Reducing discards at sea ‘vital’ for success of CFP reform
CFP proposals tackled by international experts at World Fisheries Congress
Panels comprising international industry experts and politicians have debated Common
Fisheries Policy (CFP) reform at the 6
th
World Fisheries Congress in Edinburgh.
Debate was fuelled specifically by regionalisation and the potential for devolving certain
powers to member states; subsidies; Transferable Fishing Concessions and discards.
Contributors reached the unanimous view that reducing unwanted catches and discards is
vital for the success of fisheries reform.
The ‘Question Time’ style debate, facilitated by WWF and SeaWeb, addressed proposed
policy reforms and examined imminent challenges and opportunities for the industry.
Contributors including UK Fisheries Minister Richard Benyon MP; Scottish Cabinet
Secretary Richard Lochhead MSP; Tony Long from WWF; and Lowri Evans, DirectorateGeneral for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries for the European Commission, took part in the
session.
Emily Howgate, Programme Manager at SeaWeb, facilitated the panel debate. She said:
“The year ahead will be a decisive one for CFP reform.
“The debate held at the World Fisheries Congress brought together leading figures from
European politics and the fishing industry to examine policy issues and delve into the
challenges and opportunities for science and supply chain operators.
The session confirmed
that collaboration between government and industry will be crucial to ensure positive
implementation of the reform, with fishermen and other stakeholders assisting to inform
policy.”
