A proposal for a blanket ban on deep-sea trawling for fish – which could have had significant consequences for the UK fishing fleet – has been defeated in the EU Parliament.
In 2012, the EU Commission proposed new measures to regulate deep-sea fishing because of the fragile environments in which it is undertaken.
These included the gradual and total phasing out of deep-sea fishing using bottom trawls and bottom-set gillnets in the North East Atlantic, on sustainability grounds.
On Tuesday (10 December), the Parliament’s fisheries committee voted against a total ban on deep-sea trawling.
The decision has been hailed a victory by the UK Conservative Party, which claims that British Conservative MEPs helped defeat the proposed ban.
“The ban was a disproportionate and poorly conceived approach which would have brought the sector catastrophic consequences. Some 10% of UK active vessels would have been wiped out instantly,” said Struan Stevenson, Conservative MEP for Scotland.
The Scottish Fishermen’s Federation said the proposal would have affected a “small but nonetheless significant number of Scottish vessels”.
“Scottish fishermen fully support the need to protect these vulnerable marine habitats, but with a growing world population it seems madness to take away a valuable source of seafood that can be sustainably harvested if the proper management and protection measures are in place,” said Bertie Armstrong, chief executive of the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation.
European Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Maria Damanaki said that following the Parliament’s vote, she expected the Council of Ministers to start work on new regulation, including other measures to regulate deep-sea fishing. “The Commission is ready to facilitate constructive three-party discussions on this proposal. We must work together to protect the vulnerable deep-sea species and their habitats.”
1 Readers' comment