Now that the new Common Fisheries Policy is coming into force, the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation (SFF) is warning that the new CFP has some fundamental flaws.
Three of the core principles of the new CFP are enhanced regional control, a ban on discards and a move towards the concept of Maximum Sustainable Yield. However, SFF chief executive Bertie Armstrong says that while this sounds like common sense, the reformed CFP has failed to demonstrate any understanding of the difference between political aspirations and sensible regulation.
“The new CFP is an EU regulation requiring no further implementing measures. In other words, it is the law. If it were a directive, Member States would have leeway in how to achieve workable results and intelligent management measures. But we are now in the situation where the improbable and in some cases the impossible has been enshrined in law.”
He says that greater regional control is something that the fishing industry has been pressing for over many years, and although the principal of regional control has been agreed, that has not changed in the Treaties – meaning that regional control will be restricted to advice-giving and not decision-making.
“Which takes us back to right where we are now,” says Mr Armstrong. “While we will do everything in our power to make this work, there are real fears in the fishing industry that the controlling hand of Brussels will still have a big say in the way that our fisheries are managed."
He also concerned that there has been no indication on how the discards ban could be implemented and says that the way Maximum Sustainable Yield is included in the regulation is scientifically impossible and asks, “How do you achieve MSY for each individual species when within the real-life complexities of the marine ecosystem various stocks are interacting and predating upon each other?”
Mr Armstrong says that it is now up to fisheries ministers to deliver workable plans that will protect the industry and ensure a sustainable future for fishing.
