The Fisheries Committee of the European Parliament has voted on the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) – and has voted in favour of subsidies for new boats.
The EMFF will provide funds to the fisheries sector for the next seven years, and according to Oceana, will be used to support subsidies for start-up aid to enter the sector, for building new boats and engines, and to compensate vessels that lay idle in port when stocks are under pressure.
The organisation says that this will worsen the vicious cycle of overfished stocks and oversized fleets being kept alive with taxpayer money.
Xavier Pastor, executive director of Oceana in Europe said, “Investing in new boats when so many of Europe’s stocks are in serious danger of depletion is sheer madness and completely counter intuitive. It will only increase the pressure on the marine environment, thereby putting in danger the resources that the fishermen depend on for their livelihoods.”
The Members of the European Parliament will cast their vote on the EMFF this autumn in the plenary vote. Oceana says that it is now up to rest of the Parliament to “show more backbone” and ensure that European taxpayer money is used efficiently and effectively for the benefit of all.
