European Parliament adopts European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF)

Statement of Britt Groosman, EU Director, Environmental Defense Fund on the European Parliament’s adoption of the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund.

“The new fisheries fund signifies a commitment to reverse overfishing of our precious ocean resources.  It provides robust incentives for fishermen to change their catching behaviour and ease the transition of the industry to more sustainable fishing practises.  The new fisheries fund will support improved data collection and enforcement, and enable fishermen to purchase gear and equipment that avoids catching unwanted fish.

“Smart rights-based management policies have the potential, where appropriate, to play a big role in the foundation of sustainable fisheries management, and the fisheries fund’s support for developing systems of allocation is another welcome addition.

“Like any compromise, the EMFF still has some way to go; for example, it retains funding for vessel modernisation which risks contributing to an oversupply of fishing capacity for the available fish stocks. However, with the CFP’s strong sustainability targets for reaching Maximum Sustainable Yield targets and more control and enforcement, this risk is minimised.

“EDF looks forward to continuing working with fishing industry, government and other partners to implement the goals of the reformed Common Fisheries Policy.”