EU Calls for Drastic Cut in Fishing

Plans were announced by the EU today for a radical overhaul of Europe's fishing industry, calling for cuts of up to 60% on fishing fleets despite vocal opposition from some member nations.

The European commission has been warning for months that the most important fish stocks are on the verge of collapse as crews fish harder to boost shrinking incomes - scuppering conservation measures in the process.

But today's controversial plans come amid political attempts behind the scenes to soften the measures, which could mean an end to thousands of jobs across Europe.

"It is make-or-break time," the EU fisheries commissioner, Franz Fischler, said in presenting his proposals. "Either we make bold reforms now, or we watch the demise of our fisheries sector. The desperate race for fish has to stop."

Proposed plans call for the end of subsidies to boost fishing capacity, a tighter enforcement of fishing limits and closer consultation with industry leaders.

The plan also calls for around £170m to be used to fund the scrapping of hundreds of fishing boats, to reduce the EU's total fleet by up to 60% in some member states and encourage fishermen and women to seek other employment.

New rules will also be proposed on the shape and size of nets to prevent landings of small fish. Mr Fischler said the plan would result in the withdrawal of some 8,600 boats from Europe's main fishing areas, the Mediterranean and the North and Baltic Seas.

He said he wanted to bring to an end "the annual horse-trading" of quotas, which has resulted in warnings from scientists being ignored that the levels of Europe's most popular fish, including cod, haddock and hake, are at dangerously low levels.

Mr Fischler said: "The effectiveness of fishing techniques means fleet catches have gone up, not down."

Britain is particularly backing the commission's proposal for a system of regional fisheries management, including fishermen and scientists equally in decisions affecting the industry's long-term future.

Labour MEP Catherine Stihler commented: "We must tailor Europe's fish policy to meet the needs of diverse regions. We have a fundamental mismatch between fishing capacity and declining stocks . . . the commission must not cave in to powerful vested interests which scupper the drive for reform."

Environmentalists: plan is "not enough"

The WWF (formerly the World Wide Fund for Nature) criticised the proposals saying they did not go far enough to limit damage to fish stocks and to other sea life, such as dolphins and birds, which routinely end up in illegal fishnets.

Opposition to the overhaul has led to accusations of meddling by several EU nations, including Spain, with the largest fleet in Europe and the biggest stake in the EU's £380m annual fish subsidy handout.

Controversy over efforts by the Spanish government to block the proposals were aired in public earlier this month, and led members of the European parliament to call for an inquiry.

Spain, Portugal, Italy and France have said they are staunchly opposed to the overhaul, which they argue will cost them thousands of jobs.

Spain, which has over 65,000 people employed in the fishing sector compared with 16,000 in Britain, also objects to the UK having permanent exclusive access to parts of the North Sea, reflecting traditional fishing patterns.

For nearly 20 years, trawlers have been told to cut catches and limit their days at sea, as efforts to conserve stocks have become more and more desperate. But it has been for nothing: the commission now says the fishing fleet is still 40% too big for the available fish stocks, most of which are close to collapse.

The starkest fact highlighting the plight of fishing is that the amount of adult demersal fish - those living on the seabed - has fallen by 90% since the early 1970s.

Trawler fleet owner Elizabeth Stevenson, of Newlyn, Cornwall, said: "I do not think the UK fleet should be scrapping any more boats until other countries come into line."

But she added: "Without a good fish stock there can be no fishing industry."