The European Commission is preparing a plan to accelerate the ecological transition of the bloc\u2019s fisheries and decarbonise the sector as it deals with the current energy crisis.<\/p>\n
The rise in fuel prices as a result of the war in Ukraine is having \u2018catastrophic consequences\u2019 on EU fisheries, to the point of threatening the sector\u2019s \u2018viability\u2019, European fisheries Commissioner Virginijus Sinkevi\u010dius told the EU-27 ministers at the Agrifish EU Council on Monday (21 November).<\/p>\n
Each time marine diesel goes up by \u20ac0.10, the profitability of the EU\u2019s fisheries sector decreases by an estimated \u20ac188 million \u2013 half the cost of the ships\u2019 operations \u2013 according to the Commission\u2019s estimates.<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/a><\/a> Though the sector was able to benefit from the swift rapid release of state aid and the European Maritime Affairs, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF) to fend off fuel price increases, Sinkevi\u010dius\u00a0believes the solution lies in remedying the sector\u2019s dependence on fossil fuels.<\/p>\n \u201cWe need a strategic and systemic transition to ensure the resilience of our sector. This is essential if we are to achieve our Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) objectives and ensure a viable and sustainable business,\u201d said the Commissioner.<\/p>\n Greek agriculture minister Georgios Georgantas said that the consequences are also \u201ccatastrophic from a socio-economic point of view for small-scale fishermen\u201d, which make\u00a0up a sizeable part of the sector.<\/p>\n However, price\u00a0increases are taking an even heavier toll on larger, more fuel-intensive vessels.<\/p>\n \u201cSmall-scale fishermen do not go very far out to sea, have lighter boats with light fishing techniques (small nets, longlines),\u201d Green MEP Caroline Roose told EURACTIV.<\/p>\n \u201cThe big boats that are suffering the most from this crisis must therefore make efforts as a priority to consume less and adapt their fishing techniques,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n Technological innovation, according to the Commission, is how the fisheries sector will move away from its reliance on fossil fuels.\u00a0Initiatives that aim to modernise the sector have already been launched in the EU.<\/p>\n In Brittany, the first French electrically-powered oyster barge was inaugurated in July.<\/p>\n The vessel \u201cis powered by two 70 kW electric motors and has two 40 kWh batteries,\u201d Yannick Bian, the shipyard\u2019s manager, told\u00a0Ouest France\u00a0following the project\u2019s launch.\u00a0 Soon the vessel \u201cwill be able to be fitted with a hydrogen kit\u201d, he added.<\/p>\n At the same time, there is an increasing number of hybrid ships running on diesel-electric engines, with some in Dutch waters boasting carbon emission reductions of up to 60% compared to diesel engines.<\/p>\n But despite these efforts and significant improvements on the energy efficiency front in recent years, progress remains too marginal.<\/p>\n \u201cThere is not enough awareness, not enough coordination\u201d between the various players, said Sinkevicius.<\/p>\n To accelerate and boost the fishing industry\u2019s decarbonisation, the Commission presented three other areas of focus.<\/p>\n Besides fostering technological innovation, the Commission calls for a \u201cstrong commitment\u201d from all stakeholders, including companies, NGOs, fishermen, engineers, and boat manufacturers, as well as easier access to finance and a qualified workforce.<\/p>\n On 7 November, the Commission opened the consultation phase with all the stakeholders to gather feedback on a future coordinated action at the EU level to support and provide a greener perspective to the fisheries sector.<\/p>\n France welcomed the initiative, said the Secretary of State for the Sea, Herv\u00e9 Berville, who himself advocates for a \u201cdecarbonisation shock\u201d.<\/p>\n The energy transition will make it possible to \u201cdevelop the local economic fabric and fight against illegal fishing\u201d he said, noting that these issues are \u201cexacerbated\u201d in the French overseas territories.<\/p>\n Moreover, Berville pointed to the current Common Fisheries Policy and the EAGF being insufficient to address the EU\u2019s ageing fisheries fleet, as 65% of boats are more than 25 years old.<\/p>\n Also in favour of the initiative is Spanish agriculture minister Luis Planas, who said the proposal will be made a priority for when his country takes over the six-month EU Council presidency in the second half of 2023.<\/p>\n \u201cIt will not happen overnight,\u201d warned Sinkevicius, noting that the proposal will allow us to \u201cemerge stronger\u201d from this crisis and achieve the objectives of the Green Deal.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"menu_order":2,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[177],"tags":[9332,9300,2035],"region":[1916],"source":[2235],"country":[2002],"state":[],"city":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.icsf.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newss\/99120"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.icsf.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newss"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.icsf.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/newss"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.icsf.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.icsf.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newss\/99120\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":99121,"href":"https:\/\/www.icsf.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newss\/99120\/revisions\/99121"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.icsf.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=99120"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.icsf.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=99120"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.icsf.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=99120"},{"taxonomy":"region","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.icsf.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/region?post=99120"},{"taxonomy":"source","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.icsf.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/source?post=99120"},{"taxonomy":"country","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.icsf.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/country?post=99120"},{"taxonomy":"state","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.icsf.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/state?post=99120"},{"taxonomy":"city","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.icsf.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/city?post=99120"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}