EU fisheries ministers quash proposed privitisation of fish quotas
The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Simon Coveney has welcomed the Danish Presidency proposal allowing each Member State to implement its own management arrangement for fish quotas.
EU fisheries ministers recently gathered in Luxembourg to reach a political agreement on the Commission’s proposal for a system of mandatory transferable fishing rights (concessions) which form a central piece in the proposed reform of the EU’s Common Fisheries Policy.
Ireland strongly opposes this proposal to privatise national fish quotas and thus opening up free trade on the open market.
“Protecting Ireland’s fishing resources and fishing industry is my top priority. Privatising fish quotas would have been a serious threat to the economic survival of our coastal communities. If fish quotas were traded on the open market they could be bought by international corporations and would no longer be landed into Ireland.
“This would directly threaten economic activity in our main fishing ports with the loss of jobs, not only in the fleet but also in the vital fish processing sector,” he said.
Minister Coveney added he has “argued consistently that MS should be allowed to determine their own management arrangements for their own particular circumstances.
“In Ireland, fish quotas are a State-owned national asset and can be used to the benefit of our coastal communities and family-owned fishing fleet.”
Widespread support
OCEAN2012* supports Irish opposition to the Commission proposal for mandatory transferrable fishing concessions (TFCs).
“TFCs are neither a conservation tool nor an effective tool for fleet management. They are only one, very specific, market-based type of allocation scheme. While they can lead to a decrease in the number of active fishing vessels, they are a blunt instrument that does not, on its own, ensure that the remaining fleet operates in an environmentally and socially sustainable manner.
Instead of being obliged to use only one tool, Member States should be able to choose from a range of schemes to meet the specific challenges of individual fisheries on regional levels,” Mike Pew told Inshore Ireland.
The NGOs contends that to prevent overfishing, it is necessary that fishing limits do not exceed scientific advice, so as to restore and maintain populations of harvested species above levels which can produce the Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY) no later than 2015 where biologically possible.
“For those stocks where this is not possible for biological reasons, fishing pressure has to be reduced immediately to below levels that will restore stocks to levels that can produce MSY. To promote sustainable fishing, environmental and social criteria, awarding those fishing in a way that delivers the best value to society, should be introduced as the basis for allocation of access to resources.
“This is the best way for the Minister to ensure the social viability of the sector, by incentivising those who fish in the most sustainable ways.
*OCEAN2012 is an alliance of organisations dedicated to transforming European fisheries policy to ‘stop overfishing, end destructive fishing practices and deliver fair and equitable use of healthy fish stocks’. Irish representation includes An Taisce, BirdWatch Ireland, Coastwatch, Dingle Ocenworld, Donegal Island Fishermen, Galway Atlantaquaria, Irish Bass, Irish Kayak Angling Club, the Irish Seal Sanctuary, Irish Wildlife Trust, Liffey Sound FM, National Sea Life Centre Bray, North West Traditional Fishermen, Scubadive West, Smart Taxes and Vincent Hyland Learning.
