17/11/2006
EU United In Call for Effective Action Against Destructive Fishing Methods at UN General Assembly

The European Union will again be calling for an effective package of measures to tackle the impact of destructive fishing practices on the high seas at the UN General Assembly debate on sustainable fisheries which resumes today in New York.

 The Member States of the EU have given their unanimous support to the position that will be advanced by the European Commission on their behalf. Based on the conviction that Regional Fisheries Management Organisations (RFMOs) are key to the effective governance of high seas fisheries, the Commission will propose a radical overhaul to the regulatory approach by both RFMOs and States.

Today, any activity that is not regulated is implicitly permitted. In the future, fishing with bottom gears that may have adverse impacts on vulnerable ecosystems would need to be assessed before it is authorised. This far-reaching change in the way in which fishing activities with potential destructive effects are regulated represents a decisive step forward in ensuring both better fisheries governance and effective environmental protection.

The position which the Commission will advance this week in New York was unanimously approved during a coordination meeting held with Member States in Brussels on 9 November.

It includes the call for a freeze on the current footprint of bottom fishing, so as to prevent its extension into new areas. It would also mean the immediate closure of all known vulnerable habitats to destructive fishing practices while continuing current efforts to map such sites. Both these measures are to be implemented through RFMOs where these exist. Where there are no RFMOs yet, they should be implemented through the unilateral action of Flag States concerning their own vessels, or through interim agreements between Flag States, pending the establishment of an RFMO.

The EU is also calling for the reversal of the burden of proof in establishing in which areas of the high seas bottom fishing may continue to be carried out. That is, rather than assuming that bottom fishing within the existing footprint is harmless to deep sea ecosystems unless it can be demonstrated otherwise, flag states and RFMOs will require clear evidence of the non-harmful nature of fishing activities for the vessels concerned to retain their licences.
                       

The Commission will also propose setting political target dates for the introduction of these measures, which would be subject to review by the General Assembly on the basis of reports provided by the parties concerned. These measures represent a comprehensive package which has the merit of offering real perspectives of progress towards eliminating bottom fishing practices where they have a destructive effect on sensitive marine environments.