28 Mar 2007 - Brussels,
Belgium - Today’s announcement by the European
Commission to test a discards ban and tackle
the problem of wasteful fisheries is a positive
initiative that must be supported by EU
countries, together with a wider set of
measures to end the practice of taking fish
and dumping it dead overboard, says WWF.
Currently, discarding is a legal yet very
unsustainable practice in the European fleets:
fish are thrown back in the sea either because
they are too small, have little value on
the market, or because quotas do not allow
fishermen to land these catches. In some
areas, the amount of fish discarded represents
more than 50 per cent of the catches.
“With over 80 per cent of European fish
stocks already overexploited, there is no
reason to allow such a shameful waste to
continue,” says Aaron McLoughlin, Head of
WWF European Marine Programme.
“We welcome the move by the European Commission,
but the success of the initiative will depend
on EU Member States’ willingness to put
it in place otherwise it will be just end
up being a little drop in the ocean”.
WWF supports the proposal to explore the
use of a discard ban in European fisheries
accompanied by the development of more selective
fishing gears (such as increased net mesh
size, sorting grids and escape panels) to
avoid taking non-target fish and other marine
life - the unwanted catches called “bycatch”.
Additional measures must include bycatch
quotas for certain non-targeted fish and
temporary closures on fishing grounds to
protect juveniles or spawning fish -often
caught and then discarded because they are
too small. Vessels must be required to move
off fishing grounds when catches of undersized
fish or unwanted marine life are identified.
As the Commission is asking Member States
to propose areas to test the discard ban,
WWF suggests that the following fisheries
are considered:
• North Sea plaice and sole beam trawl
fishery, where up to 80 per cent of the
plaice catch is discarded.
• North Sea whitefish and nephrops fishery.
• Kattegat mixed species trawl fishery.
Any trial ban has to take account of best
practice from countries with experience
of discard bans such as Norway. Effective
monitoring and evaluation must be ensured
through the presence of observers onboard.
END NOTES:
To inspire innovative, practical and cost-effective
ideas that allow fishermen to reduce bycatch,
WWF has created the International Smart
Gear Competition, which rewards smart ideas
to reduce bycatch and discard. More about
the 2007 competition on: http://www.smartgear.org/
Aaron McLoughlin
WWF European Marine Programme Head
Caroline Alibert
WWF Communications Officer on Fisheries
+ More
A recipe for ending illegal fishing in
the Baltic Sea
28 Mar 2007 - Copenhagen, Denmark – Knowing
where the cod on your plate comes from could
dramatically reduce illegal fishing in the
Baltic Sea.
WWF research shows that introducing a system
where fish can be traced from "sea
to table” would help cod stocks recover,
boost the revenues of legal fishermen, and
significantly reduce the growing problem
of illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU).
Cod collapse
According to WWF, nearly one in two cod
caught in the Baltic falls outside legally
agreed upon quotas. In the Eastern Baltic,
it is estimated that 35–45 per cent more
cod is landed than reported.
Globally, cod catches have suffered a 70
per cent drop over the last 30 years, and
WWF predicts that if this continues the
world’s cod stocks will disappear in 15
years.
“If the unsustainable exploitation of cod
stocks continues, the fishery, particularly
in the Eastern Baltic, could collapse in
the near future,” stressed Lasse Gustavsson,
Director of WWF’s Baltic Programme.
“Illegal fishing is more than a crime against
fish. It decimates stocks, distorts the
market for legal fish and destroys consumer
confidence.”
Fish traceability system
Establishing an effective tractability system
to verify the origins of a fish catch would
reduce the market for illegal fish, ensuring
that those operating legally stay in business
and illegal operators are put out of business.
Despite an existing European Union “fish
to fork” framework, lack of effective monitoring
and enforcement have failed to deter illegal
fishing operations.
That is why WWF is calling on EU fisheries
ministers attending a meeting on illegal
fishing in Copenhagen, Denmark, from 28
to 29 March to introduce an effective traceability
system for cod and to improve fisheries
control, monitoring and surveillance and
provisions for major buyers to ensure that
their fish comes from legitimate sources.
Penalties
The global conservation organization is
also urging the EU to increase penalties
for illegal fishing and trading throughout
member states.
“If we and our children are to enjoy fish
from the Baltic, no minister, retailer or
supplier should tolerate illegal fishing,”
says Gustavsson.
“Fishing illegally should be as unacceptable
in the future as child labour is today.”
Lasse Gustavsson, Director
WWF Baltic Ecoregion Programme
Espen Nordberg, Marine and Fisheries Policy
Officer
WWF-Denmark
