Barcelona, 19th of June 2018
Fishers organisation representatives, public officials, NGOs and other stakeholders met on the 18ti in Barcelona, Spain, to formally set up a Focus Group to promote an effective and inclusive form of fisheries governance across Europe based on the approach of co-management.
Službeni PR izvještaj možete pronaći ovdje
Brussels, 19th June 2018
Brian O'Riordan
LIFE would like to see more of a bottom up approach to implementing the new Control Regulation, with more carrot and less stick applied to the task of bringing small scale fishing operations into the regulatory fold. Rightly the proposal’s ambitions aim high. Wrongly the onus is placed on the sector to comply without providing the necessary support measures and guidance to assist the transition.
Small scale fisheries, the life blood of Europe’s forgotten fleet, have for long been outliers in the European Common Fisheries Policy (CFP). Small scale fishing (SSF) activities (under 12 metre vessels using non-towed gears), comprising 74% of the active fishing fleet in 2015, are currently not obliged to report their catches or to give their at sea positions. This is to change, and change dramatically under the reformed Control Regulation.
DG Mare have recently published a proposal to amend the Control Regulation. In its new form it will make significant demands on small vessel operators, with implications for how they carry out their operations. Noteworthy are the requirements to maintain an electronic logbook, and for the weighing of the catch, per species, at the time of landing. The landing of unsorted species is only to be allowed if strict conditions are met, including weighing by systems operated or controlled by Member State authorities. This will have implications for many direct sale schemes, where fish is sold from small vessels whilst still at sea, with catches dispatched to buyers on landing. Small operators also need to take note of strict new provisions on infringements and sanctions, including a new penalty points system.
Provisions in the Commission proposal specify that “all vessels including those below 12 metres’ length must have a tracking system”, and that “all fishing vessels below 12 m must report their catches electronically".
Also of note in the proposal is the removal of the exemption from reporting in logbooks of catches of less than 50 kg. According to DG Mare, this exemption “could leave up to 350,000 t of fish, corresponding to 6% of currently reported catches by EU fishing vessels, unaccounted for".
LIFE welcomes the recognition in the proposal that “small scale fisheries play an important role in the Union, from a biological, economic and social perspective”. LIFE also agrees that “it is important to control that fishing activities and fishing efforts of smaller vessels are in compliance with the rules of the common fisheries policy."
However, LIFE urges that the requirements for electronic reporting be adapted to the realities of small-scale fishing operations. Conditions aboard smaller vessels, especially in adverse sea and weather conditions, are in most cases not favourable to multi-tasking and manipulations on small devices that require both dexterity and precision.
The new proposal highlights that “Member States should be able to track all fishing vessels, including fishing vessels which are less than 12 metres’ length,” and that “for vessels 12 metres’ length it is now possible to use mobile devices which are less expensive and easy to use.”
As far as reporting is concerned, the proposal also notes that: “Any additional burden for small operators (small-scale fishermen) will be avoided by the introduction of easy and cost-effective reporting systems for fishery data, taking advantage of affordable and widely available mobile phones technologies.”
So far so good.
However, one major cause for concern is that a study commissioned by DG Mare under the auspices of EASME “to examine approaches developed for electronic monitoring of Small-Scale Fleets (SSFs) and to propose good practice in this area” has been dropped. The findings of this study should have informed the refinement of the new Fisheries Control Regulation, provided an inventory of different affordable and widely available mobile phones technologies, and applied tailored technological solutions to the reporting problems experienced in the SSF. In the absence of any official explanation, one can only speculate as to why this study has been dropped, and as to whether or not it has to do with the undue haste with which this new regulation is being forced through.
The proposal is doomed to failure on this aspect unless it adopts a more bottom up approach to electronic log books for SSF, including at sea trials, training courses, and financial support to SSF operators to install, maintain and use appropriate equipment.
It is also worth noting that whilst the intentions of the Commission may be well meaning, the reality is that at the time of writing, we are a long way from being able to access the aforementioned “easy and cost-effective reporting systems for fishery data, taking advantage of affordable and widely available mobile phones technologies.” It is also apparent that at present, there does not appear to be an at sea vessel based system that is able to ‘talk’ to the land based administrative servers.
The top down approach is highlighted in Article 15.2 which states that: Masters of Union catching vessels of less than 12 metres’ length overall shall submit by electronic means the information referred to in Article 14, to the competent authority of their flag Member State after the last fishing operation has been completed and before entering port.
SSF will also have to comply with the requirement for all categories of vessels to include in the logbook information on lost gears, including the type of lost gear; the date and time when the gear was lost; the position where the gear was lost; and the measures undertaken to retrieve the gear. Under 12 metre vessels will also have to carry on board the necessary equipment for the retrieval of lost gear.
For larger vessels within the under 12 metres sector, with a deck, with an electricity supply, and with a well sheltered wheelhouse away from gear handling areas, this may be relatively easy to comply with. However, most commonly, small-scale vessels in Europe are 5 to 7 metres in length and weigh around 3GT. These vessels may not have a deck, are unlikely to have an electricity supply, and have little to offer by way of a sheltered space away from the gear handling area. Operating a mobile device, however affordable or widely available, on a moving platform under such conditions with a wet and slippery gloved hand, with the other hand on the tiller, will present quite a challenge to say the least.
Such operations are most easily and effectively carried out once ashore, and probably with best effect at the point and/or time of sale. It is clearly impractical for all vessels to carry weighing scales, even if their operation was possible on a small boat, so this requirement relies on a guesstimate of the weight of the various species aboard prior to landing. LIFE therefore questions what value ‘at sea’ reporting could possibly bring to the regulator – and what kind of hardware is proposed to enable SSF operators to log their catch data.
The Regulation refers to all small scale vessels. This sector amounts to almost 62,000 vessels across Europe, from the smallest of Greek islands to the northernmost archipelagos and notwithstanding the challenges noted above, where is the infrastructure going to come from, and who is going to pay for it to handle the sheer volume of data relating to individual vessel movements, gear loss, catch reporting and subsequent landings declarations?
And what happens if it breaks? Past experience illustrates that vessel based technology is less reliable than its terrestrial counterparts. In the event of technical failures, where does this leave the fisherman? Will he still be allowed to leave harbour or cove and with respect to the outermost regions, what are the practical aspects of getting equipment repaired in a short time?
It does not take a sledge hammer to crack a nut. LIFE therefore urges that, informed by some considerable SSF experience to date with mobile technologies, more thought is given into tailoring reporting measures to fit the realities of SSF operations. Over the last few years mobile technologies have evolved in leaps and bounds, as has SSF ingenuity in using and applying APPs and SMS to their needs, be it for safety at sea, accessing web-based data, running their businesses, or communicating with markets.
Mobile technologies, EMS, APPs and SMS linked to web-based systems offer a plethora of opportunities to improve reporting, ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements as well as to meet the needs of fishing operations for real time information, sending distress calls, informing markets, and logging data for private use.
However, in implementing an amended Fisheries Control Regulation, some realistic targets and deadlines need to be set, along with the adoption of a flexible bottom up approach, to ensure that the entire gamut of operations carried out by SSF are able to fulfil the objectives of good fisheries management by providing the necessary data, in a timely fashion, in the format required. In this regard, however effective and easy to use new mobile technologies may be, unless there is an effective application programming interface (API) between the mobile technology and the server logging the catch data, together with the required infrastructure to actually handle the data flows in the first place then the Regulation is going to be more of a road block than a route map for effective and efficient fisheries management in Europe.
Last but not least, there are to be stricter proceedings in the event of an infringement, with the setting of standardized minimum levels of fines. In parallel, a new points system is to be implemented, designed to ensure effective deterrence against the most harmful behaviours, which may lead to the suspension or withdrawal of fishing licences or of the right to command a vessel.
What constitutes a serious infringement will depend on the gravity of the infringement in question and is to be determined by the competent authority of the Member State concerned. 17 activities are listed that shall constitute serous infringements. It is left up to Member States authorities to decide on whether a further 9 activities, depending on their gravity, are to be dealt with as serious infringements, including “not fulfilling of obligations to accurately record and report data relating to fishing activities, including data to be transmitted by vessel monitoring system and prior notices".
LIFE is concerned that, due to the difficulties for small vessels to comply with new reporting requirements, the smallest vessel operations may be unfairly criminalised. We would like to see more carrot in the form of grants and training courses and less stick in the form of sanctions and criminal proceedings to bring small scale fishing operations into the regulatory CFP fold.
14th of June 2018
23 environmental NGOs and organisations representing fishers from France, Germany, the Netherlands,
and the UK filed a formal request to the European Anti Fraud Office, known as OLAF, to conduct an investigation
into whether fraud has occurred in relation to the Dutch electric trawl fishery.
Access the official PR in English here
23 organisations environnementales et représentants de pêcheurs de France, d’Allemagne, d’Irlande, des Pays-Bas et du Royaume‐Uni demandent à l’Office européen de lutte antifraude (OLAF) d’ouvrir une enquête sur la pêche électrique néerlandaise pour suspicion de fraude.
Accédez au Communiqué de Presse officiel en Français ici
23 milieu-NGO’s en ‐organisaties namens vissers uit Frankrijk, Duitsland, Nederland en het Verenigd Koninkrijk een officieel verzoek ingediend bij het Europese Bureau voor Fraudebestrijding –OLAF– om een onderzoek te starten naar het vermoeden van fraude in de Nederlandse pulsvisserij.
Bekijk hier het officiële persbericht in het Nederlands
23 organizacji ekologicznych i organizacji reprezentujących rybaków z Francji, Niemczech, Holandii i Wielkiej Brytanii złożyło formalny wniosek do Europejskiego Urzędu ds. Zwalczania Nadużyć Finansowych, w skrócie OLAF,
o wszczęcie dochodzenia w sprawie podejrzenia o nadużycia finansowe holenderskich rybaków poławiających prądem.
Uzyskaj dostęp do oficjalnej informacji prasowej w języku Polskim
23 ONG ecologistas y organizaciones de pescadores de Francia, Alemania, Países Bajos, y el Reino Unido han presentado una petición formal a la Oficina Europea de lucha contra el Fraude, la OLAF, para que inicie una investigación ante la sospecha de fraude en la pesca eléctrica neerlandesa.
Acceda al comunicado de prensa oficial en Español aquí
23 Umweltschutzorganisationen und Fischereiverbände aus Frankreich, Deutschland, den Niederlanden und dem
Vereinigten Königreich haben heute beim Europäischen Amt für Betrugsbekämpfung, kurz OLAF, einen förmlichen
Antrag auf Einleitung eines Ermittlungsverfahrens wegen des Verdachts auf Betrug in der niederländischen Elektrofischerei gestellt.
Greifen Sie hier auf die offizielle Pressemitteilung in Deutscher Sprache zu
23 ONG e organizzazioni per la difesa dell’ambiente che rappresentano i pescatori della Francia, Germania, Paesi Bassi e Gran Bretagna hanno presentato una richiesta formale all’Ufficio Europeo per la Lotta Antifrode, conosciuto
come OLAF, affinché conduca un’indagine su una sospetta frode nella pesca elettrica olandese.
Accedi al comunicato stampa ufficiale in Italiano qui
Bristol, 6th of June 2018
Jeremy Percy
The recent proposals by the European Commission, available on the URL: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=COM:2018:368:FIN&from=EN together with the background documentation that includes quite a useful Q&A, for details see: https://ec.europa.eu/fisheries/questions-and-answers-%E2%80%93-revision-eu-fisheries-control-system_en pull no punches in describing the EU’s aims for a much “improved” system for the control, monitoring and enforcement of the EU fishing fleet.
The Q&A section illustrates the determination of the Commission to update and reinforce the Control Regulation. Their reasoning, stated in the Q&A section is that "the current Fishery Control System reflects control strategies, methodologies and challenges of more than 10 years ago, and it is not equipped to effectively address current and future needs in terms of fisheries data and fleet control, to match the constant evolution of fishing practices and techniques. It also does not provide the necessary flexibility to take advantage of modern and more cost-effective control technologies and data exchange systems.
Last but not least, the current system does not effectively promote a culture of compliance and significant loopholes have emerged in the implementation of current enforcement rules, which warrant their revision………. An enforcement system with dissuasive, proportionate and effective sanctions is paramount to ensure that the CFP and its conservation measures are complied with”.
Strong stuff! So what will it mean to UK fishermen in general and the small scale fleet in particular?
It means that things are going to change, and change drastically.
In comes electronic reporting for ALL vessels, irrespective of size, vessel tracking will be mandatory, as will the need to report catches BEFORE landing.
Again, from the Proposal: “For the smaller vessels it is nowadays possible to use mobile and other type of tracking devices, which are affordable and easy to use. Also, all catches should be accounted for and reported electronically, irrespective of the vessel’s size and of the amount of fish caught.
Paper-based reporting will therefore be phased out and current derogations removed.
The proposal remains however, technologically neutral, insofar as it avoids prescribing the use of any specific technology. Specific applications will need to be tailored to the different needs and actors keeping in mind that interoperability is necessary.
All provisions will be in one single act: the Control Regulation. The enforcement system will allow fishermen to be treated equally across the EU, irrespective of the Member State where they operate or land”.
So we are all going to be treated equally across the EU although there is clearly going to be wriggle room for each member state to tailor their own systems. Good luck with that!
In a similar vein, the current derogation for not reporting catches of under 50kg will go [the EU reckons that this permits the landing of up to 350,000 tons of fish across the EU that go unreported!]. It does appear however that the current allowance for the sale of fish direct to private buyers will remain: [“Traceability rules do not apply in the case of small quantities of fishery products sold directly from fishing vessels to the consumers”]
New rules for the reporting of lost gear are proposed: “Reporting of the loss of fishing gears will be done through the so-called fishing logbook, which will be submitted electronically to the competent authorities. Since the loss of fishing gear can concern any category of fishing vessels, irrespective of its size, the reporting via the logbook will have to be done by all categories of vessels. All vessels will also have to carry on board the equipment necessary for the retrieval of lost gear".
This element appears to introduce a requirement by the back door for the registration of how much gear a fisherman carries and sets, as well as how much is lost and recovered or otherwise, irrespective of whether it’s a trawl, longline, pot of net.
So just how much of a level playing field there will be remains to be seen, not just across member states but also within them, as it is clear that current ‘enforcement’ varies significantly depending on where you fish from.
And if you think the proposals are going to cause problems for and generate resistance from commercial fishermen, it is likely to be nothing like as vociferous as that that will come from the recreational sector who are going to be registered and licensed on the basis that: "There are an estimated 8 to 10 million recreational fishermen in the EU, but catches from recreational fisheries are today still largely unaccounted for because of lack of proper control measures”. Member states “……will be able to the collect reliable data on catches and practices”. And just who is going to monitor and enforce all these millions of anglers, scattered along the coastlines of Europe is also going to be a “challenge” if it is actually possible in the first place.
The list of serious infringements will be updated and doled out irrespective of the size of vessel or the amount of fish involved so on that basis, we can assume that it won’t matter if you have one fish over, or a thousand tons, the penalty will be the same?
Oh, and there will be CCTV on boats that have a specific level of discard risk.
These proposals, and they are only proposals at his stage, will generate huge concerns in relation to the clear aim of the Commission to get tough on compliance. Just how much of the technology will actually work remains to be seen. It will require a whole new system of electronic reporting structures that vitally will need to be able to talk to each other and to the central servers at local, national and EU levels and that is not something that is even available at present. The amount of data that will be flying through the ether will be enormous, especially when you consider the amount of commercial and recreational activity on any given day. Just who is going to have the time and resources to actually look at this level of information remains to be seen.
And will Brexit save UK fishers, commercial and recreational, from these new requirements? Don’t bet on it!
Warsaw, 6th of June 2018
Marcin Ruciński
On 31 May, ICES have released their annual catch advice for the main stocks in the Baltic Sea, which will guide decision-makers in negotiations of fishing opportunities for 2019. LIFE takes a first look at ICES recommendations, on the basis of initial views and comments provided by our Members. We will come with more suggestions later, as our internal discussions progress.
Cod: a tale of two crises
The Eastern Baltic cod is now clearly in a state of deep crisis and far-reaching measures are needed. The stock suffers from many difficulties, among which scientists enumerate: illegal and unreported discards, continuing despite a comprehensive ban, mobile gear modifications leading to high levels of undersized fish in catches, food deprivation caused by intensive pelagic effort in the cod distribution area, anoxic areas inhibiting spawning in areas other than Bornholm Deep, lack of large fish in the stock to positively impact spawning success and the impact of an increasing grey seal population. The TAC has not been fully taken since 2010 and has no limiting effect on the fishery. It is clear that managers will need to look for solutions outside the usual toolbox to help cod turn the corner. These should include:
LIFE is now in the process of elaborating detailed suggestions for this crucial stock in the form of an Action Plan.
The Western Baltic cod stock and allied advice show clear signs of improvement after the 2016 crisis, on the basis of the strong 2016 year-class and high stock productivity assumed by ICES using the relatively high “breadth” of Fmsy ranges. However, the 2016 year-class is surrounded by two years of very low recruitment in 2015 and 2017; the last of them is the lowest on record. Being precautionary when it comes to the level of TAC increase is thus an absolute priority.
Herring: a tragic surprise in the West, declining stock in the East
The Western Baltic herring stock advice is a tragic surprise, especially in view of a good spring fishing season for this stock that has just finished. Livelihoods of many small-scale fishermen who depend on this stock are directly threatened as a result of zero catch advice. We note that as a result of advice benchmarking this year, the key stock reference points (Blim, MSY Btrigger) have been revised upwards. This needs to be properly explained, given that the recruitment and SSB estimates in the advice have been revised downwards.
Further East, the Central Baltic herring stock is also not doing well, as is confirmed by the disappointing results of the herring season, at least in coastal waters. Also here, a dependence on the 2014 year-class is a reason for concern.
Sprat
ICES advises that a spatial management plan is considered for the fisheries that catch sprat and LIFE strongly agrees with this advice. It is high time that at least a good part of fishing effort on sprat be moved north of the Subdivisions 25-26, which can easily be done by simple quota management solutions. Overcoming the cod food deprivation scenario is a major concern for the Baltic ecosystem as a whole and must be a priority for the managers.
All stocks
When applying the necessary cuts, managers should bear in mind the need to provide sufficient quotas to the small-scale, low impact fishing communities, which depend on their traditional fishing grounds and do not, unlike their larger brethren have the ability to simply steam away to other fishing grounds.
Ecosystem overview: a very useful tool that needs further elaboration
We thank ICES for giving the traditional yearly advice a context going beyond just the mathematical models and MSY- or precautionary approach-based numbers and issues related to these. In addition to placing fisheries within the wider ecosystem, it is also important for decision-makers to locate fisheries as an integral part of a wider maritime sector and Blue Economy development actions. Within this approach, small-scale fisheries and its role in providing livelihoods and contributing to the economy and cultural heritage of local coastal communities across the Baltic Sea needs to be spelled out and understood more clearly.
LIFE is grateful to ICES for reminding everyone that the fishing effort with gillnets may be a problem for certain water bird species, if not properly addressed at a regional or local level, in a correct temporal and spatial context. We are ready to work together with ICES to help to positively deal with the issue by looking for solutions that are best tailored to the needs of local ecosystems and fishing communities they support. Some of our Members can share examples of cooperative approaches successfully used in practice elsewhere, in the Baltic Sea and beyond, which could be a useful inspiration. For example, a new pinger system tested in cooperation with fishers in German waters decreased by-catch of porpoises more than 70 %.
We are also ready to expand our close cooperation with BirdLife International[1] to address the issues mentioned. We would also be grateful for a cooperation with ICES to look at the data on the actual gillnet fishing effort, given its recent and marked decline in many Baltic small-scale fishing communities.
We find it much more worrying though that ICES’s Ecosystem Overview makes no mention whatsoever of the impact of certain predators, in particular grey seal and black cormorant, on fish stocks and particularly small-scale fisheries across the Region. There are a number of initiatives to find constructive solutions to this important issue which weighs heavily on many Baltic small-scale fishing communities[2], This should also have been referenced in the ICES document.
[1] Our joint letter available here https://lifeplatform.eu/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/JointLetter-BirdLife-LIFE.pdf
[2] Records of the recent discussions on the predators’ impact question can be found here (BSAC) http://www.bsac.dk/getattachment/Meetings/BSAC-meetings/Executive-Committee-and-sub-group-on-ecosystem-bas/BSACreportEBMsubgroup031017EXCEPTSALMONFINAL.pdf.aspx?lang=en-GB , point 2 and here (HELCOM) https://portal.helcom.fi/meetings/FISH%208-2018-509/MeetingDocuments/Outcome%20of%20FISH%208-2018.pdf , points 7.9.-7.12. Furthermore, a transnational cooperation project implemented by FLAGs https://balticfisheries.com is worth noting
Bruxelles, 31. svibnja 2018.
Brian O'Riordan
Obveza iskrcavanja (LO) je jedna od najdalekosežnijih i najkontroverznijih mjera koje su uvedene u reformiranu Zajedničku ribarstvenu politiku (ZRP) iz 2013. Osmišljen kako bi se riješila i etička (bacanje hrane) i pitanja očuvanja (selektivnost/prekomjerni izlov), došao je kao grom iz vedra neba nakon vrlo energične kampanje usmjerene i na širu javnost i na europske donositelje odluka, a koju su vodile televizijske osobe. Uopće nije bio predviđen u Zelenoj knjizi iz 2009., a malo je vremena posvećeno razradi načina na koji bi se takva mjera mogla provesti u praksi. Preferirani pristup DG Mare provedbi bio je postupno uvođenje LO-a tijekom razdoblja od 4 godine (2015. do 2019.), rješavajući probleme kako se pojavljuju, umjesto da se pokušavaju predvidjeti i riješiti problemi unaprijed.
Tri i pol godine od početka provedbe, a samo 7 mjeseci do potpunog stupanja na snagu, nadamo se da je do sada većina nedostataka na LO-u izglađena.
To je bio dojam koji je ostavio gospodin Karmenu Vella, povjerenik za pomorske poslove i ribarstvo, u govoru pred Odborom za ribarstvo Europskog parlamenta 15. svibnja. Istaknuo je da: „Pravila su jasna: od 1. siječnja 2019. obveza iskrcavanja primjenjivat će se na sve ulove vrsta koje podliježu ograničenjima ulova, a u Sredozemnom moru i minimalnim veličinama. To su pravila ZRP-a, o kojima su se svi dogovorili i koja su svima dobro poznata već više od četiri godine. Pravila se ne mogu mijenjati tijekom poluvremena utakmice... To bi potkopalo reformirani ZRP. I naštetilo bi našem kredibilitetu."..."
Međutim, takva jasnoća vizije i svrhe nedostajali su u raspravama u Europskom parlamentu prethodnog dana tijekom radionice na temu „Obveza iskrcavanja i vrste koje guše u viševrstnom i miješanom ribolovu“. Nakon prezentacije i rasprava o 3 studije slučaja iz sjeverozapadnih voda, Sjevernog mora i jugozapadnih voda, predsjednik Odbora za ribarstvo Alain Cadec sažeo je rekavši da: Dijagnoza je vrlo jasna: neizvjesnost, teškoća, složenost… Ne žalim što sam glasao protiv obveze iskrcavanja.".
Niti jedan od 9 zastupnika u Europskom parlamentu koji su govorili tijekom rasprave nije branio obvezu iskrcavanja (LO). Jedan je istaknuo da znanstvenici nisu ponudili nikakva rješenja te da se LO ne može primijeniti 1. siječnja 2019. Drugi je govorio o zbunjenosti i problemima te pozvao na dulje prijelazno razdoblje i veću fleksibilnost. Treći je izjavio da LO nije kompatibilan sa sustavom ukupnog dopuštenog ulova [TAC] / kvota te da ga je teško uskladiti s miješanim ribolovom. Čak se pozvao i na Plan B.
Predstavnik DG Mare složio se da postoji nesigurnost i kaos, ali je izrazio mišljenje da „Alat“ LO-a (zamjene/fleksibilnost kvota, de minimis odredbe, povećanja TAC-a, izuzeća itd.) ne koristi se dovoljno. Zastupnik je također primijetio da znanstvenici ne mogu dati potpunu sliku problema gušenja;prigušnice se ne guše jer LO još nije u potpunosti implementiran„S obzirom na to da se LO provodi postupno, potrebno je više vremena i strpljenja kako bi se vidjelo kako će se stvari razvijati, te je potrebno na LO gledati „drugačije“, zaključila je.
Slučaj Sjevernog mora istaknula je složenost definiranja specifičnih ribolovnih područja, kategoriziranih prema velikom rasponu metarija, godišnjih doba, vrsta itd. Izlagačica, francuska znanstvenica, istaknula je da ribolovna smrtnost u Sjevernom moru ponovno raste te da bi se prošli dobici mogli izgubiti. Također je napomenula da će problemi s gušenjem postati problem samo ako se LO strogo provodi. Trenutno problemi s gušenjem nisu uočeni niti prijavljeni STECF-u, što je ona uočila.
Slučaj jugozapadnih voda istaknuo je da će kombinacija FMSY-a i LO-a stvoriti ozbiljne probleme i zatvoriti ribarstvo. Uočeno je da je gušenje dinamično pitanje, posebno s obzirom na klimatske promjene. Utjecaj gušenja mijenjao bi se s vremenom – složena situacija koja će vjerojatno ostati složena, zaključeno je.
Zastupnici u Europskom parlamentu postavili su razna pitanja, uključujući i jedno od galicijskog zastupnika u Europskom parlamentu o utjecaj LO-a na malo ribarstvo s obzirom na nejednakost u raspodjeli kvota. U Galiciji, najvažnijoj europskoj ribarskoj regiji i regiji koja najviše ovisi o ribarstvu, 90% od 4500 ribarskih plovila klasificirano je kao „artes menores“, što obuhvaća plovila prosječne duljine 8,8 metara koja koriste pasivne alate. Većina tih plovila djeluje u mješovitom ribolovu, gdje se nalaze i vrste koje podliježu kvoti i one koje ne podliježu kvoti.
Međutim, kao i u drugim europskim državama članicama, flota malih plovila s pasivnom opremom ima ograničen pristup kvotama jer floti nedostaje potrebna povijest ulova da bi se kvalificirala za njih. Upravljanje kvotama uvedeno je kao mjera za veće flote i sada se nameće malim flotama putem Zakona o lojalnosti (LO), unatoč tome što je većina kvote dodijeljena većoj floti. Zbog toga je upravljanje kvotama, a time i LO, nepravedno diskriminirajuće prema manjim plovilima.
Također je postavljeno pitanje u ime škotskih operatera pridnenih koćarica, za koje je bakalar jedna od glavnih ciljnih vrsta i na koje će gušenje imati velike posljedice. Pitali su koji „stup“ ZRP-a treba žrtvovati – razine ribolova utvrđene na razini najvećeg održivog prinosa, provedbu LO-a ili ribare.
Prezentatorica slučaja Sjevernog mora primijetila je da ukidanje LO-a neće ništa riješiti, da se problem odbacivanja ulova neće riješiti sam od sebe. LO je, po njenom mišljenju, bio koristan alat za podizanje svijesti o problemu odbacivanja ulova, ali sada je bilo vrijeme da se sagledaju dva različita, ali povezana cilja:
a) želja za smanjenjem odbačenog ulova i
b) želja za izvlačenjem svih ulova.
Potonje se često smatra najgorom opcijom, ali nekontrolirano odbacivanje ulova također znači nekontrolirani ribolovni napor. Smatrala je da „Točno dokumentiranje odbačenog ulova na moru ima veći prioritet za postizanje održivosti od obveze iskrcavanja. SVE ulovljena riba„Što se tiče malog ribolova (MSF), smatrala je da je provedeno mnogo istraživanja i da se pitanje odbacivanja ulova u SSF-u može sažeti u maksimu da su, poput djece, mali brodovi = mali problemi, veliki brodovi = veliki problemi. Takvo gledište ne odražava se u različitim stvarnostima s kojima se različite flote moraju nositi, posebno ograničenom lokacijom i sezonskom prirodom malog ribolova u usporedbi s vrlo mobilnom prirodom, širim rasponom i cjelogodišnjom aktivnošću većih operacija. Bilo da su velike ili male po veličini, LIFE smatra da je za sve segmente flote prijetnja neposrednog bankrota veliki problem, bez obzira na veličinu plovila.
Takvo je stajalište izrazio španjolski znanstvenik predstavljajući slučaj jugozapadnih voda. Smatrao je da su, budući da su SSF i LSF prilično različiti, za svaki segment flote potreban drugačiji pristup.
Izlagač za sjeverozapadne vode, irski znanstvenik, odgovorio je na škotsko pitanje rekavši da ako sektor ribarstva ne lovi ribu na održiv način, ne radi se o odustajanju od ribara, već o tome da će ribari izgubiti svoja tržišta zbog pritiska potrošača. To je bio izbor koji je smatrao; ili se pridržavati Ugovora o ribolovu ili izgubiti svoja tržišta. Što se tiče malog ribarskog sektora (SSF), raspodjela je nacionalno pitanje, smatrao je, a na državama je da odluče kako će dodijeliti kvote i postupati s malim ribljim sektorom (SSF).
Prema mišljenju Udruge ribara s niskim utjecajem na okoliš (LIFE), LO će imati nesrazmjeran utjecaj na ribolovne operacije malog polivalentnog pasivnog ribolovnog alata (plovila kraća od 12 metara koja koriste nevučene alate). Uglavnom, ove su operacije vrlo selektivne, s vrlo niskim stopama odbacivanja ulova u usporedbi s koćarenjem i drugim vučenim alatima. Samo zato što je manje odbacivanja ulova u malom ribarskom području (SSF) ne znači da su manje pogođeni LO-om. LO je sigurno osmišljen imajući na umu sektor mobilnih alata velikih razmjera, a ne sektor pasivnih alata niskog utjecaja. To se odražava u činjenici da je u posljednjih nekoliko desetljeća objavljeno 3924 znanstvena rada vezana uz pitanja odbacivanja ulova, 3760 se usredotočilo na operacije velikih razmjera, a samo 164 je razmatralo implikacije za SSF.
Nedostatak pristupa malih ribara kvotama potrebnim za ostanak u održivosti kada se LO u potpunosti provede 2019. godine čini ih vrlo ranjivima na „gušenje“ i prisiljavanje na ukidanje poslovanja i bankrot ili na kršenje zakona i suočavanje s posljedicama. Što se tiče malog ribarskog fonda (SSF), LIFE se boji da bi politika nultog odbacivanja mogla postati politika nultog ribolova i nultog prihoda za SSF.
Stoga LIFE zagovara dvostruki pristup visini napora za ribolov male ribe (SSF). Prije svega, potrebno je osigurati potrebnu i pravednu raspodjelu kvota kako bi se SSF-u omogućilo planiranje i upravljanje svojim poslovanjem. Takva raspodjela trebala bi uključivati određeno objedinjavanje kvota koje se mogu koristiti po potrebi za rješavanje problema gušenja kada se pojavi. Drugo, za obalni segment flote SSF-a, prelazak na upravljanje naporom mogao bi pružiti pravedniji i učinkovitiji način rješavanja problema pristupa i odbacivanja ulova.
Dodatne informacije:
Vellin govor Parlamentu sljedećeg dana https://ec.europa.eu/commission/commissioners/2014-2019/vella/announcements/speech-commissioner-vella-european-parliament-pech-committee_en
Informacije o DGMareu: https://ec.europa.eu/fisheries/cfp/fishing_rules/discards/
Radionica Odbora za ribolov o obvezi iskrcavanja i vrstama koje se guše: https://research4committees.blog/2018/05/28/pech-workshop-landing-obligation-and-choke-species-in-multispecies-and-mixed-fisheries-2/
Malo ribarstvo i cilj nultog odbacivanja ulova. Glavna uprava Europskog parlamenta za unutarnju politiku. 2015. http://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/STUD/2015/540360/IPOL_STU(2015)540360_EN.pdf
6.-8. rujna u Torniu, Finska
Cilj događaja je razmjena iskustava i rasprava o budućnosti tradicionalnog komercijalnog ribolova, između ostalog, o poznavanju i upravljanju ribljim zalihama te važnosti tradicionalne ribarske baštine. Delegacije iz cijelog svijeta sudjelovat će na skupu, obogaćujući raspravu svojim vrijednostima i različitim kulturnim i okolišnim pozadinama. Sudionici će imati priliku saznati više o posebnim karakteristikama brzaka rijeke Torne i upoznati lokalne ribarske zajednice.
Lokacija i smještaj
Festival će se održati s obje strane rijeke Torne, prelazak granica, npr. u gradovima Haparanda (Švedska) i Tornio (Finska). Konferencija će se održati u petak, 7. rujna 2018. u Peräpohjolan Opisto (adresa: Kivirannantie 13 – 15, 05410 Tornio, Finska). Umrežavanje, razmjena informacija, proslave i različite aktivnosti vezane uz ribarsku kulturu održat će se na švedskoj i finskoj strani brzaka rijeke Kukkola. Smještaj je unaprijed rezerviran za međunarodne goste u Sverigefinska folkhögskola ili Park Hotelu.
Najbliže zračne luke su:
Zračna luka Kemi-Tornio (25 km od centra grada Tornio)
Zračna luka Oulu (130 km od Tornija)
Zračna luka Rovaniemi (130 km od Tornija)
Zračna luka Luleå (130 km od Tornija)
Preliminarni program
Dan 1, četvrtak, 6. rujna
Dolazak gostiju
Mogućnost posjeta izložbi “Siika ja meänmaa” u dolini Tornio
Muzej
Večernji program bit će naknadno najavljen
2. dan, petak, 7. rujna
8.10 Preuzimanje / Sverigefinska folkhögskola (imajte na umu da je ovo švedsko vrijeme)
9.20 Preuzimanje/parkiranje u hotelu (finsko vrijeme)
Konferencija o sjevernom ribarstvu, ribarskim tradicijama i njihovoj budućnosti
9.30 Registracija i kava, Peräpohjolan Opisto
10.00 Pozdravne riječi
Tero Mustonen, Snowchange Cooperative
Hannele Keränen, Laponsko sveučilište primijenjenih znanosti (TBC)
10.05 Uvodna riječ
Sven-Erik Bucht, ministar okoliša, Švedska (TBC)
10.15 Izjave državnih i drugih organizacija
10.45 Okrugli stol: Budućnost i perspektive malog i tradicionalnog ribarstva na sjeveru
Predsjedatelj: Tero Mustonen, zadruga Snowchange Svaki panelist imat će priliku govoriti 7 minuta Nakon izjava panelista, Plenarna sjednica bit će otvorena za pitanja, komentare i razmišljanja panelista i članova zasjedanja.
12.00 Ručak
13.45 Budućnost tradicionalnog ribarstva: Predstavljaju se delegati festivala: Rusija, Aljaska, Prvi narodi Kanade, SAD, UK, Sami, Finska, Novi Zeland, Tajvan
15.30 Pauza za kavu
16.00 Budućnost tradicionalnog ribarstva: Osvrt međunarodne znanstvene zajednice
16:45 Završetak i završetak seminara
Tero Mustonen, Snowchange Cooperative
17:00 Kraj konferencijskog dana
3. dan, subota, 8. rujna
9.00 Dolazak međunarodnih gostiju, Sverigefinska folkhögskola (po švedskom vremenu!)
10.10 Doček međunarodnih gostiju, Park hotel Tornio
10.30 Festival uz brzake rijeke Kukkolankoski, Finska
Uvod u tradicionalni ribolov u dolini Tornio
Tržnica bijele ribe
15:00 Polazak autobusom
18.00 Doček međunarodnih gostiju, Park hotel Tornio
17.10 Dolazak međunarodnog gosta, Sverigefinska folkhögskola (po švedskom vremenu)
18.30 Večernje druženje na švedskoj strani brzaka rijeke Kukkolankoski
Pozadinske informacije
Prvi međunarodni ribarski festival održan je 2014. godine na temelju ideje komercijalnog ribara Ollija Klemole (Pälkäne, Finska), koji je osjetio potrebu za izravnijom razmjenom informacija između ribarskih regija i zajednica. Članovi LIFE-a, Snowchange Cooperative (www.snowchange.org) koordiniraju događaj od tada.
Drugi festival održan je u rujnu 2016. u Zigansku, na rijeci Leni, u Jakutiji, u Sibiru, i okupio je više od 100 profesionalnih ribara iz različitih zemalja.
Izdanje za 2018. godinu održat će se u dolini rijeke Tornio, području gdje su se lokalni ribari posljednjih godina duboko zabrinjavali zbog najnovijih promjena u populaciji bijele ribe: potonja se u rijeci pojavljuje gotovo mjesec dana kasnije u usporedbi s prije 30 godina, a i njezina je veličina znatno manja. Kako bi se suočila s ovim problemom, ribarska zajednica odlučila je poduzeti mjere i pokrenuti projekt jačanja populacije bijele ribe. Krajem 2015. godine odabrana su i financirana dva različita projekta usmjerena na „Ljetnu bijelu ribu u dolini Tornio“ od strane programa Interreg North (Europski fond za regionalni razvoj). Jedan od ciljeva u okviru ovih projekata je jačanje atraktivnosti jedinstvene tradicionalne ribarske kulture doline Tornio i poticanje boljeg i održivog upravljanja populacijom bijele ribe u rijeci Torne. Tijekom prvih mjeseci, projekti su organizirali „zajednički simpozij o bijeloj ribi“ namijenjen finskim i švedskim istraživačima, ribarima i drugim dionicima, a privukao je više od 100 sudionika.
Godine 2017. događaj je okupio 250 sudionika, a kako bi se posljednji događaj organiziran u okviru projekta pretvorio u još veću proslavu, odlučili su udružiti snage sa zadrugom Snowchange.
Kako osigurati budućnost tradicionalnog ribolova?
Koncept uključuje daleko više sadržaja od samog ribara i ulova. Tradicionalni ribolov znači ručno izrađenu opremu, posebne građevine koje grade seljani, zgrade, brodove, egzistenciju cijelih zajednica.
Tradicionalno znanje ugrađeno u lokalno utemeljeno obrtničko, tradicionalno ili malo komercijalno ribarstvo često je staro stoljećima. Međutim, te tradicije izumiru ili su ugrožene.
Kako osigurati dobrobit ribljeg fonda?
Podržavaju li trenutni propisi održivi ribolov ili su prepreka tradicionalnim praksama? Kako se brine o rijekama i jezerima? Što znanost predlaže kao najbolje prakse u upravljanju ribljim fondom? Kako bolje osigurati uključivanje ribara u zaštitu i upravljanje ribarstvom? Koja je uloga zajednice i postoje li metode za usporedbu? Ova i mnoga druga pitanja bit će raspravljena tijekom 3. Festival sjevernih ribarskih tradicija i odgovoreno zahvaljujući kolektivnoj refleksiji i zajedničkom radu.
ZABILJEŽITE DATUM: 7ti Lipanj 2018.!
Projekt morskog rezervata Oz Miñarzos – Fin da Terra: zalaganje za novi sustav upravljanja obalnim područjem s malim morskim resursima u središtu
Zaklada Lonxanet u suradnji s udrugom Low Impact Fishers of Europe (LIFE) i Farnet, pod pokroviteljstvom Europskog gospodarskog i socijalnog odbora (EESC), predstavlja Oz Miñarzos Kraj zemlje projekt nakon čega slijedi razmjena mišljenja o Novi sustav upravljanja malim obalnim ribarstvom, zajedničko upravljanje obalnim područjem i plavim gospodarstvom.
Kada: 7. lipnja 2018., od 09:00 do 13:00 sati
Gdje: EGSO, zgrada Trèves, 7. kat, 74 rue de Trèves, 1040 Bruxelles
Ako želite prisustvovati, kontaktirajte sekretariat@lifeplatform.eu
Dnevni red i osnovne informacije možete pronaći ovdje
Irska, 17. svibnja 2018.
Članovi LIFE-a iz Irske – Organizacija za morske resurse Irskih otoka (http://www.iimro.org/) – pokrenuti kampanju za zatražiti od donositelja odluka da podrže revolucionarni Zakon o licenci za baštinu to bi omogućilo dodjelu malog postotka irske nacionalne kvote ribarima na otocima, čime bi se spriječilo smanjenje otočnog stanovništva.
Službeni PR izvještaj možete pronaći ovdje
LIFE podržava inicijativu Zakona o licenci za baštinu i obraća se službeno pismo irskom Zajedničkom odboru za poljoprivredu, hranu i pomorstvo.
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