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EU considers shocking fish proposals
05 Dec 2006
Brussels, Belgium – The European Commission proposal for fishing opportunities in 2007 suggests quotas that are too high and, perhaps worse, it reintroduces electric fishing, a method denounced by WWF and banned by the EU ten years ago for its destructive impact on marine life.
The proposal would allow Dutch vessels to reintroduce electric fishing on the presumption that it will increase selectivity in catches, especially for plaice and sole fisheries.
WWF believes that using electric shocks to fish would be a risky precedent for Europe, not to mention the destruction the practice could cause to the marine environment, especially in the North Sea, where the Dutch fleet is particularly active.
According to a report by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES), research in the freshwater environment has demonstrated that electric fishing can damage fish and lead to mortality from stress, haemorrhaging, respiratory failure and spinal damage.
"Scientific advisory bodies to the Commission have warned against the unknown ecological consequences of electric fishing," said Carol Phua, Fisheries Policy Officer at WWF's European Policy Office.
"It is not by chance that this practice was prohibited in 1998. Once again, the EU is stepping backwards instead of pushing for progress.”
In addition to electric fishing, the EC proposal suggests that only a 25 per cent reduction for cod quotas, while scientists have been advising a zero-catch policy for the last five years. The situation is particularly alarming for cod in the North Atlantic. Not only are quotas set too high, but 40 per cent of the cod catches are unaccounted for.
WWF is calling on European fisheries ministers to redress the situation by adopting sustainable quotas according to scientific advice and refusing the reintroduction of destructive fishing practices, such as electric fishing in the North Sea.
“Making continued adjustments to cod quotas alone will frankly not help cod populations recover or enable fishermen to make long term plans," said Dr Tom Pickerell, WWF-UK's Fisheries Policy Officer.
"Implementing observer programmes, using selective fishing gear, allocating bycatch quotas and following scientific advice would be progressive steps towards sustainable fisheries," he added. "These solutions are all within our grasp and yet are being largely ignored.”
A final decision on the proposals will be made by EU ministers at a council meeting from 19–21 December in Brussels, Belgium.
For further information:
Caroline Alibert, WWF European Policy Office
Tel: +32 2 7400 936
Email:
calibert@wwfepo.org