We have heard little about it and yet it could be the subject of a ban decided at European level today. Here is what it consists of.
Bottom trawling: Brittany the first victim of its ban by Brussels? [Video]
By imposing a ban on bottom trawling, the European Commission could give the final blow to Breton fishing, which is already in bad shape. Some Member States, including France, have however raised their voices in the face of this Brussels "action plan" containing inconsistencies and approximations.
Bottom trawling: France at the forefront Bottom trawling, an old sea snake for fishing professionals in Europe. Several member states of the European Union, including France and Spain, expressed their disagreement on Monday March 20 with the Brussels plan to ban bottom trawling in marine protected areas. The countries concerned question the effectiveness of this ban and are concerned about its socio-economic impact on their respective fishing sectors.
In February, the European Commission presented an "action plan" calling on member states to develop a roadmap to ban bottom fishing in marine protected areas by 2030. Among the targeted gears, trawls, dredges, demersal seine or pots.
The objective of this initiative would be to help restore vulnerable ecosystems on the seabed. Namely that the areas covered by these prohibitions currently represent 12% of European waters, with an objective of extending to 30% by 2030.
The European Commission equates trawling and traps Fisheries ministers meeting in Brussels on Monday strongly criticized this project. German Minister of Agriculture (and in charge of fisheries) Cem Ozdemir declared that it was necessary to defend ecological interests, but that a balanced regulation was nevertheless essential to ensure a future for fishing. An activity “basis of the existence of coastal populations and creator of added value well beyond the fishermen ”, he added.
Cem Ozdemir also said the total ban on bottom fishing was excessive and would harm crab fishing, an “important tradition” in Germany and a “substantial source of income ”.
For his part, the French Secretary of State in charge of the Sea Hervé Berville has also stepped up to the plate against the measure, which also contains aberrant approximations. According to Hervé Berville, the text of the European Commission is "disconnected from reality" because it operates "no distinction in the mobile devices of funds". If it entered into force, it would " result in condemning European artisanal fishing ", estimated the former deputy for the second constituency of Côtes d'Armor.
The latter also considers that the proposed ban is based on insufficient scientific data and “has not been the subject of any in-depth impact study ”. Clearly, it would simply not be “proportionate to the objective pursued” .
EU food sovereignty in question More broadly, between the successive fleet exit plans (the last of which will hit Brittany hard ) and these new potential fishing bans, the question of EU food sovereignty will eventually arise. A problem also raised by Hervé Berville, who fears that European countries will be forced to import more fish from third countries to cope with this drop in intake in the auctions of EU ports. An incredible scenario which would not, however, be a first for Brussels…
In this regard, it should be remembered that the EU already imports two-thirds of its fish consumption, as stressed on Monday in Brussels by Luis Planas, the Spanish Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food . while the European fishing fleet has steadily shrunk in recent years. The Minister also urges the EU to maintain its "competitiveness ", especially against countries like the United States or Norway which shamelessly practice bottom trawling.
On the side of Portugal, another European nation where fishing plays a preponderant economic role, the Portuguese Minister Maria do Céu Antunes indicated that the stocks of species caught were currently "in good condition" in terms of their sustainability . The Portuguese executive also says it is “ concerned about the legal framework ” provided, namely an “action plan” sketched out at leisure by the European Commission. With all the inconsistencies that we know about him. Maria do Céu Antunes would have preferred instead of this plan a legislative text that the Member States could then negotiate.
Finally, for the professionals of the European Bottom Fishing Alliance (EBFA), " 25% of the volumes landed and 38% of the total income of the European fleet" would be threatened in the event of a ban on bottom trawling in the areas protected. This will also lead to the questioning of the economic sustainability of approximately “7,000 ships” .
As for Brittany, it would be affected first and foremost by this ban. Indeed, according to Olivier Le Nézet, the president of the National Fisheries Committee quoted by the Telegram , “74% of the Breton fleet operates in marine protected areas”.
Full story translated by Google and courtesy of Breizh-info.com , 2023, dispatches free of copy and distribution subject to mention and link to the original source