Wednesday’s publication of the EU Commission Green Paper on Union fisheries met with mixed reactions from Swedish and international environmental organisations.
“A ban of destructive fishing methods like bottom trawling, and a huge commitment to marine protected areas that include fishing bans, would be an important solution towards achieving sustainable fisheries, and to make Europe a leading region in environmentally sustainable fisheries”, Axelsson said. He noted that this had to be “put before social and economicalย sustainability”, and that the ecosystem approach had to be strengthened as a leading principle.
While commending the Commission for its “honesty”, WWF-Sweden’s Lasse Gustavsson pointed out that “it can no longer preach reform and meanwhile avoid those difficult choices that have to be made”.
“Since the member nations and the Commission have not utilised the opportunities offered to them in the 2002 reform, they have failed in their undertakings”, he said. “They have failed with the fish, and they have failed with the fisheries”.
He held forth the bluefin tuna in the Mediterranean as the most obvious example of how policy and management have failed, but said a reform to establish both profitable and sustainable fisheries in Europe is still possible, however stressing that there is “no time to lose”.
He also pointed out the Swedish government’s important role as holder of the EU Presidency the coming fall term in pushing through reform resulting in long-term management.
On the European scene, the Seas At Risk association said it “welcomes the opportunity posed by the review process and by the matter-of-fact analysis of the Commission to completely overhaul the Common Fisheriesn Policy and resolve the problems outlined”.
“Overcapacity remains indeed the main threat to the survival of several stocks, and Seas At Risk would like to see the problem dealt with by focusing the reduction efforts on the most fuel intensive and destructive sectors of the EU fleet”, the organisation said on its website. “The review of the CFP will provide a precious opportunity to achieve a fleet that is of such a size and quality as to be able to be profitable without endangering the survival of the resource on which the sector depends”.
The Pew Environment Group. meanwhile, said it was “encouraged” by the Commission’s report. “The Pew Environment Group is open to working with all stakeholders in supporting this reform as we believe that we have an opportunity to develop a CFP that protects our marine environment while providing long term economic and social benefits for all”, Uta Bellion, director of the Pew Environment Group’s EU Marine Programme, said in a statement.