(19/12/06) Visserijbeleid: Europa moet de waarheid durven zeggen aan de vissers

• 2006-12-19

De Europese Groenen vragen dat de Raad van Landbouw en Visserij eerlijk is met de visserijsector en de visquota verlaagt. Het is elk jaar hetzelfde liedje: wetenschappers tonen aan dat er overbevissing is en telkens schreeuwt de visserijsector moord en brand. De Commissie verwatert dan de voorgestelde quota's, waarop de Raad nog een stap verder gaat en ze aanzienlijk verhoogt.

De Raad is daarin hypocriet: door te blijven volhouden dat ze de belangen van de sector verdedigt, komt er een moment dat visserijsector inderdaad op sterven na dood zal zijn. Slechts door toe te laten dat de visbestanden zich herstellen kan deze industrie gered worden.

Bij wijze van voorbeeld: voor de blauwvintonijn zullen dit jaar waarschijnlijk quota worden toegestaan die dubbel zo hoog liggen als geadviseerd door de wetenschap. De soort is met uitsterven bedreigd ten voordele van de industriële visserij. Ook de traditionele vissers zijn hier niet mee gebaat.

Fisheries
EU Ministers Must Provide Long Term Future for Fish and Fishermen

Today the Greens in the European Parliament call upon the Council to be honest with the fishing industry and to accept the need to cut fish quotas. Commenting on this initiative, Marie-Hélène Aubert , French Green Member of the Fisheries Committee, said: "Every year, it is the same story. The scientists explain that more fish stocks are over-fished and recommend lower quotas. The fishing industry screams that they are on the brink of bankruptcy and cannot possibly accept lower quotas. The Commission waters down the scientific advice, citing the economic hardship to the industry. Then, in a late-night haggle among competing fisheries ministers, the Council protests the severity of the Commission's proposals for quotas and caves in to the pressure of the industry by setting higher quotas.

"The Council pretends to be defending the long term interests of the industry but in fact, when they deny the reality of depleted fish stocks they are being hypocritical. By pretending that the current situation can continue, they are actually condemning the fishing industry to a painful death. Only by allowing fish stocks to recover can the industry be assured of a future.

The worst example this year is bluefin tuna. Following the Commission's outrageous behaviour at the ICCAT meeting in Dubrovnik, the Council is being asked to agree to a quota that is twice what the scientists say is sustainable. This valuable and tasty fish is being driven to extinction in order to support the high profits of a few industrial-scale fishing companies in the Mediterranean, while traditional fishermen face ruin."

NOTES

1. Scientific advice for allowable catches is provided by ICES, the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea, which coordinates and promotes marine research in the North Atlantic. It is based in Copenhagen, Denmark. ICES acts as a meeting point for a community of more than 1600 marine scientists from 19 countries around the North Atlantic. The text of its press release on 16 October, containing advice for 2007, can be found on its website at http://www.ices.dk

2. ICCAT, the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas, met in Dubrovnik, Croatia from 17 to 26 November. At the insistence of the European Commission, a quota for bluefin tuna of 29,500 tonnes was agreed, compared to advice from ICCAT's scientific committee of 15,000 tonnes. See Green PR of 27 November 2006.