Including marine recreational fisheries in the CFP: can the EU afford not to?

This webinar took place while the negotiations on the revision of the Fisheries Control Regulation are ongoing. The main objective of this event was to present the preliminary findings and results of the EU-funded pilot project called Control “Scheme for Recreational Catches of Sea Bass” launched in order to establish better management and control measures for recreational fisheries in the framework of the Control Regulation and future multiannual management plans.

Pointing to the European Commission’s strong focus on collecting data on recreational catches without considering the socio-economic importance of the sector, Mr Mitchell advocated for full inclusion of marine recreational fishing (MRF) in the CFP. The MRF sector is estimated to represent 10.5 billion euros of annual economic impact and 100,000 jobs in Europe. He underlined that the economic, environmental and social impact of angling is significant enough to recognise the sector as a full actor in the CFP. Management decisions for recreational fisheries should not be made as a function of the impact on commercial fisheries, he argued. 

 

Moreover, recreational fishing is already supporting the realisation of the CFP objectives as anglers take part in the efforts for a more sustainable and selective fishing and are already involved in science-based decision making, for example through the Advisory Councils or by participating in the ICES sea bass benchmarking session. Anglers already comply with specific requirements in the Control Regulation, technical measures, data collection and multiannual plans.

This ‘half-in, half-out’ status, where inclusion is only based around control and monitoring, must end. Being already regulated by the CFP, the sector must be recognised as a full stakeholder to be able to make its voice heard, Mr Mitchell concluded. This strong presentation was also supported by the fishing tackle trade industry, represented by EFTTA’s CEO, Olivier Portrat.

MEP Clara Aguilera acknowledged that better data collection is very much needed for recreational fishing and that it will be a core element of the ongoing negotiations on the new Control Regulation. Establishing a registration or licence system for individuals engaged in recreational fisheries activities is a way to provide appropriate data to better evaluate the impact and the importance of the sector.

Commenting on the reference made by MEP Aguilera to the 2018 European Parliament resolution on MRF (the Nicolai report ) in which she argued that MRF should not influence commercial fisheries negatively, Harry Strehlow from the Thuenen-Institute of Baltic Sea Fisheries, and Member of the ICES Working Group on Recreational Fisheries Surveys (WGRFS), wrote ‘Why should this be important from an EU perspective? And if, why not ask: what are the effects of commercial fishing on the recreational sector? I am thinking about the efficient use of natural resources.’ He further developed this idea in his own presentation. He recalled that there is no legal framework that says how to allocate resources between commercial and recreational fisheries that a paradigm shift was necessary in order to regulate recreational fisheries and thus better management of marine biological resources.

Several data collection apps were presented during the webinar, highlighting the readiness of anglers to contribute to data collection on their catches but also the need to provide positive incentives to make these systems viable.

Francesca Arena, Head of the Control Unit (DG MARE, European Commission) concluded by acknowledging that she was impressed by the figures presented on recreational fisheries. She agreed that more knowledge on recreational fisheries is needed, as well as a more prominent role in the CFP, and this will lead to better regulation of the fishing sector as a whole and thus a better management and protection of marine biological resources.

Link to the EAA Presentation

Link to the agenda of the meeting