David Levy – Planning for the Future – Feb 2013
After many “inside sources”, including our own particular legal advisor, spoke so generously of UK Fisheries Minister, Richard Benyon MP, in his fight for real change in the current reform process of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP), I have felt it important that Marinet responds and gives the Minister support where we can, whilst maintaining pressure where necessary.
Our response is also to keep the pressure up on MEPs and their voting powers in the CFP reform process, and for us to move into the key area of the EU’s CFP subsidies which prop up the whole unsustainable edifice of overfishing. It is these subsidies which are keeping uneconomic boats at sea. John Stansfield (Marinet’s European campaigner) has identified this action strategy years ago, and now we feel the time is right to focus our energies on delivering policy and action aimed at altering the way subsidies are used. For example, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s FishFight has identified that £3,000,000 is needed to “buy out” fisheries in the South Georgia and Falkland Islands which could then become a marine reserve and no-take sanctuary for fish. What better example could you provide for the use of subsidies.
We are planning a high profile summit conference on this question of subsidies and marine management in London in June. Watch this space.
David Levy – February 2013
