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

Voluntary social standards and certifications were recognised as drivers of sustainable economic development and a vital instruments to support learning, dialogue and trust-building between companies and stakeholders. However, Social Partners agreed on the fundamental principle that private labels can never go below the internationally recognised social standards set in ILO Convention C188.

“ILO C188 contains the minimum compulsory requirements to be respected and should be included in full, avoiding any cherry-picking in any voluntary certification scheme. The private labels which do not cover those minimum standards, should not be recognised as socially sustainable. So, any social-washing labels from 3^rd countries shall be left out of the single market”, said Juan Manuel Trujillo, ETF Fisheries Section Chair.

Europêche’s spokesperson in the European social dialogue, Ment van der Zwan, added: “In a highly competitive market for sustainable seafood products, admitting sub-standard certification schemes as socially sustainable would expose EU fishermen and companies to unfair competition. EU consumers would as well be highly misguided by the information provided by the label. Customers may chose a product labelled as socially sustainable, that in reality is not, over an European product with no such label but that by definition has to comply with higher social standards. It would be illogical and a commercial ruse.”

EP and ETF Press Release – Social Certification