An alliance of fishing organisations, spanning 14 EU countries and representing more than 22,000 fishermen and 8,000 vessels, has met with EU Fisheries Commissioner Virginijus Sinkevičius to convey the importance of bottom fishing activities throughout Europe.
A statement issued by fishing industry group Europêche confirmed that the meeting, held on 19 January 2022, was requested by the industry due to the “negative perception expressed by the European Commission towards certain bottom gears”, and against the background of the Action Plan that the Commission is developing to protect fisheries resources and marine ecosystems as part of the 2030 Biodiversity Strategy.
The statement went on to say that the sustainability and overall importance of these fishing methods in EU member states was explained to the Commissioner and it was demonstrated that the fisheries are well regulated, controlled, researched and widely certified.
“Our vessels bring ashore more than 1 million tonnes of healthy and sustainable seafood annually, which represents around 25% of the total EU landings. The value of the landings generates almost 40% of the total revenue of the sector, contributing to the wealth, employment and industrial fabric of many coastal and peripheral communities,” said Europêche President, Javier Garat, who convened the meeting with Commissioner Sinkevičius.
Europêche highlighted that in the announced Action Plan, the Commission is considering the introduction of limitations and restrictions to the use of bottom contacting fishing gears.
Gerard van Balsfoort, co-convener of the meeting, said, “Thanks to effective, science-based management bottom fishing activities only take place in limited and high-resilient marine grounds, minimising impact on the marine ecosystems and resources. Recent scientific research demonstrates this.
“The Commission’s policy direction on bottom fishing should be based on factual, scientific and peer-reviewed evidence and comprehensive impact assessments. Using pseudoscience or unsubstantiated claims, such as those relating to the fisheries footprint or carbon emissions of the sector, to build EU policies will not help oceans’ health nor fishers.”
Also at the meeting, industry representatives announced the setting up of the European Bottom Fishing Alliance (EBFA), to represent EU-based bottom fishing fleets. The alliance will be launched next month with the goal to defend, support and showcase the environmental, economic, social and cultural realities of bottom fishing activities across EU fishing nations.
