The World Wildlife Fund, Edeka and Kutterfisch-Zentrale GmbH on Monday called on European Union Fisheries Commissioner Maria Damanaki to pursue “ambitious” reform to the EU’s Common Fishery Policy (CFP).
Early last year, the EC initiated reform the CFP, due to be completed by 2012, identifying five key failings in the existing CFP, including fleet overcapacity, imprecise policy objectives and a framework that fails to give sufficient responsibility to industry.
“I want to leave fish stocks five years from now in a better condition than I find them,” said Damanaki during a visit to Hamburg, Germany, on Monday. “I am committed to a CFP that puts science at the heart of the decision-making. I’m pleased to see joined forces at work in Germany in support of a reform that promotes responsible management. We must turn the current trend of overfishing and waste around and aim for fisheries that are both sustainable and profitable.”
World Wildlife Fund, Edeka and Kutterfisch-Zentrale applauded Damanaki’s words.
“The reforms we want are ones that will deliver sustainable fish on a reliable basis. This will be more profitable for the entire supply chain in the long run. We agree with WWF and the commissioner that the time for these changes is now,” said Michaela Fischer-Zernin, head of Edeka’s corporate communications. Edeka is Germany’s largest food retailer.
“We have to enable stakeholders at a regional level to have more influence,” added Jörg Petersen, CEO of Kutterfisch-Zentrale. “Fishermen need to become partners in the development and implementation of long-term management plans. This is the only way to provide a long-term perspective for both fish and fishermen.”
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