16 May 2009 | EAA Meets with Fisheries Commissioner Joe Borg
EAA has attended a meeting with Fisheries Commissioner, Joe Borg. EAA Secretary General, Jan Kappel together with Mark Lloyd and Stuart McPherson of the English national angling body 'Angling Trust' met with Mr Borg and key staff in Brussels to discuss and share information about the contentious Article 47 in the proposed new control regulation on fisheries.
The regulation text, as it reads now, before being amended by the Commission and Council of Fisheries Ministers includes recreational fisheries explicitly for the very first time. Taken at face value it could mean the introduction of registration of anglers’ catches, log-books and fishing authorizations for boats used for angling as well as catch and access limitations, bag limits and lots of paper work. However, Mr Borg has given assurance both publicly and at our meeting that only recreational fishing on "recovery stocks" and only fishing in the sea (not from shore, piers or those wadding out from the beach) could be made subject to the regulation.
"It was a fruitful and well timed meeting," says Jan Kappel. "However, there are still many unresolved and worrisome issues at play so we will continue our lobbying efforts in this regard".
The Parliament gave its opinion on April 22. Now the focus moves on to the Council of Ministers. A working group is preparing a first draft for the Ministers' to discuss in June. The final version of the Control Regulation is expected to be adopted some time in the autumn.
In this release we bring some of the outstanding issues for the Ministers to discuss and agree on that are of importance for recreational angling accompanied by EAA positions.
Read the full release here. |
22 April 2009 | Green Paper on a reform of the Common Fisheries Policy published today
Main page with links to more documents and information.
Full Green Paper is available in English, French, and German.
Summaries available in additional languages from the Main Page. |
23 February 2009 | Cormorants take European Parliament by storm
Cormorant was one of the words occurring most frequently during the public hearing in the EP with representatives of the Baltic Region concerning the field of fisheries.
The hearing also addressed the impact of climate change on the Baltic ecosystem, coastal fishing and fish stocks. The Czech Presidency was represented by First Deputy Minister of Agriculture Ivo Hlaváč.
Speaking before the Parliament, Deputy Minister Hlaváč stressed that the Czech Presidency pays great attention to the development of fisheries in the Baltic as well as other regions. This area is all the more important today since the Presidency is currently looking into several important and largely overarching documents including the Green Paper to reform the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) and the proposal for a Regulation to overhaul the CFP’s control policy.
One of the topics that stirred the most vivid discussion was the issue of cormorants and other predators. According to Hlaváč the issue is not restricted to coastal countries. “The value of cormorants as a protected species cannot be doubted. On the other hand, the combination of growing cormorant populations and their constantly strong appetite is the cause of ever-increasing economic damage to fishermen and aquaculture farms”, explained Hlaváč adding that “given the cross-border nature of the issue, a coordinated approach would be the adequate response. We want to open up this issue in April at a discussion on aquaculture”.
The very first public hearing in the European Parliament regarding the Baltic Sea took place in attendance of representatives of the countries of the Baltic Region – particularly Denmark, Estonia, Poland and Sweden. The participants in the meeting included MPs, politicians, diplomats and, in particular, scientists, experts, fishermen and subcontractors. The current issues were discussed in three thematic blocks. Among the issues were the following: consequences of climate change for the Baltic Sea ecosystem, amount of fish reserves and selected specific issues pertaining to the fishing sector, such as modernisation of fishing vessels and development of coastal fishing.
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18 February 2009 | Czech EU Presidency; Deputy Minister of Agriculture Ivo Hlaváč delivered a speech in the European Parliament 18 February 2009, which touched upon the comrorant problem.
Mr Hlaváč said:
"Last but not least, Mr. Chairman, I would end with cormorants. This is an issue, which is actually hot not only for the coastal areas but also for the inland areas, including landlocked countries. On the one hand, cormorants are a protected species and their value in this regard is doubtless. On the other hand, it is also true that their number has in some regions rocketed. As their appetite has not diminished, our fishermen, fish-farms or aquaculture sites are seriously affected. The economic losses have been constantly growing over the last few years. This is a cross-border issue, which needs a coordinated approach. I think that in this regard we may also take some ideas from Mr. Kindermann´s initiative on a cormorant management plan. We also plan to address this question in the Council Conclusions on the Commission Communication on Aquaculture."
Read the full speech here. |
13 February 2009 | EAA’s first round of comments to the "DRAFT REPORT on the proposal for a Council regulation establishing a Community control system for ensuring compliance with the rules of the Common Fisheries Policy" is now available here. |
13 February 2009 |
Baltic Sea - Drift Net Ban Saves the Salmon
(Non-official translation from Swedish by Jan Kappel. Original version available here.)
Ban saves salmon
Haparanda.
The salmon has been threatened in several rivers, but last year was a turning point. The ban on drift-net fishing in the Baltic Sea has become the salvation for salmon stocks.
Last year the availability of salmon suddenly significantly was larger than in previous years. Good news for both nature friends, and sport fishermen. Stefan Stridsman is a fisheries biologist at the Fisheries Agency [fiskeriverket] in Luleå and he is especially pleased that the salmon increased in the endangered rivers in Norrbotten and Västerbotten. - "Rane, Åby, Öre and Lögde rivers and Rickleån have had weak stocks of salmon in recent years and it feels very good that now it is increasing," he says.
Fewer fishermen
Stefan Stridsman points out the driftnet ban in the Baltic Sea as the main cause of the salmon get up to the spawning grounds. Moreover, the number of commercial fishermen in the Baltic Sea is decreasing. - "The number of fishermen [fiskarkåren] in particular in Denmark has gone down significantly. Another aspect is the new so-called push-up salmon traps, which have prevented the seal from going to eat up the catch," says Stridsman.
According to preliminary figures from the Fisheries Agency has the catch of salmon in the Kalix River almost doubled from 5,278 kilograms in 2007 to 9,585 kilograms in 2008, also for the Torne River, the catch of salmon has increased by about five tonnes of salmon to 18,000 kilograms. The catches on the Finnish side of the Torne River, to about 57,000 kilograms or about 8,800 salmon. Almost a tripling from 2007. - "It is very much and unexpected, but recreational fishing is more intense on the Finnish side of the river," says Stefan Stridsman.
Göran Lahti
See also EFTTA release of last year, 12 August 2008: Salmon Numbers Grow in Wake of Fishing Ban. |
30 January 2009 | EAA refutes Euromyth on Recreational Angling (Art 47) - and requests the European Commission UK office in London to delete from its website the proclaimed Euromyth of 22 January: "No EU fish quotas for amateur anglers" |
21 January 2009 | A meeting on Cormorants is arranged for 29 January 2009 in Brussels. The participants invited are Member States' cormorant experts. |
12 January 2009 |
A proposal for a new fisheries control regulation has been issued by the European Commission. The proposal could cause significant problems for recreational angling but many questions are unanswered at present.
EAA has worked out a response, with input from the tackle trade (EFTTA), with ten recommendations. It has been forwarded to the European Commission, Member States, ICES and the European Parliament's rapporteur MEP Raül Romeva i Rueda and others.
Next steps:
* Rapporteur. The Parliament's Committee on Fisheries has appointed as rapporteur Spanish MEP (Green Group) Mr Raül ROMEVA i RUEDA
* The Committee on Fisheries will discuss the proposed regulation 21 January.
* The Committee on Fisheries will vote on Mr Rueda's report 31 March (possibly with discussions also at the 2 March committee meeting)
* The Plenary will vote on Mr Rueda's report Friday 24 April. (note: The Parliament is only to give an opinion).
* This week Member States representatives meet to discuss the proposed Regulation (a Council WG)
* The Czech Presidency is to deal with the proposal in detail in spring, so it can be adopted under the Swedish Presidency
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10 January 2009 | EAA has delivered an Initial Response on the "PROPOSAL for a COUNCIL REGULATION establishing a Community control system for ensuring compliance with the rules of the Common Fisheries Policy"
Read more in the newly opened CFP Dossier. |
6 January 2009 | Dilemma: Fish is healthy food but what about the fish stocks?
The UK Food Standards Agency has launched a public consultation with deadline 31 March on proposals to review its advice to consumers on eating fish in the light of sustainability issues. The consultation addresses concerns over fish stocks and in relation to other environmental impacts of fishing.
Current advice is that we should eat at least two portions of fish a week, one of which should be oily.
Rosemary Hignett, Head of Nutrition at the Food Standards Agency, said: 'Eating fish has considerable health benefits, so we will continue to encourage consumption as part of a drive to improve public health but we recognise the potential impact our advice may have on demands for fish.
'We know that issues relating to sustainability are important to consumers. By helping to ensure they have access to clear and reliable information about sustainable sources of fish, consumers will be able to make more informed choices.'
Links:
The full version of this news article.
Review of agency's advice on fish consumption Northern Ireland consultation (closes 31 March 2009)
Review of agency's advice on fish consumption England consultation (closes 31 March 2009)
Review of agency's advice on fish consumption Wales consultation (closes 31 March 2009)
Scotland: The consultation documents for Scotland will be available later this week. |
5 January 2009 | Questionnaire: Anglers are asked their help by Fishbase.
FishBase will provide a new community service, designed specifically for the needs of anglers, called AnglersBase. They need your opinion.
Those who have completed the questionnaire are entitled to participate in a raffle for Amazon vouchers (total value of 750 Euros). Links to the questionnaire:
A one-page overview of the full scale project here. |
5 January 2009 | News Cuttings from EAA Member Sportsvisserij Nederland:
Sportvisserij scores high points in the water board elections. Recently the district water board elections were held in the Netherlands. The party "Water Natuurlijk" (Natural water), in which Sportvisserij Nederland and several other organisations participate, has won the election. As such, amateur fishing will have a direct influence on the district water boards, which largely determine the future of fish stocks and the living environments of fish.
Eel recovery plan The Dutch government has published the concept of a national eel recovery plan. The main outline of the supervisory plan includes the following measures:
Following a consultation with all sectors and the parliament, the final plan Amateur fishing in the Netherlands has decided to return all captured eels
Study on the impact of the cormorant on the fish stock Recently Sportvisserij Nederland concluded a study in relation to the impact of the cormorant on the fish stocks. In 64% of the waters, studied by Sportvisserij Nederland, there is evident damage to the fish stocks caused by cormorants. In most cases this referred to small closed waters in which |
