Size Matters!

Artisanal fishers and civil society groups are united in calling for the CFP reform to deliver sustainable European fisheries. On Monday October 10 2011, representatives of these groups are rallying for their voice to be taken onboard in the CFP reform. They will launch a joint declaration “Size Matters – Quality Counts” on the reform of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP).

The following day there will be a hearing in the European Parliament on the socio-economic viability of small-scale and coastal fisheries. (Photo and text courtesy of Ocean2012 and Corey Arnold)

Greenhouse has signed the decleration in support of Ocean2012 along with fellow local NGOs Nature Trust Malta and Sharklab (Malta).

Scale Matters: Quality Counts. Securing sustainability through the CFP Reform

We, the undersigned organisations, representing artisanal coastal and inland fishworkers, development and environmental NGOs and other stakeholders, share a common interest in placing European fisheries on a sustainable footing by supporting the reform of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) in ways which ensure the recovery of fish stocks and habitats, the promotion of best practice, a just allocation of fishing access based on social and environmental criteria, and an equitable distribution of the benefits derived from these activities.

New fisheries policies that reward best practices with preferential access to fish resources, and target capacity reduction programmes so as to eliminate the most harmful fishing methods would go a long way to placing European fisheries on a more sustainable footing.

This was recognized in the European Parliament resolution on the Green Paper adopted in February 2010. The resolution highlighted that, although local fishing communities should be given primary access to fish stocks, access rights should no longer be based solely on the criterion of historical catches. Rather, environmental and social criteria should gradually be introduced to determine who should have access to fishery resources, where the use of such criteria could foster a dynamic that would lead to improved fishing practices and a more environmentally, socially and economically sustainable fishing industry. (1)

A significant proportion of the European fleet is small in scale and fishes in a non-intensive manner, using a range of seasonally diverse fishing methods on a range of species, with a relatively low impact on the ecosystem. This artisanal segment of the coastal and inland fisheries generates considerable ancillary jobs and provides the social, economic and cultural fabric that sustains many communities, where it makes an important contribution to food supplies and political, social and economic stability. This has been highlighted in the 2009 Statement from the Brussels Workshop on Common Fisheries Policy Reform in the European Union and Small-Scale Fisheries (2) and in the 2010 La Coruña Statement (3), amongst others. However, the qualitative aspects of different fishing gears and practices have been largely overlooked by the Commission in its reform package.

Coastal artisanal fishers are likely to be marginalised under the compulsory regime of Transferable Fishing Concessions as proposed by the Commission. Such a regime will favour the most economically powerful enterprises rather than the most sustainable fishery activities. However, if treated fairly, managed responsibly and given well defined fishing access, these kinds of fishery activities have the potential to deliver healthy fisheries and sustainable livelihoods over the long-term.

European Commission projections show employment in the fish catching sector is set to decline by 60% over the next 10 years, with the heaviest losses falling on the artisanal sector, which employs around 65% of the fisheries workforce.

We therefore call on the Members of the European Parliament, the Member States of the EU, and the Commissioner for Fisheries and Maritime Affairs to turn the tide by:

• Providing priority access to fish resources to those who fish in the most environmentally and socially sustainable way. Sustainability criteria should rank access to resources, favouring those who have the least impact on the marine environment, who can demonstrate compliance and who operate within and contribute to local communities;


• Revoking the compulsory nature of the proposed Transferable Fishing Concessions (TFCs) scheme and providing a range of tools to be selected and adapted to enable the allocation of access to fishing opportunities based on sustainability criteria;


• Including firm timelines for the development and adoption of multiannual plans that apply the appropriate measures through genuine bottom-up, participative co-management processes, through co-management committees, and giving due weight to sustainable development while ensuring the involvement and collaboration of all segments in the sector and stakeholders; and


• Establishing and applying clear conditions and protocols to avoid conflicts between different users targeting shared stocks or common fishing grounds.

40+ Fishing Boat Association

5 Terre Academy

Acció Natura

African artisanal fishing organisations confederation (CAOPA)

An Taisce

Archipelagos

Asociació de Naturalitstes de Girona (ANG)

Asociacion de Armadores de Artes Menores de Catalunya (ADAMEC)

Asociación de Defensa Medioambiental Salvemos Monteferro

Asociación para la Investigación del Mar (AIMARES)

Associació Catalana d´Oceanògrafes i Oceanògrafs (ACOIO)

Association des Ligneurs de la Pointe de Bretagne

Associazione Locale-Globale

Ateneu Juvenil, Cultural i Naturalista de Girona

Baltic Environmental Forum

Baltic Wolf

BirdLife Europe

Birdwatch Ireland

BLOOM association

Blue Ventures

Bridport Commercial Boatowners and Fishermen's Association

Cadgwith and Helford Fishermen's Association

Cardigan Bay Fishermen's Association

Centre d’Etude, de Recherche-Action et d’Appuis pour le Développement (CERAD)

Coalition Clean Baltic (CCB)

Coalition for Fair Fisheries Arrangements (CFFA)

Coastwatch Europe

Cofradía de Pescadores de Cedeira

Cofradía de pescadores de l'Estartit

Collectif Bar Européen

Comité Local des Pêches Maritimes et des Élevages Marins du Var

Community Atgaja

Community of Arran Seabed Trust Limited

Confraria de Pescadors de Sitges

Cooperativa Porto de Abrigo

Coral Cay Conservation

Cornish Handliners Association

Danish Society for a Living Sea

Danmarks Naturfredningsforening

Deepwave

DEPANA - Lliga per a la Defensa del Patrimoni Natural

Deutsche Umwelthilfe

Dingle Oceanworld

Donegal Small Islands Fishermen

Eastbourne Fisherman’s Protection Society

Ecologistas en Acción

Eko-Unia

Environmental Centre for Administration and Technology

Environmental Information Center

EuroNatur

Fair Oceans

Federación Galega de Cofradías de Pescadores

Finnish Association for Nature Conservation

Fish Fight

Fishermens Federation for Small-scale fishery in Sweden (SYEF)

Fishing For Jobs

Fondazione Cetacea

Fundació ENT

Fundació Mar

Fundación Lonxanet para la Pesca Sostenible

Fundacja Sprzatanie Świata - Polska

Galway Atlantaquaria

Gent del Ter

Gesellschaft zur Rettung der Delphine

Global Water Partnership

Goede Vissers

Greenhouse Malta

GreenLife

Greenpeace

Hastings Fishermen's Protection Society

Iberian Biodiversity

Instituto Internacional de Derecho y Medio Ambiente (IIDMA)

International Collective in Support of Fishworkers (ICSF)

Irish Bass

Irish Seal Sanctuary

Irish Wildlife Trust

Irukandji Aquatik Films

Kenna EcoDiving

Klub Gaja

Latvian Anglers Association

Liffeysound Radio

Lighthouse Foundation

Lithuania Association

Lithuanian Entomological Society

Lithuanian Fund for Nature

Lithuanian Ornithological Society

M.E.E.R.

Marefondum

Marevivo

Marine Conservation Society

Marine Network of Friends of the Earth, England Wales and Northern Ireland - MARINET

Mediterranean Association to Save the Sea Turtles (Medasset)

Mediterranean Platform of Artisanal Fishers

Mediterrània-CIE

Mudeford and District Fishermen's Association

National Association of Small Boat Owners of Iceland

National Sea Life Centre Bray

Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union (NABU)

Nature Trust (Malta)

Nederlandse Elasmobranchen Vereniging

NEREO

Netherlands Inland Fishers Association

New Economics Foundation

New Under Ten Fishermen's Association

Noé Conservation

North West Traditional Fishermen

O Glaros

Observatori de deute en la Globalització

OCEAN2012

Oceana

OceanCare Switzerland

Oceanográfica: Divulgación, Educación y Ciencia

Orford and District Inshore Fishermen’s Association

Our Earth Foundation

People Uniting and Generating Aid for Development (PUGAD)

Pew Environment Group

Polish Ecological Club

Poole & District Fishermen's Association

Pro Wildlife e.V.

Prud’homie de Pêche de La Seyne-sur-Mer

Prud'homie de pêche de Sanary

Rede de colectivos Foro Social de Cangas

Reef Check

Scottish Creelers and Divers

Sea First Foundation

Seas At Risk

Share the World's Resources

Shark Trust

Sharklab

Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity

Societat Catalana d’Educació Ambiental

Society for the Conservation of Marine Mammals (GSM)

South Coast Fisherman's Council

Stichting de Noordzee

Submarinistas en Acción

Sustainable Development Initiatives (DVI)

Sustainable Inshore Fisheries Trust

Swale Fisherman`s Association

Swanage Fishermen's Association

Swedish Professional Fishermen's Association (SYEF)

Swedish Society for Nature Conservation (SSNC)

Tethys Research Institute

The Fisheries Secretariat

The Gowienica Rivers Association

Union Intersyndicale des Petits Métiers de Pêche de Méditerranée (UIPMPM)

Verdegaia

Veterinaris Sense Fronteres (VsF)

VinVis / AKTEA

WWF Mediterranean Programme Office

(1) European Parliament report and resolution on the Green Paper on the reform of the Common Fisheries Policy (2009/2106(INI)), Paragraph 40

(2) Statement from the Brussels Workshop on Common Fisheries Policy Reform in the European Union and Small-Scale Fisheries: Paving the way to sustainable livelihoods and thriving fishing communities (pdf)

Fished Out?

On Friday (25th March) we attended a conference organised by Din L-Art Helwa on the issue of the state of fisheries in Malta, something which is very much at the heart of Greenhouse.

The conference had quite a formal atmosphere, we at Greenhouse are used to student-style conferences and debates, not 5-star hotel conference rooms! There were quite high-profile speakers and guests: the conference was chaired by Prof Victor Axiak, Head of the Department of Biology and leading marine biologist. Other speakers included the outspoken journalist Caroline Muscat , Internation Ocean Institute researcher Dr Alan Deidun, Lawyer Dr John Refalo, DR Simeon Deguara (coordinator of Research and Development with the Federation of Maltese Aquaculture Producers), Dr Vassallo-Agius, a top aquaculture researcher both locally and in Japan and others. I was also invited to give a talk on behalf of the fish4tomorrow campaign, which I gladly accepted.

Representatives of MEPA (Mr Darren Stevens) and of the Fisheries Control Directorate (Dr Adreina Fenech Farrugia) gave us insight into the concepts and systems in place for management of Marine Protected Areas and the control and enforcement of fisheries regulations respectively. Ms Muscat gave an in-depth analysis of the problems associated with Blue Fin Tuna ranching, and struck a chord amongst the audience since she was not afraid to get straight to the point (her presentation has subsequently been published on her website www.carolinemuscat.com). The fisheries representatives were slightly angered by her allegations however it was obvious to all that this same debate had been going on for a long time. Dr Deguara emphasised how the science is showing an increase in tuna stocks within recent years, ever since there was a significant cut in quotas in 2008 and very strict management practices were put into place. Dr Borg also added that new measures put into place by ICCAT have, at least, limited a great deal of illegal activities which were previously resulting in total catches far greater than the actual quotas.

Blue fin tuna was of course the centre of the debate, however other aspects such as by-catch, aquaculture, discards and other important and overfished species such as swordfish were discussed. The atmosphere was on the whole quite calm, apart from some regular banter when the issue of tuna ranching was raised.

The fish4tomorrow campaign garnered positive feedback from both the audience and the panel members, who had already emphasised that education of the market is a key factor that is missing. The fisheries representatives admitted that the bluefin is being ranched as it is because of the strong market demand for high quality sushi and sashimi quality tuna (90% of which is sold to Japan) and that if there were no demand for this then the industry would not bother with it as a product. Therefore the ultimate solution to the problem is to educate the consumers, however this is a little difficult for us to do in Malta seeing as the consumer base is almost wholly Japanese. At least, the fish4tomorrow campaign is targeting the Maltese population, in the hopes of nurturing a culture of responsible consumption on our little island. Hopefully, through educating the local consumer and stressing the importance of making responsible decisions when choosing seafood we will then be able to show the legislators and policy makers that short-term profit is not more important than sustainability.

We've set up a facebook group for fish4tomorrow, like it to receive regular updates on the campaign.

Discards: The CFP Paradox!

Anthony Debono

Despite the problems facing European (and global fish stocks), 180,000 Tonnes of fish are thrown back into the Mediterranean and Black Sea every year. [1] The issue of discards is quite paradoxical, especially since one of the main factors which results in discards is in fact the issue of quotas, which have been put in place to protect fish stocks to begin with! The Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) has lead to this quite impressive catch 22, with fish being thrown overboard (mostly dead) simply because landing them would result in prosecution.

The issue of discards is quite complex and the current EU Commissioner for Fisheries, Maria Damanaki, has pledged to solve this problem. [2] Although there are a number of reasons for discarding fish at sea, they can be grouped into three main categories:

1. The fish are caught accidentally (non-target species/by-catch)

2. Quota Discards (Wherein the vessel has exceeded its quota for the particular species and if the fish are landed they would result in fines and possibly further prosecution)

3. Pre-Market Selection (this would be because of some market pressures i.e. the fish would not be attractive for sale and can be due to a number of reasons ranging from the fact that the fish spoil quickly or the particular sex or maturity of the fish are not marketable). [3]

These discards are a big question mark for fisheries scientists and law makers because although they are being physically removed from the wild stock they are not being calculated and considered when it comes to drawing up quotas and drafting legislation. Above I quoted 180,000 tonnes of discards in the Mediterranean alone, however it is impossible to give an exact figure since these discards happen before landing and fisheries statistics are based on landings.

"While the (European Fisheries) Commission sees reducing excessive fishing effort as the main way to reduce the level of unwanted catch, other measures should also be considered, such as:

• temporary closure of zones where a high proportion of juveniles are found;
• moving vessels to another fishing area once their unwanted catches exceed a certain level;
• adapting fishing gear so that threatened species or juveniles can escape from nets;
• reviewing existing management measures which may lead to discarding"[1]

An inspiring twist to the story of discards is the spark that started the European Commissioner's fire and inspired the change in tone to the problem of discards. This was celebrity chef, Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall's, campaign The Fish Fight, which ran a three-part TV series on the issue. Fearnley Whittingstall is a regular contributor to the Guardian where he delves into the murky waters of sustainable fisheries. [4]

It's inspiring to see a campaign like this contribute to decision making at a high level, such as the European Fisheries Commission. Putting a stop to discards altogether may be an impossible task, but developing a management plan which would not aggravate the situation such that quotas would not result in discards may be within our grasp.

Support Hugh's Fish Fight at http://www.fishfight.net/the-campaign/

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References

[1] Interesting factfile by the European Commission: http://ec.europa.eu/fisheries/documentation/publications/cfp_factsheets/discards_en.pdf

[2] http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2011/feb/03/fishing-food

[3] FAO Article on Discards: http://www.fao.org/docrep/w6602e/w6602e04.htm

[4] Hugh's take on Discards: http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/mar/01/plan-end-discards-protects-fishermen

Further Reading:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/News/Releases/2011/01/14163836

http://www.norden.org/en/news-and-events/news/eu-must-ban-fish-discard

Is it about politics, economics and opportunists? Or is it just a lack of public awareness?

Part one of a three-part article on The Common Fisheries Policy

Anthony Debono

A quick Google search for the EU’s Common Fisheries Policy (CFP, started in 1983) shows that it is considered to be a complete failure and that there is a great need for change. Some British parliamentarians have even suggested that the UK should opt out of the CFP and set up their own sovereign fishing zone.^[1] But what are the main problems with the current CFP? Is their any way to fix this mess that Europe’s seas are in?

Last year Greenhouse joined Ocean2012, an international coalition of organisations that have teamed up to promote a successful CFP reform, which is set for 2012. We posted an article^[2] on this blog several months ago, announcing the beginnings of our Fish4Tomorrow campaign, alongside other local NGOs (Nature Trust Malta, Sharklab (Malta), Din l-Art Ħelwa and Get Up Stand Up); this campaign is well underway and you will definitely hear more about it closer to summer.

Ocean2012 identify three main areas where the CFP has failed us:^[3]

· Overcapacity: It is estimated that some fleet segments in the EU are two to three times the size required to catch the available fishing quotas - we can fish more fish than there are fish. Newer boats with better and better technology are exhausting the stocks we have.

· Catch limits: Overcapacity creates political pressure to set higher and higher fishing quotas to keep all the boats working. In the last years, the catch limits agreed were on average 46 percent higher than scientific advice. In 2007, the quota for one population of Scottish haddock was set at eight times the recommended level.

· Harmful subsidies: The EU continues to provide subsidies to modernise fleets rather than focussing on mitigating overcapacity or investing in technologies that could support more sustainable fisheries. Furthermore, exemption from fuel tax, the cost of national administration, fisheries research and control measures could also be considered a subsidy to the fishing sector. “In several member states, it has been estimated that the cost of fishing to the public budgets exceeds the total value of the catches.” This means we are paying for our fish twice, through subsidies and at the counter.

These are three very direct problems which need to be fixed by the next reform, in 2012, however it’s easy to predict that there will be tremendous political pressure to limit change: cuts to catch limits/quotas and to industry subsidies are not exactly welcome by the multi-billion Euro fishing industry and the economies that they support. A clear example of the lack of political will is the result of the ICCAT meeting in Paris last November, where the quota for Atlantic Blue Fin Tuna was discussed. The world quota for Mediterranean and Eastern Atlantic Blue Fin Tuna, in 2010, was 13,500 tonnes. WWF were supporting Commissioner Damanaki’s call for a 50% slash to the world quota for 2011, however all we go was a drop to 12,900 tonnes.^{[4, 5]}

Fishing quotas are a hot issue locally, in the EU and on a global platform. Unfortunately, scientific recommendations for sustaining healthy fish stocks, which we could harvest for centuries to come, are being drowned out by the industry; an industry that keeps on insisting that more and more and more is what we need. It is a sad fact that even though we have technology, know-how and incredible information on fish stocks, we can’t even manage our fish stocks as successfully as our ancestors, who had none of this.

Our members and followers of this blog might ask the most obvious – what does Greenhouse have to do with all this? Greenhouse is a student organisation, based at the University of Malta. What do we have to do with fish stocks in the Mediterranean and rest of the world? Why should we interfere in the industry, even locally?

One of our main objectives as an organisation is to raise awareness locally on environmental issues and this is one of those issues in which awareness is paramount. Why? So what if the man in the street or the student on campus is aware of the issue of over-fishing? Well, the most significant cause of overfishing is in fact a lack of consumer awareness. It’s all about supply and demand. Fishermen catch fish to sell to the consumer. Most consumers, locally at least, do not make an informed choice when deciding what fish to eat – a survey carried out by the Fish4Tomorrow team found the following results: ^[7]

70% of respondents do not take sustainability into account when deciding on what fish to eat.

48 % eat Atlantic Bluefin Tuna (a species whose stock is known to be threatened).

81% said that if they knew a fish was endangered/threatened they would not eat it.

96% said that they would choose their fish differently if they were more informed.

A list of fish-species, which are quite popular in Malta, has been drawn up by the Fish4Tomorrow team and these were sorted into categories, based on various criteria, as to whether the fish stocks on these species are sustainable, not-sustainable or somewhere in-between. This information will soon be developed into a handy booklet (a little one that can fit into a wallet or pocket) for everybody to carry around when they go fish shopping or out to eat. This is being done in the hope that the man in the street will start to consider fish sustainability and encourage a change in the everyday habits and attitude we take towards the food which we eat.

On Friday, I will be representing Greenhouse and the Fish4Tomorrow Campaign at "Fished Out?" a conference organised by Din L-Art Ħelwa on the issue of the local fisheries industry. I will be introducing the campaign and the philosophy behind it. Other speakers at the conference include Dr Joe Borg (ex-Fisheries Commissioner, EU), Dr Alan Deidun, Dr John Refalo (Representative, Azzopardi Fisheries), Ms Caroline Muscat (Journalist), Prof Victor Axiak (Marine Biologist) and Dr Robert Vassallo Agius (Aquaculture Scientist). There should be some interesting and lively discussions.

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Ref:

1. http://www.economist.com/blogs/bagehot/2011/01/britain_and_eu
2. http://greenhouse-malta.blogspot.com/2010/11/4-environmental-ngos-launch.html
3. http://www.ocean2012.eu/channel/index/id/1436#
4. http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/france/101129/atlantic-bluefin-tuna-iccat
5. http://www.seafoodsource.com/newsarticledetail.aspx?id=8030
6. http://na.oceana.org/sites/default/files/o/fileadmin/oceana/uploads/europe/downloads/Fact_sheet_DMO_ENG.pdf (citing the European Commission)
7. Fish4Tomorrow Campaign, Market Analysis Report (2010).