Fishers fight “anti-fishing propaganda war”
The association said Europêche was at “the forefront of the fight back against the anti-fishing propaganda war”, which they say is being waged by many environmental groups, or non-governmental organisations (NGOs).
However a leading UK scientist said rather than branding NGOs the enemy, fishermen should acknowledge the benefits green lobbying groups have brought to their industry.
Professor of marine conservation at York University, Callum Roberts, said it was only thanks to pressure from environmental groups that “much needed reforms” were adopted.
The SFA has just become Europêche’s 13th member after having previously been represented through the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation.
Following a revamp of the organisation, the SFA has become the UK’s only regional representative body, in recognition of the significance and size of the Shetland-based industry.
SFA executive officer Simon Collins said: “It has long been a source of frustration among fishermen that their very obvious expertise is frequently ignored when it comes to policy-making.
“But the fiasco of the discard ban, where under pressure from green NGOs the EU introduced legislation obliging fishermen to land everything they catch, and then turned to fishermen to make it work when they realised they couldn’t, has turned the tide.
“The SFA has chosen to join Europêche because it is at the heart of the drive to restore the rightful place of fishermen in helping to build a future for the industry while preserving the environment.”
Professor Roberts however said the SFA’s comments about environmental NGOs were “ill considered and wrong-headed”.
Fisheries management in the EU was utterly dreadful up to very recently with average quotas set 35 per cent higher than recommended by scientists, he said.
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“Recognising the dreadful state of management and the declining state of the marine environment, environmental NGOs began to put pressure on the European Commission to do something about it.
“That pressure has had the welcome benefit of forcing the adoption of much needed reforms that are beginning to pay dividends.
“There have been some welcome improvements in the state of some fish stocks, especially in northern parts of the North Sea. In this respect the environmental groups have been the fishermen’s friend.
“By helping to call a halt to overfishing, environmental groups have benefited the long term sustainability of the industry. The industry should recognise that benefit, rather than branding them as the enemy, which is childish and erroneous,” he said.
Europêche is active in pursuing the interest of 45,000 vessels, representing 80,000 fishermen, from nine European countries.
Its managing director Kathryn Stack said: “It is important that we have a wider spectrum of views and contributions from all types of fisheries in the EU and we are very keen to start working with the association and listening to Shetland’s fisheries concerns to ensure the rules they have to conform to are workable and realistic.”
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