Northern fishermen have been challenged to ‘grab the chance and become involved in helping to save their industry from long-term oblivion.’
The call has come from the Yorkshire and Humber MEP David Bowe, who says a vote in the European Parliament on the setting up of Regional Advisory Councils—bringing together fishermen, scientists and environmentalists—is a major step forward in the drive to achieve a united approach to protecting fish stocks.
Recently Mr Bowe, who is Labour’s European spokesperson on the environment, warned that the fishing industry was ‘drinking in the last chance saloon’ if it wanted to avoid reaching the point where stocks of some fish species, such as North Sea cod, went into irreversible decline.
He explained “The vote in the Parliament means that regional interests will now have a stronger voice in discussions over how fisheries policy should be implemented within Europe—and fishermen will be able to make a direct input.
“The setting up of the regional advisory councils is an important element in the proposals agreed by EU fisheries ministers at the end of last year to introduce long-term recovery plans for cod and hake—and hopefully move away from the annual spectacle of last-minute haggling over quotas.
“I sincerely hope that the local fishing communities will recognise that they must become involved and they must accept the scale of the crisis facing the industry—for example the widespread scientific evidence that cod stocks in the North Sea are now just a tenth of the levels in the 1970s.
“European funding has been made available for setting up the councils and I am encouraged that they are strongly supported by British fishing organisations as well as the Government"
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