1) Grant the right to fish to those who fish sustainably
The CFP must grant priority access to those fishers who have the least impact on the environment and add the most value to local fishing activities and communities. Access to fish must be linked to the performance of individual operators based on environmental, social, and economic criteria. Fishers that use sustainable practices, with minimum by-catch, a high employment rate with respect to the volume of catch and less dependence on subsidies and fuel must be favoured. In this way, fishing-related employment can be sustained and the benefits from fishing activity spread more widely around coastal communities.
The CFP must acknowledge that quota (the right to fish) is a public good, not private property, and allocate fishing opportunities in a way which rewards sustainable fishing methods. Consequently we are against transferable fishing concessions (TFCs), a system which effectively privatises access to fishing opportunities and is likely to consolidate marine resources in the hands of fewer, more powerful players. We are against the privatisation of the sea and its resources.

2) Reduce overcapacity where it exists, without putting artisanal, low impact fishers out of business
It is estimated that EU fishing fleets can, in many cases, exert fishing pressure on stocks that is two to three times the sustainable level. The new CFP must include a detailed inventory of overcapacity, ensuring that it is assessed in relation to the state of stocks in target fisheries. Efforts to measure fishing capacity must consider the ability of a vessel or fleet to catch fish and not just the number, size and engine power of vessels.
EU member states must urgently put in place action plans to reduce fishing capacity, where overcapacity exists, and shift capacity into low-impact fishing methods without exceeding sustainable levels of fishing pressure. These efforts should be closely aligned with regional fisheries management plans and ensure that we do not merely export the overfishing and overcapacity problems to fishing grounds outside EU waters. There are many misguided cases of public money being used simultaneously to scrap vessels and to renew part of the fleet, resulting in a net increase of fishing capacity, particularly in the high-impact part of the fleet, and stock depletion.
We stress the need to fish less at European level, but this must not happen to the disadvantage of those using more sustainable practices. The new CFP must guarantee a fishing sector that prioritises quality over quantity: fishing less, but more intelligently.

3) End harmful subsidies and unsustainable fishing practices
The industrialisation of the fishing sector has resulted in European seas suffering from decades of destructive fishing and overfishing.
The European fleet receives several million Euros in subsidies every year. A big portion of this money is spent on destructive and sometimes even illegal fishing operations. The new European Marine and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) must instead focus on supporting the transition of fishing communities and operators to a more sustainable approach.
All European fishermen must strictly follow regulations. Vessels or operators that are caught fishing illegally should not receive future subsidies. The new CFP must strengthen and reinforce monitoring and control measures that must be exercised evenly and fairly across the Union and beyond.
A staggering 1.3 million tonnes of fish are discarded from European vessels in the north east Atlantic every year. The reformed CFP must include clear steps towards a zero discard objective, complemented by strict rules on the selectivity, size and weight of, in particular, trawl, dredge and other mobile gears. This would reduce unwanted catches and the hunger for constant increases in engine power. The EMFF should support the development of more selective fishing practices, encourage collaborative work between fishers and scientists and provide meaningful support for the creation of representative bodies of the low impact artisanal sector. Destructive fishing methods that exert a harmful impact on the marine environment, like certain forms of heavy mobile gears and the targeting of immature, undersized fish, must be banned. Those engaging in destructive fishing practices should not be regarded as artisanal, sustainable fishers under the CFP.

4) Restore the health of our seas in Europe and the rest of the world
European fisheries management should take into account different local and regional realities and place the artisanal fishing sector at its heart. It should build on the experience and skills of people who are directly linked with the fishery. Their know-how and empirical knowledge must be valued and made use of in greater collaboration with government regulators, scientific bodies, advisory committees, low impact and artisanal fishermen and other stakeholders within a co-management structure, including the development of sustainable management plans.
Under the new CFP, research on the state of fish stocks and recovery measures must be significantly strengthened, including through increased funding from the EMFF.
The implementation of an ecosystem-based approach to fisheries management, safeguarding the marine environment, should be a prerequisite. Fishing limits should not exceed scientific advice and the new CFP must ensure that by 2015 all fish stocks are recovered to levels above those that can ensure sustainable catches.
Marine reserves are one of the solutions to protect the marine environment from the impacts of fishing. As for any other conservation measure, their establishment must be undertaken with proper consultation and consideration for the needs of low impact fishers.