Brussels, 13/12/2004 (Agence Europe) - On the eve of the European Commission's adoption of the proposals of Total Allowable Catches (TAC) and quotas for 2005, British experts made an appeal on Tuesday 7 December for immediate and "painful changes" to be made in the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP). After two years of investigation, the royal commission on environmental pollution (RCEP) has recommended the putting off limits of 30% of British waters to trawlers (in the North and Irish Sea) in an effort to safeguard fish resources suffering from an unprecedented threat.
Tom Blundell, president of RCEP informed AFP that action on this scale was required in order to preserve the eco-system and break the current cycle of unrealistic quotas and fish reduction. The British experts' document points out that increasingly big ships are throwing out tonnes of dead fish (which does not have any commercial value), while thousands of birds and different mammals are being injured accidentally and reefs are being damaged by nets, subsequently destroying the natural habitat of many species. The report points out that the marine environment is currently regulated according to a policy in favour of fishing. Experts recommend that this policy be reversed.
Mr Blundell declared that the "creation of maritime reserves…has led to a massive increase in the size and number of fish, shell fish and other animals". The RCEP therefore recommends multiplying it by 14 times, following a 5 year moratorium, of the Saint-Jacques shell fish on the north American coast. Experts conclude that continuing "the too little, too late" policy will lead to the disappearance of numerous species from the sector.
European Commission considers recommendation too brutal
British experts, nevertheless, have little chance of getting a complete hearing, despite their support from Prince Charles in a column in the Daily Telegraph (6 December). The European Commission considers the recommendation of putting 30% of British waters off limits as "too brutal". British minister for fisheries, Ben Bradshaw, said that they needed time to see whether the measures already taken had had an impact before planning on any other provisions. Bradshaw described the problem of fish stocks as "the second biggest international challenge after climate warming". He also invoked the need to safeguard the Scottish fishing fleet.
The Commission is proposing large scale closure of fishing in the north and south of the North and Baltic Seas in order to protect cod stocks, as well as lobster in several zones of the Iberian peninsula (EUROPE 9 December p 11 and 7 December p 12). Elspeth Attwooll (ALDE, British), sharply criticised Commission proposals on closing fishing zones. The WWW (World Wide Fund for Nature), however, said that European Commission proposals were better than in previous years. It particularly welcomed the proposal on fishing closures and the suggested reductions in quotas for deep-sea species.