On Thursday 20 October, representatives of the EU fishing industry once again voiced their concerns in Brussels about measures closing 87 sensitive areas of the Atlantic to all bottom gears.
The European Bottom Fishing Alliance (EBFA), which represents more than 20,000 fishermen and 7,000 European vessels, met with EU Commissioner for Fisheries Virginijus Sinkevičius.
EBFA mentioned the negative consequences of these measures on professionals, questioned the principle of proportionality and the legal quality of the regulation, and deplored the lack of real consultation of stakeholders and the failure to take into account the best scientific data.
“It is particularly shocking that the European Commission refuses to study the economic and social consequences of such a decision, which endangers the future of bottom fishing in the Atlantic and therefore threatens more than 10,000 fishermen”, says EBFA.
The Commission has banned fishing in a total area which is three times larger than necessary, according to EU fishermen.
Thus, for 5,237 km2 of vulnerable marine ecosystems to be protected, the delegated act prohibits fishing in 16,419 km2. “This lack of proportionality is particularly concerning”, regrets EBFA. It also argues that bottom fishing is a major element of European food sovereignty (more than one million tonnes of fish caught each year, i.e. 25% of the total European catch).
Ivan Lopez, President of EBFA, asked the Commission to suspend the regulation until new scientific data and impact assessments are available, as several MEPs did in a plenary debate (see EUROPE 13047/6). (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)