“A Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) without input from recreational fisheries is like having a Member State in the EU with no voting rights,” a top level conference has been told. David Vertegaal, a Dutch member of the European Anglers Alliance (EAA), made the comment at the conference into the state of play of recreational fisheries in the EU, an event organised to facilitate an exchange of views between EU policy makers and the recreational fisheries sector, represented by the EAA and the European Fishing Tackle Trade Association (EFTTA).
The conference was arranged by the RecFishing Forum, to which EAA and EFTTA provide the secretariat. The president of the RecFishing Forum, MEP Norica Nicolai, has written a European Parliament report: ‘The state of play of recreational fisheries in the EU’. A first draft was presented to the European Parliament Committee on Fisheries at the end of last year and it is expected to be adopted at a forthcoming Parliamentary plenary session. The conference was very timely in that a few days later there was a deadline for tabling amendments to her report.
Read more here.
Jean-Claude Bel meets the French Minister of Agriculture
The French Minister of Agriculture Stéphane Travert, welcomed Jean-Claude Bel (EFTTA CEO) and Jean Kiffer, from FNPPSF (French member of the European Anglers Alliance) on February 5th to talk about the current recreational fishing situation.
This is mainly affecting France, the UK and Holland. The measures decided by the Council of European Ministers have caused disappointment and frustration among sea anglers.
Read more here.
Progress being made on overfishing across Europe
A conference on the state of fish stocks and how far the EU has come to end overfishing has been told that progress is being made. The event ‘Countdown to 2020: How far has the EU come in ending over fishing?’ was held in Brussels at the end of February. It was organised by the Pew Charitable Trusts and brought together decision makers and stakeholders from across Europe.
One of the speakers, who closed the event, was EU Commissioner, Karmenu Vella. He told delegates: “The European Commission is your ally and ending overfishing is the main priority of the EU’s Common Fisheries Policy – and it remains fully committed to this goal.” He added: “I think it is also worth pointing out the significant progress we have already made. In the Atlantic, the North Sea and the Baltic Sea, the rate of overexploitation has drastically declined, thanks to the more responsible catch limits we have set.”
Read more here on overfishing.
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