Plans to ban fishing discards threatened by EU member states

A group of European Union member states are planning to thwart key reforms aimed at conserving dwindling fish stocks By Fiona Harvey, environment correspondent, www.guardian.co.uk
15 March 2012 The prospects of banning the wasteful practice of discarding edible fish at sea may be extinguished within the next few days, as a group of European Union member states are planning to thwart key reforms aimed at conserving dwindling fish stocks. Campaigners, including Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, have been calling for a ban on discards – the practice by which as many as two thirds of healthy fish caught by fleets are thrown back into the sea, dead – for more than a year. In his series, Hugh’s Fish Fight, he pointed out that half of all fish caught in the North Sea are thrown back overboard. He called moves to block the proposed ban “worrying in the extreme”. A change to European common fisheries policy to ban discards looked likely as the call had been taken up by the EU fisheries chief, Maria Damanaki. Her reforms would mean that fishermen would forced to land all fish they catch, receiving some compensation. But on Monday, a group of member states – led by France and Spain – will hijack a council meeting of all the EU’s fisheries ministers, the Guardian has learned. They will attempt to pass a “declaration” that would allow discards to continue indefinitely. Some fishermen – mainly companies with industrial-scale vessels – want to keep discards because by throwing back lower value, though edible, fish they can maximise their profits. The Guardian has seen a copy of the declaration that the member states want Monday’s council meeting to adopt. If it is passed, experts warned, then the hopes of banning discards would effectively be dead. “This declaration looks like a vote for maintaining the status quo, or at best tinkering at the edges, and allowing hundreds of thousands of tonnes of perfectly edible fish to continue to be wasted in European waters,” said Fearnley-Whittingstall. “If it succeeds I fear we can expect negligible progress on discards for many years ahead.” […] Spain’s stance was prefigured in a secret document revealed by the Guardian this year, which showed that the previous Spanish government was planning to scupper the proposed ban. The incoming government said at the time its position had not been decided, but it is now evident that Spain – which has the EU’s biggest fleet and receives more of the EU’s fishing subsidies than any other member state – is orchestrating opposition to the ban. “Ending this horrendous waste has to be the number one priority of a reformed CFP, and I’m going to do all I can to keep it on the top of everyone’s agenda,” said Fearnley-Whittingstall, “Over three quarters of a million people have already signed the Fish Fight petition calling for an end to discards … Now its time for the politicians and decision makers to make it happen.”