Reaction to the fishing quotas set by the Europe Union’s Fisheries Council after its two-day meeting on Saturday was varied.
UK Fisheries Minister Richard Benyon called the “intense” meeting “a victory,” as the UK government successfully prevented the European Commission from “massively” cutting the number of days at sea fishermen are allowed to fish.
“By arguing that we should follow scientific advice we have been able to agree quotas that will not only allow local fishermen to make a living but will also ensure that we can protect the environment,” said Benyon. “One of my primary goals was to see off the threat of excessive reductions in days at sea which would have put key UK fisheries at risk.”
Bertie Armstrong, CEO of the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation,has a different take. He blasted the EC for adopting a 15 to 25 percent cut in the number of days at sea for whitefish and prawn fishermen in 2012, equating to around only four days every two weeks.
“This is a bitter blow for our fishing fleet, which is now going to struggle to maintain economic viability under the impact of these totally unwarranted cuts,” said Armstrong. “Effort control is fundamentally flawed as a fisheries management measure, and the EC has totally ignored the real progress in stock conservation that has been developed by Scotland in recent years through the adoption of unilateral conservation measures that has seen a significant reduction in discards and has helped boost stock recovery. Our whole industry is now facing a very difficult future.”
World Wildlife Fund-Scotland also weighed in on the decision. “We are encouraged that the UK catch proposals have largely been set on the basis of scientific advice — a key requirement to deliver a sustainable future for our fisheries,” said Dr. Mireille Thom, senior marine policy officer at WWF-Scotland. “Previous efforts by UK fishermen to fish more selectively and avoid cod are starting to pay off, but with considerable work to do to eliminate wasteful discards and ensure protection of our seas it is no surprise that these proposals step this up further.”
Seas At Risk chided the EC for “once again missing an opportunity to place European fisheries on the path to sustainability.” The environmental NGO said the EC’s fishing quotas have exceeded scientific recommendations by an average of 47 percent since 2003.
“Ministers remain under the illusion that overfishing will somehow save jobs. This disregard for scientific advice and for international commitments will undermine the future of the fishing industry and does not bode well for the ongoing reform of the Common Fisheries Policy,” said Dr. Monica Verbeek, executive director of Seas At Risk.
Added Xavier Pastor, executive director of Oceana Europe: “They have no problem disregarding scientific advice and the harvest control rules laid out in management plans, and unfortunately nobody seems to be looking out for the welfare of the resources. This type of short term approach will lead to the deterioration of not only fish populations, but also of the profitability of the sector and the viability of the fishing communities. It is useless to reform the Common Fisheries Policy if member states are unwilling to comply with its principles and guidelines.”
