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September 2024

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Catch of the Day – September 2024

News about fair fisheries, healthy seas and vibrant fishing communities

 

2025 Baltic Sea Fishing Quotas: Cause for Concern, LIFE Calls for Sustainable Limits

The European Commission’s 2025 fishing quotas for the Baltic Sea have raised concerns among LIFE members. They advocate for more cautious fishing limits based on longer-term stock data, alongside multispecies management. This approach would help safeguard the sustainability of fish populations and protect the livelihoods of communities that rely on Baltic fisheries. LIFE members criticise the scientists’ reliance on just three years of data to assess fish stocks, warning that it could lead to overfishing, especially of herring, and destabilize the marine ecosystem. LIFE says it’s a perverse decision based on flawed science and must be revised. 

 

LIFE’s Manifesto: Reshaping EU Fisheries Policies for Fairness and Sustainability

For the upcoming X° legislature of the European Union, the Low Impact Fishers of Europe have published a Manifesto with a clear mission: to guide decision-makers in placing small-scale fisheries at the heart of EU fisheries policies, aiming to restructure the current, inequitable system.

This Manifesto serves as a call to action for the European Parliament, urging it to legislate and shape policies that are fair in three crucial aspects: Fair for the Fishers, Fair for Future Generations, and Fair for Nature. LIFE emphasizes that small-scale fishers play a vital role in sustainable fishing practices, but they are often marginalized under existing EU policies that favour larger, industrial fleets.

To address these disparities, LIFE outlines six key priorities within the Manifesto. These priorities are designed to promote a fairer distribution of fishing rights and opportunities, ensure environmental sustainability, and protect the livelihoods of small-scale fishers. By implementing these improvements, the EU can pave the way for a more just and sustainable fisheries management system that benefits not only current fishers but also future generations and the marine environment.

LIFE’s manifesto is both a roadmap and a rallying cry for change, highlighting the urgent need to align EU fisheries policies with social, economic, and ecological fairness.

 

Nomination of the new European Commissioner for Fisheries and Oceans

LIFE has welcomed the nomination of Kostas Cadis as the European Commission-designate for Fisheries and Oceans. Coming from Cyprus, an island with a strong small-scale fishing tradition, where he served as Minister for Agriculture, LIFE is hopeful that Cadis will be particularly sensitive to the needs and challenges of small-scale fishers in the Mediterranean and other European waters.

LIFE calls for the Commissioner, once designated, to tackle head-on  the sector’s unique difficulties, from allocating fishing opportunities, to resource management and support for  low impact fishing practices. LIFE looks forward to working closely and cooperatively with Mr. Cadis and his team, once his appointment is confirmed, to further the development of fair and sustainable fisheries policies across Europe.

It’s of note that in the new College of Commissioners, responsibilities for the Environment, for Agriculture and Food, for Energy and Housing, and for Fisheries and Oceans are divided and under the direct direction of the President, and without any explicit horizontal linkages. 

For more information see the following relevant information:  

 

Celebrating Resilience: The Fourth Festival of Northern Fishing Traditions in North Karelia, Finland

The fourth Festival of Northern Fishing Traditions took place in North Karelia, Finland. Organized by the Snowchange Cooperative, a member of LIFE.  The festival was the brainchild of Olli Klemola, a professional fisherman and steward of fishing traditions in Pälkäne, whose vision inspires the event. This unique event provides a platform for Indigenous and small-scale fishers from various communities worldwide to come together, share knowledge, and revitalize the care and confidence needed to tackle challenges like climate change and the detrimental impacts of industrial fishing. The festival also marked the premiere of a new film, Seining for a Song, produced by Thomas Miller in collaboration with the Snowchange Cooperative. Filmed in the Koitajoki Basin, the documentary highlights how Reino is passing on his river seining expertise to a new generation, despite the centuries of damage and cultural assimilation experienced in Karelia.

 

Follow the Fish Campaign

LIFE is backing the Follow The Fish campaign, which seeks to address a significant gap in EU labelling and product information legislation in fisheries. While fresh fish must be traceable from catch to consumer, processed seafood products are not held to the same standard. This lack of clarity prevents consumers from knowing the origin, species, and fishing methods of the seafood they purchase.

The Follow The Fish initiative brings together important players in the seafood industry with a shared goal: achieving complete transparency for all seafood, whether fresh or processed.

Campaign advocates are urging EU lawmakers to mandate that essential details—such as species, source, fishing gear used, and production methods—are clearly displayed on all seafood product packaging. They also call for restaurants to provide this key information to consumers, thus, advancing the movement toward more sustainable, equitable, and responsible seafood practices throughout the supply chain.

 

Respectful Engagement and True Participation: LIFE’s Executive Secretary Marta Cavallé Addresses NGOs and Donors on Small-Scale Fisheries Support

Marta Cavallé, Executive Secretary of LIFE, recently addressed participants in a webinar on the Rules of Conduct, organized by CAPE-CFFA and the RISE UP initiative. The Rules of Conduct are a set of guidelines addressed at organisations and partners that wish to work with small-scale fishers in the context of marine and coastal conservation. This event was designed for an audience of NGOs, donors, and other institutions involved in supporting small-scale fisheries (SSF), with the goal of fostering respectful and meaningful engagement with these communities. One of the guiding principles behind the Rules of Conduct is “nothing about us without us”, respecting the rights of fishers and fishing communities to represent themselves in policy decisions that affect them, and to be at the negotiating table themselves. 

During her intervention, Cavallé emphasized the importance of genuine stakeholder participation when working with SSF and the “right to our own voice”. She highlighted the need for NGOs and institutions to approach small-scale fishers as equal partners, respecting their knowledge, traditions, and rights. The webinar aimed to guide participants in building better relationships with SSF communities, ensuring that their voices are truly heard and considered in decision-making processes. Cavallé’s contribution underscored LIFE’s commitment to advocating for fair and inclusive fisheries governance across Europe and beyond.

 

MEPs on the PECH Committee reject EC Proposal on Baltic Sea Multi Annual Plan

The European Parliament’s Fisheries Committee rejected the EC proposal to remove the so-called 5 percent rule from the EU’s Baltic Sea fisheries management plan, a rule designed to prevent the collapse of fish stocks. According to LIFE, the EC proposal undermines the socio economic viability of the fishing industry, in particular the small-scale fleet segment, by removing a key fish stock recovery mechanism. Ensuring fish stocks are above Blim (the stock size below which there is a high risk of reduced recruitment) is essential for the viability and sustainability of fishing companies, and this rule (Article 4.6 of the MAP) therefore has positive benefits. 

For further information see LIFE’s position and this article by Fishsec. 

 

Coming up

30/9 – 4/10 LIFE staff and members from Denmark, France, Spain, UK and Ireland will take part in the Oceans week, a significant initiative including debates, exhibitions and other events to celebrate Europe’s seas and explore how to rebuild their abundance. Events include:

  • 30/9 We stand for transparent and fair fishing – a photographic exhibition
  • 1/10 Rethink Fisheries! For Thriving Seas and Communities
  • 2/10 Ocean lab – MEPs: meet the ocean 
  • 3/10 Driving the Energy Transition and Climate Resilience in EU Fisheries
  • 3/10 Balancing nature, climate and people at sea: Nature-positive offshore wind

9 – 11/10 Conil de Frontera, Spain: The OPP72 celebrates the III International Congress of Small-Scale Artisanal Fisheries, inviting fishers to engage in a global discussion on “The Blue Economy versus Food Sovereignty.” and regional perspective on critical issues, including the impacts of climate change on coastal areas, governance and co-management systems, and the importance of tenure and local fishing rights. 

Get in touch: communications@lifeplatform.eu

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Fishing Opportunities in the Baltic for 2025

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Flawed science, perverse decisions on fishing limits

LIFE calls for an immediate revision of the EC’s proposal and for fishing limits to be reset in line with a more precautionary MSY.

 

Brussels 24 September 2024. Incomprehensible and not fit for purpose is how LIFE describes the EC’s proposal on Baltic Sea fishing opportunities for 2025. The annual round of setting fishing limits for the Baltic Sea reached a new low, as scientists provided advice for 2025 based on averaging data for the last three years – instead of using a much longer time series. In the case of the Gulf of Bothnia herring, this was used by the Commission to propose a 21% quota increase resulting in catches over 66.000 tonnes.

Coming as it does at a time when this stock of herring is at record low levels and with quota in recent years not having been fully utilised, there is a strong indication that scientists are once again overestimating stock biomass levels. This scientific error was highlighted by Dr. Rainer Froese from the GEOMAR Institute at LIFE’s June event on the emergency situation in the Baltic Sea, who pointed out that year on year, ICES scientists had estimated stock biomass too high, resulting in fishing limits being set too high. 

In particular, the proposed herring quota caused shock and consternation amongst LIFE’s Baltic members and many other small-scale fishers in the region. Swedish MEPs in the PECH Committee meeting in Brussels yesterday had a similar reaction. Sofie Eriksson, S&D said that it led people “to question what is behind all this? I am really worried that there is an economic interest behind all this”. Isabella Lovin, Green MEP and former Swedish Environment Minister questioned: “When the scientists have revised their advice so many times and to such a degree, can the Commission really say that these proposals (for fishing opportunities for 2025) are in line with the CFP objectives (Article 2.2) for a precautionary approach… to rebuild stocks and preserve them above levels that can produce Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY)?”

The International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) has the monopoly on providing scientific advice for fisheries management – supposedly the “best available scientific advice”. But what if this is the “only available scientific advice”? Is that how the science gets flawed? What is needed is better use of science and better decision making processes as called for by LIFE in its Manifesto for the Xth Legislature

MSY is a theoretical target, based on many assumptions, and so requires data that is as reliable as possible. It is therefore vital that the biological reference points used for calculating MSY are as accurate as possible – based on high quality data gathered over as many years as possible so as to ensure its robustness. The most recent data is the most uncertain and over time these data are revised as we learn more about the stock. Using only the most recent three years of data means these results are highly uncertain. Scientists use biological reference points to measure how healthy fish stocks are. It is the job of ICES scientists to calculate these reference points, to indicate the status of a fish stock and how much fish can be caught each year without impairing future reproduction and stock growth.

“Take the example of the herring in the Gulf of Bothnia. The current estimated virgin biomass (B0), calculated using only the last 3 years of data, is lower than the estimates of the spawning stock biomass (SSB) for the early 1990s when catches were under 50.000 tonnes”, says Christian Tsangarides, LIFE’s Coordinator for the Baltic and North Sea. “Since then, catches have exceeded this figure and SSB has been in constant decline for the subsequent 30 years. Given that recruitment has largely been stable, with no observed sudden shift in recent years, the virgin biomass (B0) could and should have been determined using a much longer time series. This in turn would have produced significantly different MSY reference points. The decision to use an extremely truncated three-year average, coinciding with the historical low for the stock, is neither sufficiently explained nor justified and is likely the main reason for the perverse outcome of the proposal, which is the outcome of shifting baselines,” he noted.

Had the ICES scientists used the entire time series with 60 years of data they would have based their recommendation on a fishing mortality value of 0.068, resulting in a quota of around 28.000 tonnes. However, they dismissed this result from the model as “implausibly low and not in line with the history of the stock”. According to Tsangarides, “No evidence or explanation was provided for this dismissal and it is our opinion that the Fmsy estimate value of 0.068, which is based on the whole data series, is more reliable than the value proposed in the advice (0.218).”

In LIFE’s view, this proposal undermines the achievement of the MSY objective as outlined in the Common Fisheries Policy Article 2.2. Further, the proposal inhibits biomass growth in the Bothnian herring stock and will hasten the collapse of the Swedish surströmming industry. 

What is more, neither salmon nor seals are mentioned at all in either the working group report or the advice sheet for Bothnian herring. These three species are clearly interconnected and for there to be no mention at all of this is an oversight which needs to be corrected by adopting a multispecies approach. This proposal will, by allowing increased fishing on their prey species, have the effect of limiting the food supply available for salmon populations and further inhibiting their recovery. 

We therefore call for an immediate revision of this proposal and for fishing limits to be reset in line with a more precautionary MSY, allowing the stock to stabilise in the long-term at a spawning stock biomass of significantly more than 1.000.000 tonnes, in line with the history of the stock.

 

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Manifesto for the 10th Legislature 2024 – 2029

Fair Policies for Fair Fisheries

Fair for the Fishers, Fair for Future Generations and Fair for Nature

 

The LIFE Platform

Il- Low Impact Fishers of Europe (LIFE) is the only European level organisation providing a dedicated representation for small-scale fishers committed to minimising their environmental impacts whilst maximising their socio-economic benefits. Our aim is to unite such fishers to achieve fair fisheries, healthy seas and vibrant communities. Launched on the eve of the reformed Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) in 2012, LIFE currently incorporates 37 member organisations from 15 Member States across the EU and all sea basins, from the Baltic to the Black Sea, from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean, representing around 10,000 fishers. 

 

The Importance of Small-scale Low Impact Fisheries

Small-scale fisheries (SSF) support a way of life which plays a key socio-economic role in coastal and island communities by providing livelihoods and economic activities in areas, especially where there are few alternatives. There are also important linkages between tourism and SSF, with SSF providing an important intangible cultural heritage and bio-cultural diversity. SSF is distinct from but complementary to larger scale more industrialised fishery activities, and should be treated as such.

Using the yardstick provided by the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF) and used by the Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries (STECF), SSF (vessels under 12 metres using non-towed gears) constitute over 70% of the vessel fleet and provide at least half of the sea going jobs in fishing. SSF are mainly micro- and nano-sized family enterprises, which support (through administration, business management, fish handling, etc) ancillary fishery activities and distribute socio-economic benefits widely. 

Low-impact, small-scale fisheries comprise 70 to 80% of the fleet by vessel numbers, generate most of the jobs in fishing and a greater share of the added value (15% of the value of landed catches), whilst amounting to only 6% by volume and causing the least environmental damage, in contrast to large-scale, high-impact fishing. Despite this, the sector has been marginalised, and starved of fishing opportunities and sectoral support over decades, impacting the overall resilience of European fishing communities.

 

Small-scale Fisheries are Part of the Solution

Given policy space and appropriate support, small-scale fisheries (SSF) could be part of the solution and a gamechanger to Europe’s ailing seas. SSF could make a vital contribution to implementing the Green Deal agenda for 2030 and 2050 and the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, as well as the achievement of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). However, the partial implementation of successive Common Fisheries Policies (CFPs) has led to a distorted sea, with most of our stocks being overexploited and fishing capital, access to fishing opportunities, and influence concentrated in ever fewer hands. This is putting European food sovereignty at risk, and compromising the future prospects of coastal communities. 

Fisheries are a public resource, providing food, livelihoods, and economic prosperity, anchoring communities and representing an invaluable cultural heritage. Four decades of Common Fisheries Policies dedicated to promoting larger scale high volume fishing is putting all this at risk. Today, the European fisheries sector plays an increasingly minor role in supplying the EU market and meeting the demands of European consumers. To play a fuller role in food security and supplying the EU market, European fishery products need to compete on a level playing field with imported products, subject to equivalent social and environmental standards, complying with similar fisheries regulations, and subject to the same traceability.  

 

The Importance of the European Parliament as Co-legislator

While the Council has exclusive competence for setting fishing levels (Total Allowable Catch/TACs) for individual stocks, the overarching fisheries management framework is provided by the CFP. The Parliament as co-legislator has a vital role to play in ensuring that the CFP is effectively implemented.

The 10th legislature will provide the opportunity to restructure Europe’s unfair fisheries. The scene is set for such possibility thanks to work over the last legislative period and the plethora of Parliamentary Resolutions, notably on Small-scale Fisheries, Article 17, Co-management, or in the passage of new legislation like the Control Regulation or the Nature Restoration Law. However, these need to be effectively applied and implemented for European fisheries to be put back on track. 

For this, LIFE urges the European Parliament to legislate and steer policies that are Fair for the Fishers, Fair for Future Generations and Fair for Nature, aligned with the following priorities:

 

LIFE’s priorities

Develop a Differentiated Policy and Management Approach for Small and Large Scale Fisheries 

LIFE believes that in Europe there is a place for both small-scale and large-scale fishery activities, which are very different in nature, respond to different needs, and contribute in different ways to achieving Europe’s Green Deal targets for 2050. However, successive CFPs have skewed the balance unfairly in favour of larger scale higher volume fisheries to the detriment of SSF and the marine environment.

This is why LIFE is calling for a differentiated approach to managing small-scale and large-scale fisheries, to protect SSF with secure rights (to access resources, infrastructure and fishing areas and to access markets with differentiated value chains for their products) and to incentivise and reward those fishing with the least environmental impact. This will include securing wider inshore fishing areas reserved for small-scale low impact fishing, effectively managed through adaptive local co-management regimes.   

Similarly, small-scale fisheries need to be placed at the heart of the Blue Economy, whilst recognising the tenure and customary rights of the SSF sector, protecting it from displacement through spatial squeezing by competing or incompatible activities. We advocate for a “blue doughnut” approach to the blue economy, building on social foundations and respecting ecological ceilings, and for an inclusive Marine Spatial Planning process, in which small-scale fishers are supported to participate effectively. 

In our view, only such a differentiated approach can secure a bright future for SSF.

 

Restore fish stocks with use of better science and better decision making processes

We need to restore fish stocks and ecosystems’ functionality. This requires effective fisheries management and the best use of science combined with the experiential and traditional knowledge of fishers to advise management decisions. In our view fishers’ knowledge is a grossly underutilised asset which if properly incorporated, could be a game changer for fisheries management. 

Article 2.2 of the CFP makes restoring and maintaining populations of fish stocks above biomass levels capable of producing maximum sustainable yield a priority. Yet, the current fisheries management approach in the EU is not geared towards delivering such a stock recovery. Rather, misinterpretation and misuse of the biological reference points have been constant in both the design of the Multiannual Management Plans (MAPs) and in the way that scientific advice has been arrived at and applied, especially in the Baltic but also in other cases like the Pollack closure and bass exemptions. Stocks are kept around the lowest available biological reference points (Btrigger and Blim), while predator/prey relationships and population structure of fish stocks are constantly ignored when setting fishing limits. This has meant that scientists have consistently overestimated biomass and set fishing levels too high, resulting in low and dysfunctional fish stocks which have already collapsed (like the Baltic Cod) or are now in serious decline (sprat and herring). 

In this upcoming legislature LIFE urges the European Parliament to address the issue of scientific advice and how it is provided, seriously evaluate the MAPs in all sea basins, and deal with shortcomings that undermine fish stock growth. The latter is best achieved by setting quotas that support building biomass and expand the size of fish and the age structure of fish populations, as well as prioritising fishing for direct human consumption (especially SSF catches) over reduction fishing for fishmeal and oil. 

For more information, check LIFE’s analysis and related proposals to tackle the Baltic emergency, published following LIFE’s recently organised workshop in June to mark 5 years since the emergency closure of the Baltic Sea cod fishery.

 

Implement Article 17 to Promote Low Environmental Impact Fishing with a High Social Value

Due to historic injustices, the SSF fleet is only able to access around 6% or less of the fishing opportunities, yet it contributes between 15 and 20% of the value of catches landed. This relatively high value addition provided by SSF is down to the nature of their fishing operations: relatively short in duration, small low impact vessels land high quality fresh “catch of the day” fish, which is highly sought after.

The key to dealing with the critical state of EU fisheries and unlocking the potential of SSF is Article 17 of the CFP, which has lain dormant this past decade. By applying transparent and objective criteria of an environmental, social and economic nature to the allocation of fishing opportunities, as laid down in Article 17, sustainable practices can be rewarded and a shift towards low-impact fishing encouraged.

A call for action has recently been re-launched by 35 small-scale fishers associations from across Europe affiliated with the Low Impact Fishers of Europe (LIFE) and supported by around 20 NGOs and companies. The call is for the widespread use of Article 17 to re-balance Europe’s seas, to favour environmental sustainability, economic viability and social justice. 

To enable this to happen, LIFE is calling on the EC  to establish a detailed and binding implementation plan for Article 17 along with clear guidelines on how to develop and apply transparent and objective criteria to reward sustainable fishing practices and protect ecosystems and local communities. 

For further information on Article 17, its potential and how to apply it, please refer to LIFE’s and OurFish Report on fishing opportunities as an agent of change.

 

End Harmful Subsidies, Use Public Monies for Public Good, and Increase Support for SSF Producer Organisations and Direct Marketing

We call for an end to harmful subsidies and for small-scale, low-impact fishing activities to be prioritised, including providing support for the decarbonisation of the sector through the development of the most appropriate technology and infrastructure; and to increase the share and widen the scope of the European Maritime Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF) used to promote nature restoration and regenerative practices.

By redirecting public money spent on harmful capacity-enhancing subsidies for larger-scale, high-impact fishing, the EU could support those within the fisheries sector who provide the greatest benefits for society and the environment and restore degraded marine ecosystems. Public money should be for the public good, supporting collective projects that bring benefits to communities. This could be done by increasing the CLLD budget (from 3 to 5% of the envelope) and widening its scope to channel support to collective projects to build infrastructure and provide training for SSF on fisheries management, fish handling and marketing, small-business management and other areas of need.

To maximise the SSF contributions to food supplies, direct support is needed to set up SSF Fish Producer Organisations dedicated to securing access to fishing opportunities for SSF on the one hand, and marketing opportunities on the other.

LIFE also calls for procedures to be simplified to enable SSF associations to obtain easier access to EMFAF grants. 

Further information can be found in LIFEs Perspective on Energy transition and Decarbonisation of the fishing fleet u LIFE’s report on “The Pros and Cons of Creating Producer Organisations (PO) for Mediterranean Small-Scale Fishers”.

 

Co-management: an invaluable tool to secure sustainable inshore fisheries 

Getting the governance right is one of the key challenges facing fisheries today. The challenge is ever more complex given the development of the blue economy and the need to accommodate new economic sectors (aquaculture, tourism, renewable energy, etc.) within areas traditionally occupied by fisheries. 

LIFE believes that fisheries management in European seas should be adapted to the geographical and regional specificities of each fishery, and for the people who exploit natural resources to be central in the decision-making on how these resources are used and managed. Part of the solution lies in a decentralised  adaptive co-management approach within each fishery and/or fishing area, devolving power to fishers, scientists and NGOs (on equal footing with the public administration). 

A bottom-up, co-management approach is particularly appropriate for SSF and  should also be the way forward to implement the 30 by 30 Strategy, in the designation of new MPAs/NTZs and their management plans and, looking forward, in the design of the restoration plans. In particular, LIFE advocates for an increase in reserved areas dedicated to small-scale low impact inshore fishing within the 12 nautical mile zone, subject to co-management regimes.

As called for in the European Parliament resolution on Co-management, besides appropriate legal frameworks at Member State level, it is necessary to provide the resources for adequate implementation and capacity-building for all those involved and to support effective SSF participation. To achieve this, LIFE advocates reserving 20% of the next EMFAF (2027-2033) for supporting the development of inshore fishing zones reserved for low impact fishing under co-management regimes.

For more information see LIFE’s Report on Co-management for Small-scale fisheries: principles, practices and challenges and LIFE’s report “On the Road to Participative Governance of Marine Resources”

 

Local, fair and sustainable food systems

The prevailing food system, with centralised markets and long, complex and opaque supply chains, undermines fisheries sustainability and works against the interests of small-scale fishers. It forces them to be price takers, when their viability depends on recuperating the value addition they provide. Low tariff  and tariff free imports that are not required to meet EU social and environmental standards, combined with high volume landings have a depressing effect on prices, over which SSF can exercise no control.  

LIFE calls for fair and sustainable food systems that address the challenges faced by small-scale fishers and fishworkers in accessing markets and infrastructure, obtaining a fair price for their products, and for networks to be established that connect them directly with consumers, enhancing their visibility and viability. 

By developing new SSF POs, shortening the distance between producers and consumers and developing guarantee systems on a set of shared values (of an environmental and social/ cultural nature) on the way food is produced and consumed, the shortcomings in the prevailing market system can be addressed and the unfair situation faced by small-scale producers can be reversed.  

SSF requires fully traceable short-chain food systems that work for nature and people – both consumers and the small-scale producers who depend on them for their livelihoods.

In developing policies and regulations to achieve food security in Europe, where we feel fisheries should play an important role, we call on the European Parliament to take particular account of small-scale producers and the need for fair and sustainable food systems. 

There is a danger that without adequate policy support and implementation, the small-scale fishing sector will continue to decline and eventually disappear. This will be to the detriment of coastal communities, their local economies, traditions, culture, knowledge and skills, and for the future generations for whom all this will be lost and the opportunity to harness their potential to achieve wider social, environmental and economic sustainability goals will be squandered. 

 

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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. 

Macarena Molina, talking on behalf of LIFE and fisherwomen in Rome

 

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

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