The fishing sector represented by the EBFA, Europêche, and EAPO would like to express its gratitude to EU governments for the continued dialogue in search of the best way to implement EU regulations and the CFP, identifying ways to effectively protect vulnerable marine ecosystems and feed a growing population whilst reducing our dependency from foreign seafood imports.

The sector unanimously feels that the Action Plan places a heavy and disproportionate burden on the EU fleet, which is still struggling with the consequences of Brexit, the Covid pandemic, inflation, and the energy crisis. Likewise, according to the sector, it also places additional stress on Members States that will have to deal with objectives not justified by science and bound to negatively affect entire fishing dependent communities under an unrealistic timetable.

The sector recalls that the bottom fishing ban is a completely new objective, not based on any international or European rule, that will not follow the ordinary legislative process. This approach limits the political debate, the opinion of national administrations, and the European Parliament in the decision-making process. For the sector, it is clear that if there is any change to the Common Fisheries Policy, the Commission must follow the established legislative process: Through the Council and the European Parliament.

Iván López van der Veen, Chair of EBFA, declared: “National authorities have a specific mission and responsibility vis-à-vis their citizens to implement EU rules, secure jobs, and supply the market with sustainable seafood. It is therefore difficult to understand that the European Commission has chosen to adopt an Action Plan, without consulting Member States, despite putting them at the centre of the debate with the fisheries package. The legal nature of the instrument selected also raises legal questions. Since it is not EU law, citizens and companies, or even Member States, affected have no right to challenge in court the disproportionate impact of the Action Plan, leaving them defenceless. In a nutshell, no consultation, no debate, and no possible legal defence because of the path the Commission selected to bring its proposals forward”.

The sector therefore considers the prohibition of bottom mobile gears as an objective clearly disproportionate, unjustified, not based on the best available science, and contrary to international commitments. During the meeting, the sector reiterated its call on the Council and the European Parliament to halt the Action Plan as proposed by the Commission.

Press contact:

Daniel Voces de Onaíndi, Secretary of the EBFA: info@bottomfishingalliance.eu | Mobile +32 489 26 81 07

EP, EBFA and EAPO Press Release – Meeting Member States Action Plan

A measure out of line with the principle of proportionality

While EBFA obviously supports the protection of vulnerable marine ecosystems, the Commission has prohibited fishing in a total area three times larger than necessary: for 5 237 km² of VMEs to protect, the European Commission has prohibited fishing in 16 419 km² (see appendix). This lack of proportionality is particularly concerning and does mean further closure of marine areas with no need for protection. According to EBFA, it would be like putting an area closure in the Alps where you may be trying to protect the peak while the closure will protect the whole valley.

A threat to European food sovereignty and safety

Bottom fishing is a major contributor to European food sovereignty: it accounts for more than one million tons of fish caught each year, i.e. 25% of total catches on a European scale. While the European Union already imports more than 70% of the fish consumed each year by European citizens, it is surprising to see the European Commission reinforcing this dependence through a disproportionate regulation.

Lack of socio-economic impact analysis

It is particularly shocking that the European Commission refuses to study the economic and social consequences of such a decision, which endangers the future of bottom fishing in the Atlantic and therefore threatens more than 10,000 fishermen.

What’s more, the Commission has failed to consult the competent European bodies (in this case the Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries – STECF), or conduct any socio-economic impact study which is contrary to European regulations and even the Treaties. This poses a threat as to the legality of the measure.

Ivan Lopez, EBFA president, reacted to the meeting: “We welcome the opportunity offered by the Commissioner to meet and debate this crucial issue in person. We also appreciate the commitment to improve the consultation process and the underpinning science in future processes. For the EBFA, it was useful to plainly lay out the sector’s fear and expose the shortcomings and negative consequences of the EC’s implementing act. We have requested, once more, to Commissioner Sinkevicius to suspend this measure until the new science and impact assessment are available.” Mr López concluded: “The sector does not dispute the need for VME protection. However, the EU cannot afford to waste squeezing marine space for fishing. We could understand the closure of 5 237 km2 of real vulnerable ecosystem areas but cannot accept, neither understand, the total closure of more than 16 400 km2 for no apparent reason”.

About the EBFA

The European Bottom Fishing Alliance is a fishing industry coalition representing over 20 000 fishermen and 7 000 vessels, ranging from artisanal to large scale bottom fisheries in all waters of the EU, coastal and further out and in third country waters, that have come together to defend, support and showcase the environmental, economic, social and cultural realities of active bottom fishing gears operating across the European Union fishing nations.

Press Contact:

Emmanuel Dubarry – Backbone Consulting – FR/EN: +33 7 82 24 10 97

EBFA Press Release – Meeting Commissioner Sinkevicius

The European Bottom Fishing Alliance, representing over 20 000 fishermen and 7 000 vessels strongly condemns initiatives currently directed at the European Parliament to ban bottom trawling in all maritime protected areas. 

A crucial vote that puts European food security and sovereignty at risk

Tomorrow, a crucial vote on the future of bottom fishing will take place in plenary session at the European Parliament. The consequences of this hastily organised vote could prove devastating for European citizens and the continent’s food security and sovereignty. In fact, bottom-trawling vessels play a fundamental role as food suppliers, bringing ashore more than one million tons of healthy and sustainable seafood annually, which represents around 25% of total EU landings in weight and value.

Prohibiting this sustainable food supply would only result in intensifying our imports of fish from foreign countries where we have no control whatsoever on its sustainability. In a particularly tensed international context, where European food security is already threatened by the war in Ukraine, European legislators should look at how to strengthen this sovereignty rather than dramatically weakening it. 

Bottom fisheries have made tremendous efforts to become ever more sustainable

For decades the whole fishing industry, in collaboration with EU authorities, has been investing in effective fisheries management. In this context, the industry has helped mapping the seas to identify vulnerable areas, and in some cases, EBFA members have been proactive in closing areas to fishing when needed. This has also helped identifying sustainable areas for bottom fisheries to operate. As a result, fleets mostly operate over sandy, high wave-action seafloor habitats that are able to withstand this kind of fishing effort.

Additionally, EBFA members have heavily invested in technology so as to make their vessels more selective, use less impacting techniques and reduce their fuel consumption. The sustainability of bottom fishing has been scientifically proven, notably in the Atlantic where nearly 100% of the landings from EU-regulated stocks come from populations fished at Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY) levels. Fully assessed fish stocks in the Atlantic have been increasing significantly, reaching in only 10 years abundance levels 50% higher than in 2010.

Bottom trawling is being banned from MPAs to give way to industrial activities more environmentally intensive

Not all MPAs pursue the goal to protect the seabed: many are established to protect birds or marine species that are not impacted by the use of bottom contacting gears. As such, banning bottom contacting gears in all MPAs simply does not make sense.

Moreover, EBFA members are particularly surprised to note that while NGOs are so eager to protect MPAs against fishing, they don’t seem to have the same commitment to protect them from mass nature artificialisation. It seems that the industrialisation of the sea planned by the exponential expansion of windfarms, including in marine protected areas, does not form part of their political message, as we have seen with the example of the Dogger Bank in the UK.

EBFA calls for a scientifically data driven approach

The EBFA urges members of the European Parliament to organise a science-based debate around this issue at European level, with all stakeholders involved. Ivan Lopez, Chair of EBFA, reacted “It is unacceptable to see that particularly disputed scientific studies – some of which have even been retracted for a lack of scientific rigour – are the basis of the ongoing discussion. The EU cannot legislate based on emotional campaigns from NGOs without even looking first at any Commission’s proposal, the underpinning science and the necessary political debate. Thousands of local fishermen and their families will be the victims of undemocratic debates staged by NGOs. Our fishermen’s continued investments in technology and science, would be frustrated by arbitrary prohibitions. Yes, we can do and will do better, but as long as we are permitted to continue with our traditional activity”.

Mr Lopez concluded: “We are not denying that bottom fisheries have an impact on the environment. It is however worth pointing out that everything we do in life as human beings affects the environment and producing food is no different. Everything we eat costs the planet something. In the fishing sector we do that for a very good reason: to produce healthy, sustainable, and nutritious seafood, with a low impact, no pesticides and no freshwater consumption. We are thus very surprised by this move from European Parliament and strongly call on MEPs to assess the situation very carefully. This vote cannot be taken lightly and must be substantiated by scientific data, which clearly has not been the case yet.”

About EBFA: The European Bottom Fishing Alliance is a fishing industry coalition representing over 20 000 fishermen and 7 000 vessels, ranging from artisanal to large scale bottom fisheries in all waters of the EU, coastal and further out and in third country waters, that have come together to defend, support and showcase the environmental, economic, social and cultural realities of active bottom fishing gears operating across the European Union fishing nations.

Press Contact:

Emmanuel Dubarry – Backbone Consulting – FR/EN: +33 7 82 24 10 97

EBFA Press Release – Blue Economy

The alliance showcased the sustainability and overall importance of these widespread fishing methods in all EU member states which bring ashore more than one million tons of healthy and sustainable seafood annually. This represents 25% of the total EU landings and generates almost 40% of the total revenue of the sector, contributing to the wealth, employment, and industrial fabric of many coastal and peripheral communities. The sector reminded that these fisheries are well regulated, controlled, researched and widely certified.

According to the EBFA, all these achievements can go down the drain if the announced Action Plan, in line with the European Commission Biodiversity strategy, gradually restricts and eventually phases out the use of bottom contacting fishing gears.

Iván López van der Veen, chair of the EBFA, declared: “We are ready to fight with science and data all the myths surrounding our activities. We have mapped the seas to identify vulnerable areas, we have closed fishing grounds when and where need. Our vessels are more selective, use less impacting techniques and have reduced fuel consumption. We call on EU authorities to continue investing in science, management and innovation. Phasing out bottom gears is not the answer, particularly if the EU is serious on the need to reduce dependencies on imported food products”.

Some environmental organisations and even the European Commission are questioning the sustainability of these gears, identifying active bottom gears such as bottom trawling as “the most damaging activity to the seabed”. The EBFA argues that according to scientists, ocean warming, acidification, and sea level rise are the main threats to the marine environment, not fishing. Closing off parts of the ocean to fishing will not solve the problems.

Mr López commented: “Trawling to catch fish certainly has an environmental impact, nobody denies that. Everything we eat costs the planet something. But thanks to effective, science-based management, the EU and the sector strive to sustainably harvest fish with the minimum impact. Besides, bottom fishing activities are nowadays pretty much fenced to historical fishing grounds”. He concluded: “We can do better and we will do better, but we need policies based on factual, scientific and peer-reviewed evidence and comprehensive impact assessments. We call on the EU to establish clear channels for the fleet to participate In the scientific and technical efforts as equals and experts. The sector wants to develop a higher level of trust and transparency In our activities to underpin our social license. To phase out perfectly legal fishing gears will not help oceans’ health nor fishers”.

The EBFA reminded that the good state of demersal fish stocks in the Atlantic has proven that effective fisheries management is the best tool for successful conservation, recovery and sustainable use of marine resources. Even more if, according to science, seabed status is high in regions where fisheries are exploited sustainably.

The EBFA concluded that the Commission cannot sacrifice sustainable and certified EU fisheries to please a few environmental organisations while at the same time still accepting large scale imports from non-EU bottom trawling fisheries.

Press contact:

Daniel Voces, +32 2 230 48 48 daniel.voces@europeche.org

EBFA Press Release – Launch in European Parliament