Tackling the “economic madness” of discards is high on the agenda for ongoing fisheries policy talks, Scottish Rural Affairs Secretary Richard Lochhead said this week.
Speaking after a Brussels meeting with Europe’s newly appointed Fisheries and Maritime Affairs Commissioner Maria Damanaki, Lochhead underlined that he was eager to make the case for a “radical shift” in European fisheries policy.
“We are determined to tackle the economic and environmental madness of discards and ensure fishermen get due reward for doing so,” he said.
Scotland’s fishing industry pulls in about EUR 1 billion USD 1.3 billion) in revenue annually, with the country representing 20 percent of Europe’s waters and 70 percent of the United Kingdom’s fishing interest.
With reform to Europe’s Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) slated for 2012, EU member states are currently engaged in wide-ranging consultations on how to address, and improve, the thorny issue of the current fisheries policy.
Lochhead’s face-to-face with the new commissioner offered the opportunity to outline Scotland’s efforts in fisheries conservation and highlight their “strong” views on the “broken” CFP. He also voiced the country’s steps to prevent discards.
“Even though the commissioner says she is constrained by European treaties, she voiced enthusiasm for radical change in EU fisheries policy and is genuinely interested in Scotland’s part in providing solutions,” said Lochhead after this week’s meeting.
Stakeholders are feeding into the debate on how to properly manage EU fisheries. Last April, the European Commission launched the debate with a green paper on reform that sought public input. The public-comment period is closed, and the EC is now wading through the feedback.
A report on the consultation is expected this month, and then the EC will draw up a proposal for the European Council and the European Parliament. According to the EC’s timeline, adoption of the reform is slated for 2013.
