Luís comes from a family of fishermen. His great-grandfather started fishing in the tiny village of Cabo de Gata, near Almería, Spain, many years ago. Today, Luís is teaching is son the ropes. He's the first of the fifth generation of fishermen from this family.
Artisanal fishing makes up over 60% of all fishing here in Andalucía, the southern region of Spain. The methods they use are sustainable and cause little damage to the sea and to fish stocks: they know that if they catch everything today, there will be nothing left for them to catch tomorrow. So they look after their patch, they don't catch young fish, they don't damage the bottom of the sea and their discards are minimal. This allows fish stocks to replenish, ensuring there's plenty left for future generations.
Yet the European Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) favours the most powerful parts of the fishing industry, which have a much higher environmental impact. Often these are boats so big and powerful that they can catch two to three times more fish than the ocean can handle. This doesn't only put the future of European fish stocks in serious jeopardy, but it also means that artisanal fishermen are increasingly struggling to make a living - like Julián, a pole-and-line fisherman from Hondarribia, the Basque Country.
It's important for them to do this now, because the CFP gets reformed only once a decade. This year, European politicians will negotiate and vote on changes to the CFP.This could be our only chance to ensure that the policy is fair for all fishermen, artisanal and otherwise, and to salvage a future with healthy, sustainably managed fish stocks
You can help make this a reality. Be a Fisherman's Friend and sign our petition to the UK Fisheries Minister Richard Benyon now.
