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 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

Fishermen and women are guardians of the sea. Their activity directly relies on the good health of marine ecosystems and fish stocks. However, their traditional profession is in peril. According to a recent scientific study [2], the rise in offshore wind production projected in the EU will deploy large industrial structures at sea with far reaching consequences for the environment. The long term effects of a large rollout of offshore projects risk impairing the healthy functioning of the seas and their ecosystems as a result of negative cumulative effects [3]. According to the main EU fishing associations, Europêche and EAPO, the study not only overlooks these severe impacts but also the conclusions of the latest report from the Commission on the implementation of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD), alerting that renewable energy production is one of the “main activities reported under the MSFD causing physical loss of benthic habitat”. The sector argues that the expected consequences represent a direct threat to the main goals of the Biodiversity Strategy, and the good environmental status of our waters and life within.

Javier Garat, President of Europêche, declared: “Fishing communities will be the first ones to suffer from these serious environmental impacts, as commercial species and whole ecosystems are bound to be affected by the massive expansion of offshore wind farms. On top of that, our fishermen are continuously losing valuable fishing grounds and access to healthy stocks due to the growing use of marine space by new maritime activities and area closures for nature conservation”.

Europêche and EAPO unanimously ask policy makers: “Not to change fishers by windmills, adopt a precautionary approach and halt the current expansion of offshore wind parks until research has come up with answers to the many existing knowledge gaps”.

Pim Visser, President of EAPO, concluded “the most concerning is the “win-win” rhetoric developed in the study. The paradigm shift towards the industrialization of the sea as a source of renewable energy is at the expense of renewable food production, fishers, their families and their communities, without any sensible assessment”.

[1] Dupont, C., Herpers, F., & Le Visage, C. (2020). Recommendations for positive interactions between offshore wind farms and fisheries. Publications Office of the European Union. https://doi.org/10.2826/017304  

[2] Boon, A., Caires, S., Wijnant, I. L., Verzijlbergh, R., Zijl, F., Schouten, J. J., & Kooten, T. (2018). The assessment of system effects of large-scale implementation of offshore wind in the southern North Sea. Deltares, 11202792-002-ZKS-0006

[3] Including local wind patterns, wave generation, tidal amplitudes, stratification of the water column, dynamics of suspended particles and bedload transport of sediment.

Press contacts:

Rosalie Tukker, Policy Advisor of Europêche: +32 (0)2 230 48 48 | tukker@europeche.org | website: www.europeche.org

Guillaume Carruel, Policy Officer EAPO: +32 59 43 20 05 | carruel@eapo.com | website: www.eapo.com

EP and EAPO Press Release – Offshore Windfarms study