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Vote: Common fisheries policy (CFP reform), final vote, February 2013.
The Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) is an instrument for the management of fisheries in the EU. EU Member States collaborate jointly to ensure fish stock sustainability and protect the marine environment.
In theory the system of quota imposed by the CFP ensures that only sustainable quantities of fish are caught. In practice, however, vessels catch more fish than is allowed, which leads to a depletion of fish stocks.
In order to ensure the sustainability of fish stocks and fishing industry itself, the European Commission put forward reform proposals. At the core of the new rules is a 'sustainable fishing' principle, which means that stocks cannot be exploited above a certain level. EU Member States will be prevented from setting high quotas, and fishermen will be obliged to catch no more of a certain stock than can be reproduced in a year – that is, the 'maximum sustainable yield'.
In addition, there will be a discard ban for unwanted catch that fishermen currently throw back into the sea.
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Protecting fish stocks is common sense. If overfishing continues, there will be no fish left to catch. If stocks recover there will be more fish to catch, which in turn will lead to more jobs in the fishing industry. The discard ban will put an end to a wasteful practice. Fisherman will avoid catching unwanted fish and at the same time the fishing industry will become more innovative. |
The EU’s ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach to the discard ban is too rigid, and does not take local and regional factors into account. European intervention would lead to job losses in local communities and to a reduction of the fishing fleet. The fishing industry is actively reducing discards anyway, and there is no need for a European discard ban. |
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