All the fishing companies operating in the Adour basin are now members of AFPMAR.
All the fishing companies operating in the Adour basin, in both sea and river areas, have joined AFPMAR. Our treasurer Olivier Jeannots reports that 54 fishing companies have joined our association. This community of fishermen has just been hit hard by the closure of salmon fishing on the estuary, following a decision by the administrative
Read MoreA denial of democracy! The European Commission is calling for the European eel to be listed in Appendix I of CITES.
The European Commission, in a Note from the Directorate General for the Environment (Ref. Ares(2024)7730153 dated October 30, 2024) addressed to non-European countries located in the European eel’s natural colonization area, encourages the classification of the European eel in Appendix I of CITES, i.e. a classification prohibiting the exploitation of the species, including for restocking.
Read MoreICES experts give their eel verdict
At the request of the European Commission, ICES has just issued its opinion on catch opportunities for European eel in 2025. This advice is dated 1 November 2024, and obviously given the terms of reference defined by the Commission: to look only at the fishing aspect and the catch opportunities for 2025, it is similar
Read MoreEnlarged Bureau of AFPMAR after the general assembly of 26 October 2024
Président Alex Thiburce – Marin pêcheur à l’Aiguillon La Presqu’île Vice-président Eddy Janin – Pêcheur fluvial à Mouzillon Vice-président Christopher Quemener – Marin pêcheur à Batz – sur – Mer Vice-président Ibai Aguirrebarrena – Mareyeur à Saint-Vincent de Tyrosse Trésorier Olivier Jeannots – Pêcheur fluvial à Sainte – Marie de Gosse Administrateur – Vincent Bernard
Read MoreA Very Promising General Meeting
On Saturday 26 October 2024, AFPMAR held its first general meeting since its creation in 2023, in both in-person and video-conference sessions at two locations: Sainte-Marie de Gosse (Landes) and La Roche-sur-Yon (Vendée). 39 professional river and sea fishers attended the two locations, including Philippe Micheau (President of the CMEA – Commission pour le Milieu
Read MoreLess fishing and more value-added
The AFPMAR would like to set out its proposals for making better use of the French glass eel fishery, an important activity for small-scale coastal fisheries in the Bay of Biscay (glass eel sieving is practised by a quarter of the small-scale fishing fleet in the Bay of Biscay) and an important activity for inland
Read MoreThe 2023 – 2024 glass eel fishing season: an exceptional upstream run in abundance.
First results. The Scientific Committee in charge of setting quantitative options for defining the glass eel quota to be fished for the next season had questioned professional fishermen on their impressions of the abundance of these fry in various estuaries along the Atlantic coast. The results of the questionnaire sent out provided qualitative information on
Read MoreFirst overview of the 2023 – 2024 glass eel fishing season
The new limitations on fishing periods have been strongly felt in the maritime zone in the UGAs located in the north of the Bay of Biscay and in the English Channel. For the next season, they will be further tightened, and the closed seasons must cover the main migration periods for this fry, as required
Read MoreA book on glass-eels in memory of 3 professional fishermen who have passed away.
The book ‘Civelles Aturriennes’ is dedicated to the memory of 3 professional fishermen: Jacques Lespine, Robert Subréchicot and Gérard Jeannots who practised their métier with passion and sagacity in the Adour and Gaves basin (South-western part of France). This book is about a species, or more precisely the fry of a species: the glass eel,
Read MoreEels: a social, economic and environmental mess.
For more democracy and less technocracy AFPMAR has just published a motion on the need to review the governance of the implementation of European regulation 1100/2007 on the restoration of the European eel. It can be viewed and downloaded below. Two tables below summarise the main milestones, constraints and actions needed to unblock a situation
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