The European Commission''s proposal for fishing opportunities in 2007 suggests too high quotas and, perhaps worse, denounces WWF, it reintroduces electric fishing, a method banned by the EU ten years ago for its destructive impact on marine life.
The final decision on today's proposals will be made by EU Fisheries Ministers at the Council meeting on December 19-21 in Brussels.
According to a WWF statement, using electric shocks that can cause spinal breakage and internal haemorrhage to kill the fish represents a huge threat to the marine ecosystem. The reintroduction of such fisheries practice will occur through a "derogation" allowing electric fishing essentially for the Dutch fleet. However, WWF believes this could be a risky precedent for Europe, not to mention the destruction this will cause to the marine environment, especially in the North Sea, where the Dutch fleet is particularly active.
"The Commission would allow electric beam trawlers in European seas, on the presumption that they increase selectivity in catches, especially for plaice and sole fisheries, while scientists have raised their concerns on this practice", says Carol Phua, Fisheries Policy Officer at WWF European Policy Office. "Scientific advisory bodies to the Commission have warned against the unknown ecological consequences of electric fishing. It is not by chance that this practice was prohibited in 1998. Once again, the EU is stepping backwards instead of pushing for progress."
WWF says that to make the situation worse, the Commission proposal is also one of weakest since the reform of the Common Fisheries Policy. It suggests only a 25 per cent reduction for cod quotas, while scientists of ICES have been advising zero catch for the last five years. The situation is alarming particularly for cod in the North Atlantic, as not only high quotas are set, but also as 40 per cent of the cod catches are unaccounted for. As a solution, WWF has been calling for the deployment of observers on board.
WWF calls on European Ministers to redress the situation by adopting sustainable quotas according to scientific advice and refusing the re-introduction of destructive fishing practices, such as electric fishing in the North Sea.
