Tag Archives: fisheries

  • Rule-Takers vs. Rule-Makers: The EU-Norway Fisheries Agreements for 2020

    One of the key arguments repeated time and again by Brexit supporters is the idea that Britain will ‘take back control of our waters’. The notion that the UK could run a completely different national policy, increase its catch by reserving all rights to fish in the UK’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) to UK fishers, is a far cry from the reality of migratory fish and depleting fish stocks. 

  • Rebutting Mike Hookem

    Last night, UKIP MEP Mike Hookem made a somewhat outrageous, disgraceful speech and immediately left the chamber. This was my response.

  • Screenshot JPC

    Government proposals for Brexit break promises to fishing industry

    Speaking in the Fisheries committee of the European Parliament on the leaked government white paper for its post-Brexit fisheries policy. They cannot deliver what was promised during the referendum campaign.

  • Copurtesy Wikimedia Commons

    Brexit could sink the Falklands

    The Falklands and other overseas territories will be affected if we leave the EU. They were overlooked during the debate and Falkland Islanders weren’t even given a vote in the referendum. It’s time we started talking about what’s at stake.

  • Courtesy Pixabay

    Why Labour is taking a stand against pulse fishing

    This week, the European Parliament will be voting on a proposal which could lift the current strict limits on electric pulse fishing, and allow many more vessels to adopt the practice. Labour MEPs will oppose this proposal and support a ban on this practice.

  • Courtesy Wikimedia Commons

    Atlantic Salmon

    In the background information section of its account of the 34th annual meeting of the North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organisation (NASCO), the Commission reports that NASCO’s role is ‘to make sure that mixed-stock fisheries at sea do not target the stocks with the lowest rate of return.’

  • courtesy Renee V via Flickr

    Sea Bass Fishing

    In March 2015, a 3-bass bag limit was imposed on recreational fishermen. Further restrictions introduced this year stipulated no retention of bass during the first half of the year, and only one bass per day in the second half of the year.

  • courtesy Renee V via Flickr

    It’s all about that (sea) bass – updated

    UPDATE 1/11/2016 Since this event, the European Commission have published a proposal for bass management measures in 2017. If adopted, only recreational fisheries and commercial hook and line will be allowed to target Northern Sea Bass, though there is still no move to introduce a plan for Southern Bass. The European Anglers Association commented: “We […]

  • photo from Melanie Onn's office

    MEP tours Grimsby fishing industry

    Richard Corbett, Member of the European Parliament representing Yorkshire and the Humber, joined Grimsby MP Melanie Onn on a tour of Grimsby’s finest fishing businesses on Monday 23 June. Richard Corbett is a member of the European Parliament’s fisheries committee, which monitors and examines current European legislation and proposes changes to the Common Fisheries Policy […]

  • courtesy Yuri Kirienko via Wikimedia Commons

    Scallop dredging

    Can the permission granted for limited scallop dredging taking place in one section of Cardigan Bay (a Special Area of Conservation) be extended to another part of the same SAC and remain compatible with the Habitats Directive?

  • Parliament screenshot

    In the debate on sea bass

    I respond to Nigel Farage on the issue of sea bass fishing.

  • On fish, facts & Farage

    Fisheries policy has always had a great impact not just on those who fish commercially, but also those who fish for fun. And the contribution the latter make to our economy is vast: in Europe’s north-western coastal communities, including Britain, more than €100 million a year is spent on recreational sea bass fishing alone. Indeed, […]

  • courtesy Nutrition Facts via YouTube

    Consumer fraud in the labelling of fish in the EU

    Question A new study by Oceana has again highlighted the seriousness of consumer fraud in the labelling of fish in the EU. The study has pointed out that in Brussels in particular, the ‘error’ labelling average is 31.8% (95% in the case of bluefin tuna). Oceana had already reported in 2013 that 33% of the […]

  • courtesy EUNAVFOR

    Illegal coastal fishing in Somalia

    Question What more can be done to ensure that European ships do not participate in illegal fishing activities outside the EU through the use of ‘flags of convenience’? What can be done to prevent such European ships from participating in illegal fishing activities on the Somalian coast, and what is being done to ensure that […]

  • Whaling in the Faroes: an update

    I recently wrote about whaling by Faroese people, after a constituent from Millie Hall in East Yorkshire brought the subject to my attention. The Faroe islands (being outside the EU) not only have an exemption from the rules agreed by all EU countries banning whaling, but they also have secured exemptions from the Convention on […]

  • courtesy Lsuff via Wikimedia Commons

    Recreational fisheries and the CFP

    Question Given that recreational fishing is now included in the common fisheries policy through both the control regulations and the TAC/quota regulations (specifically through the new minimum conservation reference sizes and the bag limit for sea bass), does the Commission therefore believe that the scope of Article 17 of the common fisheries policy should extend […]

  • Ending overfishing: a welcome call from British businesses

    During the much needed recent reform of the EU’s Common Fisheries Policy (reform which even Greenpeace hailed as a great success), several British businesses made the case that more sustainable fishing practices ensure the viability of their industries. Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s now-famous ‘Fish Fight‘ campaign against the wasteful practice of discarding fish at sea was a […]

  • courtesy Arne List via Flickr

    Whaling in the Faroe Islands

    Question Does Denmark (or do Danish citizens) have any legal obligation under EC law or under the Berne Convention to refrain from participating in, or helping in any way, the killing of cetaceans, and is there any legal obligation on the 86% of the people of the Faroe Island who have chosen to hold a […]

  • courtesy Stephen Kennedy via Flickr

    Unfair labour practices in Asia shrimp farms

    Question According to a report by Fairfood International, published on 8 April 2015 and not yet refuted, shrimp farms in Asia are employing labour at well below real wages (EUR 8 per worker per day) and under unacceptable labour conditions according to EU standards (60 hours per week). According to the report, shrimp produced under […]

  • courtesy pixabay

    Fishing mortality

    Question Does the Commission regard Fmsy as an upper limit for fishing mortality as laid down in the common fisheries policy, Article 2.2 and the UN Fish Stock Agreement? If so, can the Commission then justify why the ICES was requested to provide plausible values ‘around’ Fmsy for stocks in the North Sea, in contradiction […]

  • courtesy Ian Sherlock via Flickr

    Commission fisheries visits

    Question How many visits (over the last five years) has DG MARE conducted, at the level of senior or junior officials, to meet with fishers’ organisations or practitioners in Member States and their regions, in order to consult on and explain the 2013 Common Fisheries Policy reform, and how many such organisations or practitioners have […]

  • Strong Baltic Sea plan marks important precedent

    This clip is a contribution I made to the positive vote in plenary on the Baltic multi-annual plan — a key implementation of the newly reformed Common Fisheries Policy. Since this MAP marks the first of the new style plans, it sets important precedents for others to come, namely the upcoming North Sea plan. I’m […]

  • Fishing

    The EU’s fight against pirate fishing

    The European Commission has today waved a yellow card at Thailand for not taking sufficient measures to fight against illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing (IUU). The card follows an initial denouncement from the European Commission in 2011 and now marks the opening of a formal dialogue with the Thai authorities to ensure corrective measures are […]

  • EU moves to protect endangered ‘poisson d’avril’

    I am very pleased that during this week’s Fisheries Committee, the European Commission announced emergency measures to alleviate the threat to the conservation of ‘poisson d’avril’ in Europe. What this means in practice is that during the key spawning period for the species this year, starting on 1st April, it will be prohibited to exploit […]

  • image courtesy Wikimedia Commons

    Bringing bass back to the agenda

    Back in January, I welcomed emergency measures taken to protect sea bass during the crucial spawning season. But the fact that we had to resort to reactive emergency measures also served as a reminder that we need real, long-term, preemptive, evidence-based policy-making for sea bass fishing. That’s why, this week, the European Parliament voted in […]

  • Image copyright Caitlin Childs - http://www.flickr.com/photos/nerdcoregirl/3135135560/

    Angling for bass protection

    When we talk about the impact of fisheries policy in Europe, it’s natural for us to automatically think of the influence it has on smaller scale fishing in our coastal towns, or the huge trawlers that head out into the deep sea. It’s important to remember, though, that fisheries policy also has a great impact […]

  • Fishing net

    Dutch electric fishing

    Question What is the Commission’s view on electric fishing by Dutch trawlers inside North Sea special areas of conservation, particularly the Haisborough, Hammond and Winterton SAC and the North Norfolk SAC? Does it agree that such activity is in breach of Article 6 of the Habitats Directive? Answer The effects of fishing with trawls towed […]

  • Image courtesy of latestnewslink.com

    Joining the fish fight

    It’s been four years since Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall kicked off his now famous ‘Fish Fight‘ campaign against the wasteful practice of discarding fish at sea. With the backing of nearly a million Brits and thanks to a firm position of Labour’s MEPs in the European Parliament, the reformed Common Fisheries Policy was finalised last year, hailed […]

  • Photo by Toby Wardman

    Yorkshire MEP takes to the seas in Grimsby

    Yorkshire MEP Richard Corbett will spend a day in Grimsby this week to learn first-hand about the challenges facing the fishing industry. Following European elections in May, Mr Corbett is now a member of the influential Fisheries Committee of the European Parliament. The committee is highly significant in shaping EU fisheries policy. It has been […]

  • Fishing

    Common Fisheries Policy reform evaluation

    Question What systemic plan has the Commission put in place for ex-post evaluation of the 2013 reform of the common fisheries policy? Answer Under Article 49 of the regulation on the common fisheries policy, the Commission is obliged to report to the European Parliament and to the Council on the functioning of the Common Fisheries […]