Meeting with Joao Aguiar Machado, Director General of DG MARE, members of Europêche shared their concerns regarding ongoing talks about placing possible restrictions on bottom trawling in the deep sea.
The restrictions could lead to an 800-meter ban, even for already regulated areas in international waters, and would “contradict policy that the EU has followed for over 10 years internationally in the UN, FAO and RFMOs,” argued Europêche. What’s more, the legitimacy of RFMO measures could be undermined by the European Commission’s proposal, with the impacts of bottom-fishing on vulnerable marine ecosystems (VMEs) minimized, said organization members. The proposal would also offer little additional protections in international waters located off the North-East Atlantic seeing as bottom fishing only currently takes place in 3 percent of this area, said Europêche.
"If we include non-EU waters in the scope, the EU would still continue to import deep sea fish products caught by third countries not under the ban, which would be discriminatory and inconsistent with what the EU is trying to promote,” said Javier Garat, President of Europêche. “Similarly, it would be perfectly legal for an EU consumer to continue to buy an imported fish product caught by a deep-sea vessel from a third country. Non-EU vessels in those waters would have the opportunity to increase their pressure on deep sea stocks, leading to increased pressure outside of the EU's control. The EU has catastrophically failed in trying to export their stringent measures to RFMOs where other countries do not accept them and prefer more workable, rational legislation."
Europêche also called attention to the 800-meter metric, referring to it as arbitrary because it has been established without a scientific basis. “It would be irresponsible to base complex fisheries legislation on anything but sound science, especially when the results cause such a huge impact to fishermen,” said the organization. Ultimately, the proposal would disallow the use of what is inherently a renewable food source, and one of the most sustainable forms of food production on the planet, Europêche concluded to Machado.
