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29th Mar 2024

Opinion

EU fish decisions should be taken closer to home

The current EU Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) has been a dismal failure. The EU commission is the first to admit as much. For example, thousands of tonnes of fish are dumped overboard every year due to the lack of discard regulations.

Nordic fisheries-management systems can serve as a source of inspiration for reform of the CFP.

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  • Individual transferable quotas and a ban on discard could make EU fisheries policies work better (Photo: EUobserver)

The commission has a vision of the CFP circa 2020 – one in which the fishing industry is economically viable, blatant overfishing is a thing of the past, stocks have been revived, and the policy is less expensive and more manageable.

The Nordic countries share this vision, and want to help turn it into reality. However, the vision is far removed from the current reality in Europe, which is characterised by over-fishing, economic instability, over-sized fleets, massive subsidies and falling catches.

In spring, the EU presented its Green Paper on CFP reform, and the Commission has now invited other interested parties to submit comments. The Nordic Council of Ministers, the official organ of Nordic inter-governmental co-operation, has taken up that invitation.

The Council of Ministers is also publishing a study of Nordic fisheries solutions, which will hopefully serve as a source of inspiration within the EU. Nordic fisheries-management systems vary, but they offer many effective solutions, as shown by the countries' top rankings in international comparative studies.

Banning discard

Financially viable, environmentally friendly and socially sustainable, but with the focus on the economic aspects – these are the key elements in the Nordic view of future fisheries policy. We believe that the EU would benefit from Nordic experience in three particular areas:

Firstly, effective measures should be introduced to significantly reduce the levels of discard and prevent further depletion of fish stocks. Norway, Iceland and the Faroe Islands have already banned discard. In practice, this means that all catch is landed, i.e. taken ashore.

Denmark, by comparison, is conducting experiments with video surveillance of fishing boats. Current EU rules grant fishermen a legal right to dump their catch overboard due to the prohibitions on landing non-quota fish or fish that do not meet the minimum size requirement. We believe that the EU should consider banning discard.

Secondly, rights-based management, the fundamental principle of which is the allocation of rights to fisheries, has also had positive effects in the Nordic Region. It covers, for example, the volume of fish it is permissible to catch and the geographical areas in which fishing is allowed.

Iceland was one of the first countries to introduce individual transferable quotas (ITQ) for fishermen, while Norway was the first country in the world to introduce trawling licences. Fisheries-based rights can have positive effects on the adaptation of fleets, the revival of fish stocks and the financial viability of the industry.

The third aspect we want to highlight is co-management, i.e. fishermen playing a part in the decision-making process. Examples of this include the Norwegian fisheries organisation's role in drafting the principles for the allocation of quotas, and the influence that the Danish seafood fishermen enjoy in their sector.

Another widespread problem is the massive subsidies to fishermen, which also contribute to declining stocks and oversized fleets.

Regionalisation

The ultimate goal should be an EU fisheries sector that does not receive direct financial aid. Reform of the CFP should also lead to more widespread regionalisation - decisions should not be taken centrally in Brussels, but at levels where awareness of regional conditions is greater.

While we wish to highlight successful Nordic models, we are also well aware that, for historical and social reasons, conditions vary in other countries. A solution that works in a Nordic country will not necessarily work in a Southern European country.

The CFP is on the agenda for the meeting of EU fisheries ministers in Brussels, 19 to 20 November. The Swedish minister of agriculture and forestry, Eskil Erlandsson, who will chair the meeting as part of the Swedish Presidency of the EU, will refer to Nordic practices.

The new CFP is scheduled to take effect from 2013. In the long term, the CFP is designed to lead to sustainability. We believe that by deriving inspiration from Nordic solutions, the EU will increase the possibility of the fisheries industry being sustainable in the future.

Halldor Asgrimsson is Secretary General of the Nordic Council of Ministers and former Prime Minister of Iceland. The Nordic Council of Ministers, formed in 1971, is the official body for inter-governmental co-operation in the Nordic Region.

Disclaimer

The views expressed in this opinion piece are the author's, not those of EUobserver.

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