This Wednesday, March 22, 2023, hundreds of French fishermen will demonstrate in Rennes to show their dissatisfaction. This historical movement of fishermen has been developing for a few weeks and emerges from various demands. As you may know, French fishing is currently going through a crisis, and according to Pleine Mer, this crisis may only be the beginning. Faced with this situation, we have decided to consult our members and supporters, whether they are fishermen, activists, scientists, or simple fish consumers. These exchanges lasted several weeks and led to the writing of this article.
Indeed, despite the reassuring tone of the political class and the institutions representing fishing; the problems are numerous and are likely to last. At Pleine Mer, it seems to us that these problems all have one thing in common: how to achieve the transition to sustainable fishing while preserving socio-economic balances? It also seems to us that these many problems still have solutions that can be considered as opportunities for the fishing industry. Everything will depend on how each issue is dealt with politically. Unfortunately,the experience of Brexit suggests the worst: the political class and the representative bodies of the fisheries have preferred to postpone the problems during the long years of negotiations, which has led to the current crisis: a scrapping plan that will make 90 boats, including 4% of the Breton fishing fleet.
Thus, it will not be easy to "transform problems into opportunities" : the French artisanal fishing sector faces a political class totally disconnected from the realities of fishermen and "representative" institutions increasingly plagued by the lobbies of the industrial fishing. Fishermen have understood this well since they are asking for the dissolution of the National Fisheries Committee and Producer Organizations among the demands of the movement organized in Rennes on March 22. We hope that this article will allow you to see more clearly in the deep crisis that the fishing sector is currently going through and to collectively imagine solutions to this crisis. Here is the outline of this article:
- Brexit and the loss of fishing licenses in English waters, an example not to be repeated !
- Prohibition of dragging arts in MPAs in 2030: beware of socio-economic balances!
- Climate change, diesel prices and decarbonization of fisheries
- Spatio-temporal closure due to cetacean bycatch
- The lack of sailors and first-time installers: what transmission of the profession of sailor-fisherman?
- Overfishing and competition with industrial fishing
Conclusion: is this transition positive for the profession?
1. Brexit and the loss of fishing licenses in English waters, an example not to be repeated!
“Who could have imagined the Brexit crisis? » … these are the kind of snakes that the representatives of the French fishing industry would like us to swallow. Yet the negotiations that led to the UK's exit from the European Union have been going on for years. With the consequences that fishing has been suffering for more than a year now: hundreds of fishing licenses removed, dozens of fishing companies affected, and a fleet exit plan that will have the effect of breaking 90 French fishing vessels . How did we get here ? How could the disastrous consequences of Brexit on French fishing be avoided?
“The English will never close fishing to French boats, otherwise we will close the European market to British fishing products” … this is what we often heard in the corridors of the French National Fisheries Committee during the Brexit negotiations. And that's also what we heard a lot in the French media: “sleep good people, everything will be fine”.
Instead of preparing for the coming crisis, equipping French boats with positioning beacons (VMS/AIS which would have enabled French fishermen to prove their presence in British waters), and negotiating in advance the conditions of the Brexit for fishermen, the representatives of French fishing preferred to postpone the problem. In other words, they preferred to move backwards in order to jump better. Instead of being clear with the fishermen from the start, instead of preparing for the transition and the postponement of the fishing effort, the representatives of the fishing industry have denied the problem, with the disastrous consequences that we know for certain regions whose fisheries are truly devastated by the consequences of Brexit.
This is for example the case of the fishermen of Hauts-de-France, already strongly impacted by competition with Dutch industrial fishing, and for whom the loss of licenses in English waters was a real coup de grace. In Brittany, too, the consequences are dramatic: today 45 boats are broken, which directly threatens hundreds of jobs : in addition to fishermen, we are also talking about auction employees, fishmongers and fishmongers workers... Indeed, it is often said that a job at sea is equivalent to 4 jobs on land .
The example of Brexit is extremely important for understanding the rest of this article. Indeed, the other problems of the fishing sector are currently before us. But if they are treated in the same way as the Brexit crisis… then we are heading straight for disaster for the fishing industry! If it is too late to avoid the Brexit crisis, let's avoid repeating the same mistakes for future crises , in other words: let's anticipate!
2. Prohibition of dragging arts in Marine Protected Areas in 2030: beware of socio-economic balances!
The subject has been on everyone's lips for a few weeks: last February, the European Commission proposed to ban towed gear within the Marine Protected Areas (MPA) of the European Union. An announcement that did not fail to make many professional fishermen who work today within these famous MPAs jump.
But what are the drawling arts? In France, these are mainly bottom trawling and dredging . The bottom trawl is a cone-shaped net that is towed across the bottom and is held open with two panels, allowing fish moving on the bottom to be caught. The dredge is a kind of metal rake fitted with a metal net, the assembly scraping the bottom to capture shellfish, often Coquilles Saint-Jacques. According to the scientific community, these two gears have an impact on the seabed, and in particular on the habitat of exploited species, which is why NGOs like Bloom have been campaigning for years for the banning of towed gear in MPAs .
So, yes, banning fishing gear that destroys marine habitats in an area dedicated to environmental protection is rather common sense, and at Pleine Mer we are in favor of environmental protection. Be careful though: in the current state of things, such a measure would have catastrophic socio-economic impacts, and artisanal fishermen have understood this well . In the bay of Saint-Brieuc, for example, covered by an MPA on 20% of its surface, it is clear that we are talking about family businesses that would go out of business if the use of the dredge was prohibited from day to day. the following day.
In fact, to adopt a coherent discourse on the use of towed gear in MPAs, it is necessary to go back a few years. What is an AMP again? It is a marine area in which certain uses have been restricted in order to protect the environment.MPAs can be defined as a spectrum that goes from the area prohibited to all users, to the area prohibited to fishing, passing through the area where only certain activities are authorized but not others. For twenty years now, the countries of the Global North (so-called "developed" countries), under pressure from various environmental NGOs, have set quantified objectives for developing MPAs: 10% of the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), then 20% and finally 30%. A real shallot race then started to reach these figures as quickly as possible, and that's where the problems started. Instead of defining priority areas to be protected, French governments have decided to define areas as “protected”, without regulating any use there. EIn other words, the objective was to cover as much of the area as possible defined as “protected”, without actually protecting them, in order to achieve the famous objectives. This is what some NGOs have called “paper marine protected areas” , since they are only protected on paper, but not in reality.
And what do the representatives of French fishing and the political class say to fishing professionals who were asking themselves questions? "Sleep good people, don't worry, we will never ban fishing in marine protected areas, you can continue to fish without asking yourself any questions". Exactly the same discourse as on the Brexit crisis … and this time the results could be even more dramatic since we want to ban certain fishing techniques after telling fishermen that MPAs would have no consequences.
This map of the MPA located in front of Granville illustrates the problem well: the entire area in orange is an MPA, and beyond that we find ourselves in English waters. When this MPA was set up, fishermen were promised that it would have no impact on their activities.
In this region where dragging arts are highly developed, their ban in MPAs very directly threatens socio-economic balances.
So yes, in the long term, the trawl must be banned in MPAs, and we can even be more radical: in 30 years, the trawl will have disappeared, a bit like the thermal car. For the moment, it is difficult to do without, but in the long term it will be necessary to do without it. But beware ! Let's not forget that hundreds of families currently depend on the trawl to earn their living. It is not a question of putting them on the street overnight because of too hasty decisions. Because making all the trawlers suddenly disappear would be a tragedy for artisanal fishing, and a boon for industrial fishing lobbies, too happy to get their hands on the fishing rights of hundreds of scrapped artisanal boats.
Moreover, it is a bit risky to separate the boats which use the “dormant arts” and those which use the “trailing arts”. The reality is much more complex, and there is often a complementarity between the dragging gears and the sleeping gears which are sometimes used by the same boats: it is the versatility of artisanal fishing . The shell dredger is the best example, since many boats use the dredge during the winter season, and work only on the dead gear the rest of the year. This is the case for many gillnetters-dredgers, trapnetters-dredgers or even troller-dredgers, all over the Channel-Atlantic coast. Thus, in the bay of the Seine,the dredger finally allows many boats to stay afloat financially and to use dormant arts the rest of the year. This problem is well summarized in this video published by a fisherwoman from Granville.
Let's not forget either that the trawl is sometimes useful for static gears : this is the case with the sandeel trawl, which allows trollers in southern Brittany to fish for bait in order to then line-fish bass, or the crab which has the same function in the ports of Charente-Maritime. More broadly, the shellfish trap boëte is often fished by trawl, as is the case in Granville, in northern Finistère, or in northern Cotentin.
So what to do? We have a few ideas, and we'll deal with the trawl and the dredge separately.
To. The trawl
With regard to the use of the trawl in the MPAs , we must stop telling bullshit to the fishermen. Whether we like it or not, trawling will be prohibited in MPAs . And nothing will change, it's public opinion that wants it: you can't say that areas are protected if you use fishing techniques that have an impact on the environment. So we might as well prepare for this ban, which will happen anyway, by working alongside fishermen to preserve the jobs and fishing businesses that currently depend on trawling.
Instead, the presidential majority wants to be reassuring, as evidenced by the speeches of Pierre Karlseskind, president of the fisheries committee in the European parliament who declared: " This ban does not make sense because it goes against the conservation objectives of these marine protected areas”. The bigger it is, the more it's acceptable ! No need to be an expert in sustainable fishing to see the political lies of this deputy, who would do better to meet the profession to find out about the profession that his votes will impact. Hervé Berville, Minister of Fisheries, did not do much better by declaring:“France is totally opposed to the implementation of the ban on fishing gear in MPAs […] because all the countries that have set up marine protected areas find themselves sanctioned” .
Many artisanal fishermen have recently shared these two speeches on social networks. However, beyond being deeply anti-ecological, these speeches are above all misleading : let's stop making fishermen believe that this ban will not take place. Whether in 2030, 2040 or 2050, MPAs will soon be closed to trawling, and this fishing gear is also weakened by other crises such as the price of diesel. Fishermen will have to adapt: the sooner we support them, the better.
But how to adapt to such a change?
First of all, the location of MPAs should be reviewed . As explained above, these were placed in areas that suited everyone, disregarding ecological priorities. It is therefore necessary to consult scientists and fishermen to collectively establish a coherent MPA network with environmental preservation objectives defined in advance.
Once the location of the MPAs has been defined with the fishermen, it will be necessary to propose a progressive ban on trawling in the MPAs , for example by gradually reducing the number of days at sea authorized for towed gear in the MPAs, which would gradually allow them to adapt and find other fishing grounds. We can imagine a reduction of 10% per year over the first 5 years, then 20% per year for the following 5 years, giving fishermen time to adapt and find new fishing areas. We could also ban trawling in a progressive percentage of MPAs, increasing this percentage each year.
Finally, if we want to ban trawling in certain areas, we must support the development of new alternative fishing techniques to trawling in these same areas. To sum up, it is a matter of providing economic incentives for fishermen to modify their boats, by subsidizing them. At the same time, it will be necessary to abolish “trawl” licenses, while creating new licenses for the use of the new fishing gear developed. It takes time, and organization, but it is possible.
By combining a review of the location of MPAs, the gradual banning of trawling in MPAs and aid for the transition from trawling to other fishing gear, then it will be possible to gradually ban trawling in MPAs, while preserving jobs in the fishing sector . We must therefore get down to it today, rather than putting fishermen to sleep by telling them that everything will be fine.
b. the flirt
With regard specifically to the scallop dredge, we believe that the problem is still different. (We will not deal with the clam dredge or the mussel dredge, the subject is already complex enough not to add to it!)
First of all, the socio-economic balances in North Brittany and in all of Normandy are very largely based on the fishing of the Coquille Saint-Jacques by dredge. Without the shell of Baie de Seine, the majority of Norman boats would no longer be profitable and would go out of business. The dependence on this species of a large number of artisanal fleets requires extreme caution. Moreover, if we take a single-species approach to fisheries management, the scallop is one of the best managed species in France : thanks to strict regulations, put in place by the fishermen themselves, this seasonal fishery has a bright future ahead of it.
However, we can say it without flinching: the dredge scratches the seabed, and damages the ecosystems. The dredge is not a gear that is good for the environment, and the lack of fish in the bay of Saint-Brieuc and in the bay of the Seine is no stranger to the impact of this fishing gear. Some scientists even speak of a simplified ecosystem or "cultivated field" to qualify the Bay of Saint-Brieuc or the Bay of the Seine : very low biodiversity, but very high single-species production which supports many businesses, with regular reseeding of the resource, and even plowing if you want to push the metaphor!
Thus, if we consider that these dredged ecosystems, which represent negligible areas compared to trawled areas, have been permanently modified by man and will not return to their original state, it seems quite acceptable to continue to practice scallop fishing with a dredge. If we extrapolate, the great mudflat and its langoustines can be analyzed in the same way : an ecosystem with little biodiversity, regularly plowed, and a strong single-species production which supports important socio-economic balances.
Does this prevent us from encouraging scallop fishing while diving and langoustine trap fishing when possible? Of course not ! As Didier Gascuel explains in his book “La péchécologie – Manifesto pour une pêche truly durable” , the impact of fishing should be minimized wherever possible, and therefore a gradual transition to more gentle fishing techniques.So, no, we are not going to go diving fishing in the middle of the bay of the Seine, 35 meters deep, and you will always have to use fishing gear to go and collect these delicious shells at such depths. But in certain areas of northern Brittany, in Glénans, in the harbor of Brest or around the Channel Islands, it is possible to invest sustainably in diving fishing and it must be done by all means. For example, we can think of economic incentives to transform “crushing shell” licenses into “diving shell” licenses.
How complex it is to talk about the transition to sustainable fishing! That's why it's a lie to tell fishermen “don't worry, nothing will change” , when we know all the factors that influence the fishing sector, and all the divergent interests that fight in it. If we want to avoid a major crisis, we must anticipate the closure of MPAs to dragging gear, and propose solutions so that this change is gradual and benefits fishermen who will seek to transition to sustainable fishing techniques.
3. Climate change, diesel prices and fisheries decarbonization
That's it, climate change is here, and fishermen are observing it every day . Once again, the fishermen's representatives are a step behind, they who were not far from the climate-skeptic discourse a few years ago.
Fishermen will be among the professions most impacted by climate change since they depend on a natural resource and the weather to work. However, fishermen are also part of greenhouse gas (GHG) emitters and therefore have an impact on climate change. This is why the European Commission has launched a major fisheries decarbonization plan. The goal? Minimize the use of diesel engine in fishing.
Once again the representatives of the fishermen want to be reassuring: “sleep good people, the hydrogen engine will solve the problem”. But current hydrogen engine prototypes would not sustain the fishing fleet in its current state, especially trawlers that need high draft power to pull the trawl.
At the same time, the price of diesel increases? Remember, however, that diesel is tax-exempt for professional fishermen, that is to say that they do not pay tax on it. To this indirect subsidy is currently added aid for fuel. But wouldn't all this money be better invested in the transition to fishing techniques that consume less diesel than trawling? The question needs to be asked.
In any case, fishermen will have to be innovative in the face of the coming energy crisis. The Skravik project, for example, is not lacking in ambition by launching a sail fishing business. This type of project must develop if we want to hope to maintain a fishing fleet despite the tensions to come on the price of energy and particularly oil.
We can also imagine the development of alternative fuels, such as frying oil which now supplies several artisanal boats on the island of Oléron, thanks to the Roule ma frite association . Other solutions can be envisaged such as synthetic diesel projects from algae. These possibilities have the advantage of operating while retaining the current heat engines, which makes them excellent transition solutions. All that remains is to invest in their development: whether we like it or not, oil resources are rapidly running out and fishing will have to adapt.
4. Spatio-temporal closure due to cetacean bycatch
Banning trawling in MPAs would almost have stolen the limelight from them, yet they are the ones who have been on the cover of the newspapers for a few years in winter: the dolphins accidentally caught by fishermen in the Bay of Biscay.
Let's be clear, no, no fisherman wants to catch a dolphin . Despite everything, the number of strandings has increased sharply, and fishing has an impact on the dolphin population. The Sea Shepherd Association has filmed some of these catches at sea, and whatever one thinks of this kind of method, the problem is there: the dolphins have changed their behavior and their catch in the nets and pelagic trawls is more and more more common in the Bay of Biscay. Fishermen must therefore propose solutions to get out of this crisis which has lasted too long.
And guess what the strategy of the National Fisheries Committee is? The same as before: “sleep good people, they are only ecologists-extremists-seed-eaters, there is no problem, we support you”. Except that the result is there: the Council of State has just given 6 months to the State to set up spatio-temporal closures to reduce the number of dolphin strandings.
Space-time closures? It means closing the fishery in a certain area for a certain period of time. What if fishing companies are economically dependent on this area? They will pay the price. We are very far from the optimism of the fishing authorities, which did nothing for years.
However, we can imagine some effective solutions.
First, encourage the reporting of incidental captures of dolphins. This information on the captures allows scientists to have data, which will allow for example to avoid the capture of cetaceans in the future.
Then, it would be quite possible to cross-reference the spatial data of dolphin catches, and the spatial data of the economic dependence of fleets concerned by the capture of dolphins. We could then establish areas of tension, as well as areas where the capture of dolphins is far too high compared to their socio-economic interest. Such areas could then be avoided by boats.
It is difficult to say whether pingers (acoustic devices placed on fishing gear which aim to scare cetaceans) are effective in the long term, and these acoustic devices also raise the question of noise pollution in the marine environment. However, anglers should encourage research into any kind of technology to avoid dolphin fishing.
Finally, the debate about cameras on board is complex. Who would want to be permanently filmed at their workplace? However, this is the case for many workers in the banking sector or in mass distribution. It is important to differentiate between the camera which films the bend of the trawl, and about ten cameras installed in the crew's berths. Finally, it would seem normal to encourage the installation of cameras on volunteer boats, rather than waiting for these devices to be imposed by law by dint of accumulating cetacean catches.
Once again, institutions prefer to close their eyes rather than anticipate problems, and the profession risks paying the price.
5. The lack of sailors and first-time installers: what transmission for the profession of sea-fisherman?
We often hear that fishing lacks sailors and young people no longer want to set up as skippers. This situation poses major problems in terms of the operation and transfer of fishing businesses.
But what are we doing to attract sailors? What living conditions are offered to them? So yes, the Fisheries Committee invests millions in communication campaigns that promote the profession of sea fisherman. Having a good job is good, but what are the working conditions? What are the salaries? Do women have a place there? How are you treated when you are a worker of Senegalese or Ivorian origin?
Unfortunately, we know the answer to these questions: the boats are old and uncomfortable, the wages are less and less good, women suffer from sexism, and racism is still very present on some boats. Say like that, it does not make you want.
So let's transform the sector. Let's adapt boats and improve the quality of life for sailors with insulated berths or raised sorting mats. Let's give women conditions that allow them to work in the same way as men. Welcome immigrant workers as a boon to the industry, rather than inflicting crass racism on them by paying them less than their white colleagues. Fishing can remain a profession of the future, but it must adapt to the new demands of workers, and not the other way around.
As for the installation of young fishing bosses, the work is immense. Speculation on fishing rights artificially raises the price of boats , and young people have to go into debt to buy boats over 30 years old. The “Mer de Lien” project launched by Pleine Mer aims to tackle this problem through a citizen financing system. But this will not be enough, and it is necessary to reform in depth the laws which govern the distribution of quotas in France, based on article 17 of the Common Fisheries Policy which stipulates that quotas and fishing rights must be allocated based on economic, social and environmental criteria.
6. Overfishing and competition with industrial fishing
We no longer present overfishing, this perfectly aberrant economic situation in which too high a fishing effort leads to low catches. This situation was endemic in European seas twenty years ago and it can be said that the situation has since improved. However, in some areas overfishing remains a major problem, such as in the Mediterranean where 95% of fish stocks are overexploited.
To deal with this, solutions have been proven in the Atlantic: minimum catch sizes, licensing, increasing the mesh size of the nets, and fishing quotas . It remains to put in place an emergency plan in the Mediterranean, if the fishermen do not want to pick up jellyfish in a few years. And there will also be work on the Atlantic coast, in particular the increase in the mesh of nets and trawls which would make it possible to increase the size of the fish caught, the volume of the catches, and the quantity of fish in the water. , within a few years.
When we talk about overfishing, we of course think of the shareholders of industrial fishing multinationals who don't care about the collapse of fish stocks as long as they can move their boats to other fishing grounds. Giant trawlers, Danish seine: ever more efficient fishing techniques are currently threatening the English Channel and the North Sea, and the artisanal fishermen who work there. But the industrial fishermen have found a scheme: they have infiltrated the representative bodies of fishing in France to assert their interests. And the industrial fishing lobbies welcome the possible reduction of the artisanal fishing fleet, since they will recover the precious quotas of the artisanal fishing boats broken or sold off.
From there to say that the authorities of French fishing are gradually organizing the death of artisanal fishing, by their reassuring attitude, and that the whole thing is skilfully orchestrated by the perfidious lobbies of industrial fishing... that seems a bit exaggerated. But it is certain that the interests of small-scale fishermen are very poorly represented today, and that the fishing industry rubs their hands in observing this disorganization of the small-scale sector. However, the solutions exist and the craftsmen will have to organize themselves collectively to put them in place.
Conclusion: is this transition positive for the profession?
If we drastically summarize the points mentioned in this article, here are the main areas of transition on which fishermen will have to work in the coming years:
- From a political point of view
- Overhaul of the institutions representing the fishing sector (committees and POs) for a true representation of small-scale fishing and a fair distribution of quotas
- Application of Article 17 of the Common Fisheries Policy , end of speculation on fishing rights
- From a technical point of view
- Support for fishing companies towards the exit from "all trawling" which does not meet the environmental requirements of consumers, nor the increase in the price of diesel and which does not provide many jobs in view of the volumes caught
- Development of alternative techniques to towed gear, wherever possible
- Increase in the mesh of the nets to increase the volumes of fish caught and the biomass of wild fish
- Development of fossil fuel-efficient ships
- Development of vessels adapted to the new requirements of fishworkers
- From an administrative point of view
- Implementation of an "AMP plan" to establish real marine protected areas
- Establishment of strategic zoning to avoid the capture of cetaceans
Admittedly, it will not be easy in the first years, but the results of this work will not be long in coming and will be extremely positive for the profession:
- From the point of view of volumes landed , a drop will take place in the first years, but it will be offset by an increase in selling prices, particularly if we develop “over the counter”. Once the first years are over, the volume of fish in the water will increase, and so will the volumes caught. In any case, the majority of boats will go from a race for volume to a search for value.
- From the point of view of marine resources , the prospects are very encouraging. If we increase the mesh size and there are real MPAs, then the number of fish will increase, as well as their size, and the overall resilience of ecosystems too, which is essential in the context of climate change.
- From the point of view of public opinion , this virtuous approach by fishermen will make it possible to change the image of the fisherman, which is the first factor of political orientation on the regulations. In other words, more regulation now means less damage in the future, more appeal to the profession, and a better image in the eyes of the general public.
- From the point of view of the transmission of the profession , it will be much more interesting to work on modern boats, with good working conditions, which respect the environment, which will facilitate the recruitment of sailors and the sustainability of fishing companies.
- Finally, from a political point of view , this work by fishermen will make it possible to refocus the debate on the real enemies of the environment: industrial salmon farming (tropical shrimps and other carnivorous fish) and industrial fishing. Fish eaters will have a much better image of artisanal fishing and they will quite naturally choose seafood products from French artisanal fishing, a true sentinel of the environment.
Are artisanal fishermen ready to take this turn? Many are already working on it and we must now amplify this dynamic by putting pressure on representative bodies and the political class.
Full story courtesy of Association Plein Mer and Google tramnslate.