In their response to the “Pact for Fisheries and Oceans” on June 26, European Fisheries Ministers opted not to embrace environmentally sustainable fishing methods. The Fisheries Ministers failed to reach a consensus on the European Commission’s initiative to transition towards low-impact fisheries, safeguard vulnerable species and phase out bottom trawling within marine protected areas.
While the European Commission’s proposed package encompasses both fisheries and environmental aspects, only the fisheries ministers participated in the Council discussions. Seas At Risk urges the Environmental Ministers to join the conversation and actively contribute to achieving a more balanced approach, emphasising their responsibility to protect the future of the oceans and the livelihoods reliant upon them at a national level.
Tatiana Nuño, Senior Marine Policy officer at Seas At Risk, voiced concern regarding the decision, stating, “We are going through an unprecedented ecological crisis. Marine biodiversity is declining at an even faster pace than on land. Destructive fishing practices like bottom trawling have no place in the ocean, and even less in Marine Protected Areas.”
“Destructive fishing has no future. Turning our backs on reality does not help people nor the planet”, said Remi Cossetti, Junior Fisheries Policy Officer at Seas At Risk. “Using food security arguments to allow destructive fishing practices is a perverse paradox. Without healthy marine ecosystems there is no food coming from the ocean. Fisheries Ministers’ lack of understanding of this basic notion, and their systematic disregard of the health of the seas in favour of short-term economic benefits lead us to worryingly question their actual competence in fisheries management.”
Despite the Fisheries’ Council’s unwillingness to consider the Commission’s proposed roadmap for the future of fisheries, the imperative to transition towards low-impact fishing practices remains undeniable. Regardless of the outcome, it is crucial for Member States to uphold EU environmental laws, which include minimising the unintentional catching of vulnerable species and prohibiting damaging activities within Marine Protected Areas. These areas, particularly Special Areas of Conservation, should be managed in a way that prevents any deterioration.
