September 3, 2012 — The European Commission has confirmed it will work with Norway to end discards in the Skagerrak. The proposal features an obligation to land all catches of certain fish species so as to stop the practice of discarding by 2015. Oceana welcomes this initiative and urges EU Member States to keep this measure in the new regulation of the Common Fisheries Policy.
“The discard ban is already implemented in Norway and this partnership, which will extend the ban into EU waters, is good news that shows we are moving towards a more responsible management of resources” stated Xavier Pastor, Executive Director for Oceana in Europe.
While the discard ban is a way to stop the waste of resources it is not in and of itself a solution, because it alone will not ensure a decrease of unwanted catches. Oceana considers that the upcoming reform of the Common Fisheries Policy provides a crucial opportunity to address the discard problem and establish the technical measures required to guarantee a more sustainable management of fisheries.
“What the Commission has agreed to with Norway is a strong signal to the EU to take similar steps towards a ban on discards in the rest of European Waters” added Javier Lopez, Marine Scientist of Oceana Europe.
“It makes no sense from an ethical, economical or environmental point of view that the European fleet wastes around one million tonnes of fish resources every year.”
Read the full story on the Fish Site