Responsible fishing and vibrant fishing communities

It is important to continue work to ensure that European Fisheries in the long term is environmentally, economically and socially sustainable. The fishing industry shall contribute with healthy food and food security.

Level-playing field

The Common Fisheries Policy shall ensure “level playing field” for the fishing industry in the European Union. We do not necessarily have to have the same rules in the Mediterranean or the Atlantic Ocean as in the North Sea and Skagerrak.

The Danish Fishermen PO believes in a more regionalized approach considering the specific conditions for fisheries in the different sea basins, following the fish and fisheries in the various areas. As part of the regionalization possibilities should be made for a more flexible cooperation with third countries, eg Norway.

Compliance and enforcement

The fisheries policy should also work constructively with realistic goals – Nobody gains from setting goals, that all knows cannot be achieved, due to time horizon, lack of knowledge or missing data when it comes to setting of TACs and quotas and management plans for the various stocks.

We must also to a greater extent have a fisheries policy that can be complied with and enforced. What we don’t need are rules, that fishermen cannot comply with. What we do need are rules and a framework that industry understands and feels responsible for. In order to achieve this, EU must to a greater extent limit itself to only define the overall framework and leave it to the fishing industry to fill this framework, eg when it comes to technical measures or control rules for the fishing industry.

Room for diversity

We must have a fisheries policy that provides room and space for the diversity in the different fisheries. There must be room for both large and small vessels and all kinds of fisheries. Both the industry and the authorities must ensure that it is attractive to be a fisherman – thus the fisheries policy will have to be simplified and less bureaucratic.

In this context a way forward could be to leave the details to the Member States. Level playing field should not mean to apply the same bureaucratic rules to all EU Member States.