How the EU manages its fisheries is changing. After a recognition that declining fish stocks pose a serious threat to the fishing industry, the EU made ambitious reforms to the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) in 2013, including many provisions we’ve been advocating.
With this reformed CFP now in place, we’re in a period of implementation. But change doesn’t happen just because a policy is passed. Some processes still exist that are stopping the CFP from achieving its goals.
This is the second successive year we’re running a series of briefings that highlight how politics continues to trump science in the quota-setting process.
Fisheries ministers from each EU member state meet in closed-door negotiations to set fishing quotas for the following year. When the Council of Ministers enter these negotiations they have scientific advice in hand, but when they exit, most fishing limits have been set above scientific advice.
If we’re to end overfishing and restore fish stocks to healthy levels, following scientific advice is essential. But it’s clear that those in power are not giving this advice the attention it deserves.
Who’s to blame?
Today we release our analysis of last month’s negotiations on fishing limits in the Baltic Sea for 2016.
During these negotiations fishing quotas were set above scientific advice for eight out of the ten quotas being negotiated. In total, fishing quota was set 67,000 tonnes above advice, an increase of 12% on what was advised.
Denmark left the negotiations with the largest increase to their advised quota (22%), followed by Germany, Latvia, Lithuania and Finland (all with 13%). Sweden and Poland hold largest amounts of quota above advice by weight, as two of the largest of fishing nations in the Baltic, so national-level action will be important to protect fish stocks.
Any quota set above scientific advice is a danger to stock recovery and sustainable fishing. It also undermines a new, more devolved and long-term approach to fisheries management in the Baltic Sea, called the Baltic Multiannual Plan. Improved institutional arrangement can still struggle when confronted with political processes.
Fisheries ministers will meet again on December 14th and 15th to set fishing limits for the majority of commercial fish stocks in European waters. We’ll keep a close eye on the negotiations and will continue to reveal which member states are working in the public interest – landing the blame on those that do the opposite.
— source neweconomics.org