Proposal for new fishing dates is generating legitimate anger among glass eel fishermen, anger that is deeply justified.
AFPMAR does not understand the need to set fishing dates that are so restricted and limited, when the number of licences is limited, the quota is set by a scientific committee so as to comply with the objectives of EU Regulation 1100/2007, and the application of the consumption/restocking allocation key makes it possible to allocate the quota by Eel Management Unit (EMU) and by category of professional fishermen: sea and river. Icing on the cake: glass eel runs have never been so high for at least twenty years.
In short, a lot of hot air for nothing!
Certainly, when the Commission for Fisheries and Maritime Affairs had only one thought: to eradicate fishing by all means and to prohibit the exploitation of glass eels during their main upstream period (double advantage: fishing while the glass eel is not there, or not very much, and in addition the fishermen cannot ask for compensation), we could understand this discussion of carpet dealers between the national and Brussels administrations, But now that the Commissioner has changed, it’s about time we had a clear explanation of the effectiveness of such a measure, which brings nothing but additional hassle to a profession that is more than traumatised and has one of the most tightly regulated fishing industries in Europe.
No need to study hard
Once a quota has been set, taking it in 30 days for consumption or 90 days is the same for the stock and would perhaps remove some of the pressure on the fishing industry, which is the only one to have achieved its objectives. The professional fishing industry has been weakened socially and economically by decisions that are not understood because they are not explained to those who are affected by them. It’s about time there was a little more dialogue between the stakeholders involved in the management of this species.
So a bit of common sense and pragmatism
To rebuild our confidence in an administration where we wonder whether its sole aim might be to eradicate small-scale fishing to allow the unbridled plundering of our continental, estuarine and coastal ecosystems. Our daily observations show that other uses have not made any significant effort. This is a very poor start for successful adaptation to the increasingly intense climate change that awaits us.
It is high time, as professional fishermen have been calling for many years, to introduce a procedure for evaluating management plans with the participation of all stakeholders, as requested by our MEPs in November 2023.