OCEAN2012

The workshops celebrated European Fish Week and also promoted OCEAN2012. This is a group of over 160 small community and inshore fisheries organisations from all over Europe, who are lobbying for reform of the Common Fisheries Policy. COAST is of course a member.

OCEAN2012 wants to look at fishing in social and environmental terms, not purely as an economic pursuit. It is asking for a clear target for conservation of fish stocks and effective ways to minimise ‘bycatch’. It argues, too, against the present Total Allowable Catch (TAC) regulations, which give the big boats the bulk of the allowance. 90% of boats are under 10 metres long and so their owners cannot be members of the Producers Organisation and cannot lobby for improved rights. Small, inshore traditional boats are restricted to 2 tonnes per month, though they are far less harmful to fish stocks.

Meanwhile, destructive fishing methods, such as bottom trawling and scallop dredging, continue unchecked. These must be reduced if stocks are to recover. If you are concerned about this, please contact Struan Stevenson MEP, who has represented Scotland in the European Parliament since 1999 and is the Senior Vice President of the European Parliament Fisheries Committee. He’s at European Parliament, Rue Wiertz 60 Brussels B-1047, or you can email him on struan.stevenson@europarl.europa.eu .