P6_TA(2006)0276

Inshore fishing

European Parliament resolution on inshore fishing and the problems encountered by inshore fishing communities (2004/2264(INI))

The European Parliament,

- having regard to the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP),

- having regard to European Fisheries Fund Regulations,

- having regard to Article 11 of Council Regulation (EC) No 2792/1999 of 17 December 1999 laying down the detailed rules and arrangements regarding Community structural assistance in the fisheries sector [1],

- having regard to its resolution of 5 April 2001 on Fisheries: safety and causes of accidents [2],

- having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 2371/2002 of 20 December 2002 on the conservation and sustainable exploitation of fisheries resources under the Common Fisheries Policy [3],

- having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 1421/2004 of 19 July 2004 amending Regulation (EC) No 2792/1999 laying down the detailed rules and arrangements regarding Community structural assistance in the fisheries sector [4],

- having regard to its resolution of 15 December 2005 on Women's networks: fishing, farming and diversification [5],

- having regard to the Lisbon Strategy,

- having regard to Rule 45 of its Rules of Procedure,

- having regard to the report of the Committee on Fisheries and the opinion of the Committee on Women's Rights and Gender Equality (A6-0141/2006),

A. whereas inshore fisheries, especially small-scale coastal and traditional fisheries, make a considerable contribution to the socio-economic wellbeing of coastal communities, contributing to local development, job preservation/creation both upstream and downstream, supplies of fresh fish and the preservation of traditional local cultures,

B. whereas the economic and social crisis affecting the fisheries sector is of particular concern for the less competitive fleet segments, especially the inshore fisheries,

C. whereas there is currently a variety of measures pertaining to different aspects of small-scale fisheries in a number of Community regulations,

D. whereas the CFP and its instruments, especially with regard to the future European Fisheries Fund (EFF), must take account of the inshore fisheries and adapt to their specific problems, above all as regards small-scale and traditional inshore fisheries,

E. whereas it is important to ensure the future of inshore fisheries within the European Union, given their critical contribution to employment in coastal areas, while respecting the need to prevent over-capacity in this segment of the fleets and resulting depletion of resources,

F. whereas, despite high unemployment and an ageing coastal fishing population, there is a serious lack of recruitment of young people in some coastal areas,

G. whereas there exists a high dependency on fisheries and related industries in certain coastal areas, particularly in island or remote coastal areas,

H. whereas a large part of the processing sector in the most remote regions has its competitiveness and economic viability assured by the Community support granted,

I. whereas there is a serious lack of accurate statistical information on the inshore fishery sector in many Member States, which precludes serious analysis and comparison of the sector,

J. whereas a new Community initiative may be beneficial to the future development of the sector,

K. whereas, having regard to the crucial potential role of representative organisations in the sector and of local authorities in its development at local level, there is a need for projects and actions developed by the above in support of inshore fisheries, notably small-scale and traditional fisheries, to be encouraged and supported at Community level,

L. whereas it is important for coastal fishermen to participate in the trading process, improving the mechanisms for marketing their products and promoting a review of the common organisation of the market in fisheries products so as to ensure fairer initial sale prices and promote a better distribution of added value across the value chain,

M. whereas it is vital to ensure the participation of inshore fishermen and their representative organisations in the decision-making process of the CFP, the protection of the marine environment and the recovery of fish stocks, promoting the application of the co-management principle and decentralisation of the CFP,

N. having regard to the insecurity affecting incomes and wages in the sector, arising from its marketing practices and price formation methods at initial sale and the irregular nature of the activity,

O. whereas the inshore fisheries sector is also affected by the increase in variable costs, together with the high instability of fuel prices,

P. whereas there is increasing tension and competition for resources between inshore fishermen, who fish for a livelihood, and recreational fishing, and whereas this is a problem that needs to be addressed,

Q. whereas it is necessary to ensure that inshore fishing techniques also contribute to improved environmental protection and sustainable development of the fisheries sector,

R. having regard to the need to encourage professional training for inshore fishermen,

1. Stresses that inshore fisheries make a vital contribution not only to local economies but also to maintaining the social fabric of coastal communities, given that they contribute more jobs per amount of fish caught than other segments of the fleets, particularly in island or remote coastal areas;

2. Believes that inshore fishing activity is essential for the preservation of cultural traditions and practices, ensuring not only the protection of cultural diversity in the regions concerned but also the very survival of entire coastal communities; believes furthermore that these traditions and practices must be preserved;

3. Recognises that inshore fisheries can and must play a constructive role in the protection and conservation of the coastal marine environment;

4. Realises, however, that if the capacity of the inshore fleets is too great, they could also contribute to resource depletion;

5. Takes the view that, as part of regional policy, the Member States should apply common mechanisms to protect inshore fishing, with a view to ensuring its ability to continue, and should make the achievement of objectives and the implementation of specific provisions dependent on natural conditions in inshore zones and on resource protection; inshore zones are areas where many species of fish, including industrial fish, spawn and where juvenile fish are reared;

6. Believes, however, that there is a need for continuing research on the role and impact of inshore fisheries, with a view to ensuring, as with all fishing activities, that they are kept at a sustainable level;

7. Considers that specific research is required into the issue of the protection of fishing within three nautical miles of the shore by vessels of up to 12m in length using passive gear;

8. Proposes eliminating the use of fishing gear that jeopardises the sustainability of coastal stocks and the viability of the social fabric related to the fisheries sector;

9. Recognises the difficulties of establishing a common definition at EU level of inshore fisheries, and therefore believes that there is an urgent need for those involved to lay down minimum criteria which are acceptable to all and which establish the necessary balance between coastal, offshore and recreational fishing activities;

10. Believes that the minimum criteria must take account of, inter alia, aspects such as the following:

(a) small-scale inshore fisheries;

(b) the length of vessels;

(c) the distance from the home port within which vessels operate, having regard to the different geographical and maritime conditions in the Member States;

(d) a maximum length of time during which the vessel is away from home;

(e) vessels which return to port daily and sell their catch fresh;

11. Believes that a harmonised approach to the collection of inshore fisheries data is essential in order to provide accurate data on inshore fisheries activities — a prerequisite for the establishment of a common definition;

12. Invites the Commission, as a matter of urgency, to propose ways of harmonising data on inshore fisheries throughout the European Union, safeguarding the characteristics of the individual national and regional fisheries;

13. Underlines that there is an urgent need to address the multiple problems in the inshore fishing sector, notably in the areas of management, structural improvement, development, education and training;

14. Believes that it is essential for inshore fisherman and dependent communities to be more directly involved in processing and trading in order to strengthen their profit base and improve their living standards;

15. Proposes maintaining support within the sector for the processing of fisheries products in the most remote regions, in particular aid for olive oil used for tuna canning;

16. Calls on the Commission to recognise the specific nature of inshore and traditional fishing in the CFP, and to determine how far the existing instruments are suitable for responding to the sector's needs, adapting them accordingly;

17. Recognises the existence in current EU legislation of certain provisions dealing specifically with the management and structural improvement of the inshore fisheries sector;

18. Believes that it is appropriate for the new EFF to finance the provision of fuel-efficient engines and environmentally friendly fishing gear and improvements in on-board working conditions for inshore fisheries, provided that this does not lead to an increase in capacity;

19. Calls on the Commission to finance the modernisation of inshore fishery vessels;

20. Therefore calls on the Commission to consider a new Community initiative for this important sector of activity;

21. Further calls on the Commission, in this context, to ensure that specific and adequate finances are made available, so as to permit the proper implementation of any new policies;

22. Underlines that coastal management plans (CMPs), where they are established in a few Member States, have had positive effects on the sector, and consequently believes that CMPs should constitute an important element of any new EU initiative;

23. Points out that, currently, vocational training geared towards the sector in the Member States is either totally inadequate or non-existent;

24. Points to the need for the immediate establishment of a training programme covering safety at work in the fishing industry, protection of the marine environment, protection of resources, protection of the sea and inshore zones, catch quality and marketing and management in the fish processing sector;

25. Affirms that appropriate and specific education and training are essential if young persons in our coastal regions are to be encouraged to perpetuate coastal fishing activities and traditions;

26. Therefore calls on the Commission to bring forward specific educational and training programmes for the inshore fishery sector, notably so as to encourage the entry of young professionals into the sector, and to provide adequate funding in order to ensure the full implementation and success of those programmes;

27. Further requests, in this context, that the necessary publicity be given to the action taken, so as to ensure that comprehensive information on training opportunities is readily available to all interested parties;

28. Believes that any new inshore fisheries legislation must pay special attention to the need to establish and maintain a safety culture in which safety is given the highest priority, and to ensure that safety rules appropriate to the inshore sector are properly implemented; insists that such a safety culture must start by ensuring a more secure and modern fleet with the capacity to include new safety equipment and material, it being necessary to this end to continue with the granting of aid for the renewal and modernisation of the fleet under the future EFF, as already approved by Parliament;

29. Recognises that women play a major role in the inshore fisheries sector, notably in the areas of management, sales and marketing, aquaculture, processing and research;

30. Believes that women's networks can make a major contribution to the socio-economic development of fisheries-dependent communities, and notably coastal communities;

31. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to take systematic account of the gender dimension and gender equality when dealing with any of the situations and problems linked to inshore fishing and in pilot projects financed by the CFP and the structural funds, since this type of fishing is characterised by an economic structure which is chiefly based on small family firms, where women play a fundamental role which should receive legal and social recognition;

32. Takes the view that the changes which are occurring in communities that depend on inshore fishing affect women both directly and indirectly and therefore calls on the Commission to lend its support to specific projects which have as their objective the recognition, promotion and diversification of women's role in fisheries-related areas and to adopt solutions, with a view to the diversification of activities and the restructuring of such communities, that not only enjoy the support of local, regional and national governments and the European Union but also benefit from equal participation of men and women;

33. Urges the Commission firstly to gather and analyse gender-differentiated data on inshore fishing and secondly to identify and propose solutions to the specific problems facing women in inshore-fishing communities, in cooperation with the future European Institute for Gender Equality;

34. Notes that the health of women directly involved in inshore fishing may be affected by often difficult working conditions, but that in the majority of cases their lack of a legal work status means that they do not enjoy equal conditions of access to the health system; therefore calls on the Commission and the Member States to provide a rapid solution to this problem by adopting the necessary measures to guarantee those women's economic and social rights, and in particular their right of access to social security and health services, together with measures aimed at improving their safety and preserving their health in the working environment;

35. Believes as a matter of principle that inshore fishermen, small-scale processors and other coastal entities directly involved in or affected by inshore fishery activities should be involved in the management of the sector;

36. Calls on the Commission to consult with the inshore fisheries sector and to ensure the active involvement of that sector at the appropriate policy level in the decision-making process, which directly affects them;

37. Believes that the Regional Advisory Councils have an essential role to play in this context;

38. Requests the Commission to report back to Parliament concerning any initiative involving specific treatment for inshore fisheries;

39. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission and the governments of the Member States.

[1] OJ L 337, 30.12.1999, p. 10. Regulation as last amended by Regulation (EC) No 485/2005 (OJ L 81, 30.3.2005, p. 1).

[2] OJ C 21 E, 24.1.2002, p. 359.

[3] OJ L 358, 31.12.2002, p. 59.

[4] OJ L 260, 6.8.2004, p. 1.

[5] Texts Adopted, P6_TA(2005)0532.

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