Sites/default/files/public/Pirate Fishing Exposed.pdf. Our taste for prawns is killing the sea. Fine nets scoop up all sea life, which is turned into a powder to feed prawns (Georgette Douwma) BRITISH supermarkets are selling prawns reared using a technique that is destroying vast swathes of the ocean’s ecosystem, according to an investigation by the celebrity cook Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall. Tesco, Morrisons and the Co-op have admitted buying prawns from a company owned by a Thai billionaire that feeds the shellfish with “trash fish” — sea creatures that cannot be sold at market.
Catching trash fish involves the use of fine nets that scoop up all the sea life in a given area, including crabs, stingrays, turtles, shark species and young fish. The entire haul is then ground up and incinerated in a series of hot ovens until it turns into a powder that is fed to prawns kept in giant farms. The indiscriminate technique means many fish are prevented from growing to full size and the sea life in whole sections of ocean is destroyed.
Fishing reform under threat. Fisheries Policy. A new Common Fisheries Policy from 1 January 2014 A new Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) has been agreed by Council and Parliament and is effective from 1 January 2014. The new CFP seeks to bring fish stocks back to sustainable levels, put an end to wasteful fishing practices, and create new opportunities for jobs and growth in coastal areas. To achieve this it focuses on banning discards, empowering the sector and decentralising decision making, prioritising aquaculture, supporting small scale fisheries, improving the scientific knowledge on the state of stocks, and taking responsibility in foreign waters through the EU's international agreements. The European Maritime and Fisheries Fund is the funding instrument that will support the implementation of the reformed Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) and help boost Europe's Blue Economy.
On January 25, political agreement was reached between the European Parliament and the Council on the 2014-2020 European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF). Jul. Wide open to abuse: the Common Fisheries Policy | Greenpeace EU Unit. Publication - October 2, 2011 The future of Europe’s seas is in jeopardy under an ageing 30-year-old Common Fisheries Policy (CFP). Corrupted by greedy stakeholders, cynical political bargaining and illegal conduct, this CFP has failed to achieve its core objective: sustainable fisheries in a healthy marine environment, supporting economically viable industry and employment. Instead, overfishing and environmental destruction has become endemic, with subsidies and quotas too often benefitting the most destructive companies rather than more sustainable, small-scale fishermen. Today, according to the EU Commissioner for Fisheries, three out of four stocks are overfished; including 82% of Mediterranean stocks and 63% of Atlantic stocks.
Illegal fishing is considered one of the most serious threats to the sustainable management of fish stocks. Amidst this European environmental, social and economic debacle, the industrial-scale sector of the Spanish fishing fleet plays a pivotal role. Failure to tackle excessive fishing capacity. Press release - July 9, 2012 Brussels - Greenpeace urged EU fisheries ministers to put their houses in order, as a new report by the European Commission highlights the lack of effective action to recognise and tackle the excessive fishing capacity of EU fleets. The report comes as the EU is in the midst of a once-in-a-decade reform of its fisheries policy. Panorama view of one of the world's biggest fishing trawlers, blockaded by Greenpeace activists for six days in Ijmuiden earlier this week. Super-trawlers like the 142-metre-long Lithuanian-flagged and Dutch-owned vessel can catch enormous quantities of fish, upsetting the balance of entire ecosystems.
The assessment illustrates significant weaknesses in efforts by European governments to assess and manage the power and size of their fishing fleets. The Commission also highlights that very few governments have outlined how they plan to improve the fleet management system. pressdesk.eu@greenpeace.org. Greenpeace: Fishing reform will take years to make impact. Plans to reform Europe's fishing industry would not stop the destruction of fish stocks for at least another decade, campaigners claimed today. Greenpeace activists chained themselves to fishing buoys outside talks in Luxembourg while others waved banners demanding: "EU ministers, stop overfishing".
Greenpeace oceans campaigner Thilo Maack said: "Ministers are acting irresponsibly, endangering the future of our seas. The deal would allow a greedy industry to continue overfishing for the next decade, bank-rolled by millions in EU subsidies. "We cannot allow this to happen and this is why we want ministers to find the guts to stop destructive fishing and reward those who fish responsibly. " On the table for Europe's fisheries ministers are the latest European Commission proposals for balancing fishermen's livelihoods with the need to conserve stocks for the long-term survival of the sector.
Instead, day to day decision-making would be devolved to regional fisheries bodies across Europe. Studies - Fisheries. EU Fisheries Agreements and Development. CFP Reform Watch .eu. Can EU fisheries agreements be fair and sustainable? – 29 February « CFP-reformwatch.eu. LUNCH SEMINARThe EU fisheries agreements and Policy Coherence for Development – Can EU fisheries agreements be fair and sustainable? Where: European Parliament, room ASP 5G3When: 12:30 – 15:00, February 29, 2012 Interpretation in EN, ES and FR. > Download programme EU fisheries agreements with developing countries have long been criticised for environmental and developmental reasons. But some say that it would be worse for the environment and for local communities if the agreements were abandoned.
A revision of the fisheries agreements is currently taking place as a part of the reform of the EU Common Fisheries Policy. At this seminar, leading experts from Europe and Africa, with different perspectives on the fisheries agreements, will present their views on the conditions which may render the agreements fair and sustainable. Be Sociable, Share! Illegal-fishing.info. The Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) is the European Union's instrument for the management of fisheries and aquaculture. In 1970 the EU decided to grant equal access for EU fishermen to Member States' waters. In order to protect smaller-scale fishing, a 12-mile coastal zone was established for local fishermen.
In 1976, Member States extended their Exclusive Economic Zones to 200 miles in line with international developments. Henceforth, Member States decided that the EU was best placed to manage fisheries in the waters under their jurisdiction and to defend their interests in international negotiations. After years of difficult negotiations the CFP was introduced in 1983. The CFP was reformed in 2002 to ensure a more long-term approach was adopted to fisheries management, involving the establishment of recovery plans for stocks outside safe biological limits and management plans for other stocks. Click here for the CFP pages on the European Commission website. Documents (6) links (2)
Overfishing worse than thought, study says - World news - World environment. Super trawlers and bycatch: the true story | Greenpeace Australia Pacific. Feature Story - 27 August, 2012 As the super trawler Margiris steams towards Australia’s shores, a series of concerns have been raised. One is the impact on marine life, like dolphins and seals, that invariably are caught in the vessel’s enormous nets. Although according to the operators, this issue has been solved. So has it? These photos were taken by researchers on board Dutch super trawlers while conducting peer-reviewed studies. Pavel Klinckhamers, Oceans Campaigner from Greenpeace Holland tells his side of the story.
This week, Federal Environment Minister Tony Burke added his voice to the concerns about the unwanted bycatch that the Margiris may scoop up while taking 18 million kilogrammes of fish out of Australian waters. When I was on board Greenpeace vessel MY Arctic Sunrise earlier this year, campaigning against the plundering of African waters by super trawlers like the Margiris, we regularly came across large herds of dolphins playfully chasing schools of fish. OCEAN2012. EU Fisheries Council and European Parliament Reach Agreement on Future of EU Fisheries Subsidies JANUARY 28 2014 Today, the European Union’s Fisheries Council and the European Parliament secured a political deal on the future EU European Maritime and Fisheries Fund.
The EMFF will make available approximately €6.5 billion from 2014 to 2020 to support the EU’s fisheries sector and its maritime policies. It will be instrumental in effective implementation of the reformed Common Fisheries Policy, or CFP, including its targets to end EU overfishing and restore fish stocks. BRUSSELS - Today EU fisheries ministers gather in Luxembourg to come to a political agreement on the Commission’s proposal for a system of mandatory transferable fishing rights (concessions) which form a central piece in the proposed reform of the EU’s Common Fisheries Policy. Ministers are expected to restate their unequivocal opposition to this scheme.