxes and an overall improvement in safety over the present model. At the same time, there will no need for additional resources on land in terms of systems to deal with landings not destined for human consumption and no opportunities for illegal activities centred around the misuse of this element of landings.

In conclusion

No fishermen likes to consider, let alone promote a form of penalty for the process of fishing but our concern is that unless the industry comes up with some ideas then officialdom surely will. Although there will undoubtedly need to be alterations to the basic initiative set out here especially with regard to the percentage penalties, the potential sliding scales mentioned and a backstop, we consider that the basic premise is sound and that the current approach to the LO is simply unsustainable and we urgently need to find a practical alternative to avoid either bankrupting fishermen or forcing them into illegal activities.

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LIFE calls to the PECH Committee for historic wrongs to be put right

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The CFP has Created a Distorted Sea

Brussels, 28th of november 2019

Brian O’Riordan

For more than 3 decades successive Common Fisheries Policies have discriminated against and marginalised small-scale low impact fishers and their communities, favouring industrialised overfishing.

In a letter addressed to the Chair of the Fisheries (Pech) Committee of the European Parliament, LIFE has called for these historic wrongs to be put right, and for the Pech Committee to provide the necessary leadership to address glaring policy failures.

Five years after the adoption of the reformed Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) and its implementation, the intended improvement in sustainability outcomes for the small-scale low impact fleets across the EU are not being delivered, and the opportunity to harness their potential to achieve wider social, environmental and economic sustainability goals is being squandered.

Small-scale coastal fishers tend to fish in the least environmentally damaging ways to provide the greatest benefits to society.

The reformed CFP is being poorly implemented by Member States, leading to a distortion of the seas. As a result, small-scale fishers are being starved of quota and have to rely on non-quota species. They are also being effectively excluded from the benefits of access to the Producer Organisation (PO) model. This means that the inshore fishing zones are subject to potentially more destructive larger scale intensive fishing operations using trawls, dredges and other towed gears, and with the lion’s share of fishing subsidies supporting larger scale fishing operations.

Small-scale fish producers should be enabled to form their own Producer Organizations – which are described as “the key to achieving the objectives of the CFP” – to facilitate their access to resources, to markets and to decision making processes. The reality however is that Member State recognised POs have almost exclusively become monopolised by larger scale fishing interests who erect barriers of entry to the markets for fishing opportunities,  create obstacles to the development of small scale fishing fleet members, and restrict the flow of the benefits of the PO model.

The new EMFAF (2021-2027), if properly directed, could help to turn the situation around. In particular, and as proposed by the European Parliament, funding for Member States national plans should be conditional on preparing an action plan for the development of sustainable and profitable small-scale fishing.

LIFE is convinced that if small scale fishers were provided with the enabling policy environment intended by the CFP and the political will to promote it, small scale low impact fisheries could make all the difference between success and failure in the implementation of the 2014 CFP and in achieving the targets set by the Marine Strategy Framework Directive for Good Environmental Status by 2020.

Next Tuesday 3 December the Pech Committee will debate “a fair deal for small-scale, artisanal and coastal fishermen in the allocation of fishing  opportunities” https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/PECH-OJ-2019-12-02-1_EN.html. This provides an ideal opportunity to bring small scale fisheries from the periphery to the centre of European fisheries policy.

Access the letter in English here

Access the letter in French here

Access the letter in Spanish here

Access the letter in Italian here

Access the letter in German here

Call to the EC for an inclusive Ocean Strategy

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Small scale fisheries organisations and NGOs  join forces for an inclusive Oceans Strategy that takes into account the rights of fishing communities

Brussels, 21st of november 2019

On World Fisheries Day, LIFE and an international network of organizations call to the European Commissioner-designate for Environment and Oceans, Mr. Virginijus Sinkevičius, for an inclusive oceans strategy that recognises the central role of fisheries, with a balanced approach to securing social, economic and environmental sustainability.

Access full information on the website of the Coalition for Fair Fisheries Arrangements by clicking here

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Stop to harmful subsidies

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Fisheries Subsidies:  public funds for public good, not individual gain.

Not to help us fish more, but to help us fish better.

Brussels, 4th of October 2019

Brian O’Riordan

The Low Impact Fishers of Europe (LIFE) advocates that public funds should be used for public good, not individual gain. Fisheries and the marine environment are a public resource that need conserving within sustainable limits if fishing is to have a future. This requires giving attention to the three pillars of sustainability – the environmental as well as the social and economic dimensions. LIFE therefore urges that under the new European funding scheme for the maritime sector, that priority be given to protecting the environment and conserving fish stocks, and to supporting collective projects that contribute to social and economic sustainability of fishing communities.

In this light, LIFE agreed to be a co-signatory on a letter drafted together with environmental NGOs (available here) on fisheries subsidies and addressed to Members of the European Parliament. The European Parliament will play a determining role as co-deciders in the forthcoming “trilogue” process to adopt a new regulation for a European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF) for the period 2021 to 2027.

At the last meeting of the Fisheries (Pech) Committee of the European Parliament on October 2, the Deputies reviewed the subsidies being provided to the European fisheries sector through the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF). They also discussed the issues arising from the proposal approved under the last Parliament for subsidizing Europe’s maritime, fisheries and aquaculture sectors over the next period, 2021 to 2027, under what is to be called the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Find (EMFA). The debate comes just ahead of the next round of trilogue negotiations, through which the European Parliament and the Council of Ministers must arrive at an agreed “co-decision” on the new legislation, with the facilitation of the European Commission.

A contentious issue in the debate is the provision of subsidies for actions that contribute to overcapacity, overfishing or Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing. Since 2005 the World Trade Organisation (WTO) has been mandated to negotiate the ending of certain forms of fisheries subsidies that contribute to overcapacity and overfishing. Following the Rio + 20 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development in 2012, and the subsequent development of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the WTO is now focussed on delivering SDG 14.6. This commits States to: “by 2020, prohibit certain forms of fisheries subsidies which contribute to overcapacity and overfishing, and eliminate subsidies that contribute to IUU fishing, and refrain from introducing new such subsidies.”

For this reason, in its 2018 proposal on the EMFF (now EMFAF) post 2020, the European Commission listed as ineligible, subsidies for “operations that increase the fishing capacity of a fishing vessel or support the acquisition of equipment that increases the ability of a fishing vessel to find fish” and for “the construction and acquisition of fishing vessels or the importation of fishing vessels, unless otherwise provided for in this Regulation”.

In the European Parliament’s proposal, subsidies may be used for “the purpose of improving the safety or the working or living conditions of the crew which includes corrections to vessel stability, or the quality of the product,” provided that any increase in capacity “is within the limit allocated to the Member State concerned, without jeopardising the balance between fishing capacity and available fishing opportunities and without increasing the ability of the fishing vessel concerned to catch fish.”

Such a proposal is very much in line with the ILO Work in Fishing Convention, C.188, and as such supported by both vessel owners and trade unions. Thanks to their efforts, key provisions of ILO C.188 became EU law in December 2016 through Council Directive 2017/159. Member States must comply with this by November 15 2019. Subsidizing safety and decent conditions is also in line with efforts to make the fishing sector more attractive to the younger generation. But there is a fine line between increasing fishing capacity on the one hand and improving safety and working and living conditions on board on the other. Should public money be used for improving safety and working conditions if this also increases fishing capacity? Would such a provision undermine the EU’s credibility at the WTO negotiations to prohibit harmful subsidies contributing to overcapacity, overfishing and illegal fishing by 2020, in line with Sustainable Development Goal 14.6?

Also of contention is whether or not fishers should be compensated for the temporary closure of fisheries which force them to tie up their vessels. Such forced closures mean that their livelihoods are curtailed, and if closures are protracted this can mean the demise and death of their businesses. Once such small enterprises fail, there is no bringing them back.

However, small-scale fishers, as self-employed entrepreneurs are not eligible for unemployment benefit during such closures. Neither are they eligible nor have they asked for subsidies to compensate them for their loss of earnings during such closures. They would much prefer to be working at sea than to be unemployed ashore. They therefore agree with NGOs that loss of earnings should not be compensated for by European subsidies. They are open to suggestions and assistance to enable them to pursue viable alternatives, and to diversify. LIFE advocates that such closures, and any short-term alternatives to fishing, need to part and parcel of National level action plans for small-scale low impact coastal fishing, outlined in the Commission’s proposal.

Such action plans would provide the basis for investing in the sustainability of the sector and to improve its profitability. In 2017 the small-scale fleets of five Member States suffered gross losses and in nine Member States net losses, as reported by the Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee (STECF 2019 AER Report). This compares to 3 and 5 respectively for larger scale fishing activities. The STECF also notes that the viability of small-scale fishery enterprises is far more dependent of value addition, making market access a key factor for profitability. Small-scale fishers have to sell their fish on the same markets used large scale fishing activities, where the quality, especially freshness, may be very different. All too often, the bulk landings of the larger scale-scale sector drag down prices on the market, making it difficult for small scale operations to make a living.

LIFE therefore advocates that support be provided to small scale fishers to organize themselves and to establish Producer Organizations (POs). Such POs would both secure their access to resources through quota reallocation schemes supported by the EMFF, and to markets. Small-scale fishers see no point in investing in new vessels or in improving their vessels if their lack of access to resources and markets undermines the viability of their businesses. Rather they would like to see investments in actions that secure their future; actions which secure sustainable access to resources and access to markets. Small-scale fishers don’t want to fish more, they want to fish better, prioritizing quality over quantity.

Reporting on the current implementation of the EMFF, the European Commission noted that overall the larger scale fleet segment had received around 70% of the subsidies, with 18% going to the smaller scale sector (under 12 metres using non-towed gears). This has created a distortion on the seas that needs to be redressed. The Commission representative also commented that there was no economic justification in investing public funds in vessels and engines given the strong economic performance of the larger scale fleet. Rather, such investment should come from the private sector.

Summing up, the Chair of the Fisheries Committee, Chris Davies noted that no Parliamentarians were in favour of harmful subsidies. By the WTO SDG 14.6 yardstick, upgrading vessel security to ensure the safety of the fishers could not be bad. However, we can’t be sure, he said, that our actions will not lead to unintended consequences.

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LIFE meets the new Commissioner

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LIFE Meets with Commissioner-designate for the Environment and Oceans, Virginijus Sinkevičius

Fisheries are, and will continue to be, an integral part of the EU’s blue economy – with an essential role to play in decarbonizing the food sector and in food security, LIFE was informed. Small-scale low impact fisheries could play an important role in this regard, and fishers are ready to play their part, LIFE informed the Commissioner-designate.

Brussels, 2nd of October 2019

Low Impact Fishers of Europe (LIFE) were very happy to kick off the month of October with a meeting with the Commissioner-designate for the Environment and Oceans, Virginijus Sinkevičius.

Our wide-ranging discussion covered several issues of concern to the small scale sector, including quota redistribution, the landing obligation, marine spatial planning and inshore fisheries, access to markets, Producer Organisations for small-scale fish producers, fisheries subsidies, the integration of fisheries into the wider blue economy, and last but not least the key role of women all along the value chain.

LIFE emphasised that successive Common Fisheries Policies had failed to grasp the importance of small-scale low impact fisheries and to capitalise on their potential to contribute to sustaining food supplies, livelihoods and the cultural heritage of coastal communities. If treated fairly and supported by effective policies, the latent potential of small-scale low impact fisheries could be mobilized to provide solutions to the problems besetting European fisheries.

The widening focus of the Directorate dealing with Maritime Affairs and Fisheries to Oceans governance and the blue economy potentially has huge implications for fisheries. Not the least of which is rise of aquaculture as the future source of food from the sea.

LIFE and its members are at the disposal of the new European administration to support the three pillars of sustainability – the social, economic and environmental dimensions.

Further information:

Mission letter of the European Commission: https://ec.europa.eu/commission/sites/beta-political/files/mission-letter-virginijus-sinkevicius_en.pdf

Answers to the European Parliament: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/resources/library/media/20190927RES62446/20190927RES62446.pdf

Proposed priorities for the EC Directorates (For DG Mare see page 114 – A Blue Economy Initiative to Combat Climate Change): https://www.politico.eu/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/clean_definite2.pdf

 

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Regional Plan of Action for SSFs

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Mediterranean fisheries

RPOA-SSF monitoring framework and priority actions

 

Download it here

 

This document provides a common framework to guide the implementation of the Regional plan of action for small-scale fisheries in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea (RPOA-SSF). For each main section within the RPOA-SSF the document identifies:

–          General indicators to measure progress in implementing the RPOA-SSF over the course of its duration (2018-2028).

–          Topics which are short-termpriorities (2019-2021) for RPOA-SSF implementation. For identified priority topics, a short-term objective has been proposed, as well as specific actions to be undertaken through GFCM bodies (i.e. work plan).

Relevant work that is being/will be carried out by partner organizations (particularly in the context of the Friends of SSF platform, which includes LIFE’s work) has been noted.

This document will be finally approved (with potential slightly modifications from the CPCs) within the framework of the next GFCM Commission to be held in Athens from 4-8th November 2019.

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