The International Collective in Support of Fishworkers (ICSF) has endorsed a letter calling on the EU Commissioner for the Environment, Oceans & Fisheries, Virginijus Sinkevičius, to make fishing fair and to support practices better for people and planet by reallocating resources and opportunities.
The letter, co-ordinated by Blue Ventures, a UK-based NGO that works to restore the world’s oceans and improve the livelihoods of fishing communities, notes that “public money is funding the pollution and depletion of our coasts.”
It adds: “Current process rewards high volume catches without considering overfishing, seabed damage or emissions. For decades, low-impact, small-scale fishers have been fishing responsibly but are overlooked. Instead, quotas and subsidies benefit those doing the most damage.”
“The failure to address equity in European fisheries policies has led to missed opportunities to deal with environmental degradation, economic disparities, and social injustices.1 Low-impact, small-scale fisheries (SSF) generate more jobs and greater added value per litre of fuel used whilst causing less environmental damage, in contrast to large-scale, high-impact fishing.2,3 Despite this, the sector has been starved of fishing opportunities and sectoral support over decades, impacting the overall resilience of European fishing communities.
We are calling on you to address the inequalities generated by European fisheries policies through a just transition that ends harmful subsidies and secures fair access for small-scale, low-impact fishers to financial support and fishing opportunities in Europe.”
The full text of the letter is available at https://makefishingfair.org/