09/03/2006 - Brussels,
Belgium – Financial incentives to replace
the engines of European fishing vessels
are short-sighted measures that will not
help the European fishing fleet solve the
problem of overfishing, says WWF. The European
Commission presented today a proposal to
help the European fishing sector face the
increasing cost of fuel. According to the
proposal, EU Member States could award temporary
assistance to fishing firms committing to
restructure their activities by reducing
either fuel consumption or engine power.
“This is a major step back because such
measures will open the door to providing
assistance for the modernisation of the
engines, which is not allowed under the
revised Common Fisheries Policy,” says Carol
Phua, a WWF fisheries policy officer.
“Furthermore, past experience has shown
that financial support for replacing engines
will only lead to further overfishing, as
the EU cannot ensure that the proposed measures
are properly enforced.”
Current EU fleet capacity still exceeds
the natural limits of stocks. Up to 80 per
cent of EU fish stocks are overfished and
many marine species are endangered because
of accidental catches.
“Incentives should rather be used for a
permanent reduction of the capacity of the
fleet and more selective fishing methods,”
Phua added.
“It is only by reducing the capacity of
the European fishing fleet that a solution
to the problem of over exploitation of the
marine environment can be found. The fishing
industry cannot exist if there are no fish
left.”
According to WWF, priority for the EU fishing
fleet should be better management to adapt
the fishing capacity to the natural limits
of the fish stocks. This should be the guiding
principle of the European Fisheries Fund,
the financial instrument for the sector
for the period 2007-2013 that will be adopted
by the Fisheries Council in April.
