OCEAN2012 Responds to the Fisheries Committee's Vote on Reform of Common Fisheries Policy

Uta Bellion, director of the Pew Environment Group's European Marine Programme and OCEAN2012 co-ordinator, issued the following statement responding to the European Parliament's Fisheries Committee's vote on an own initiative report on reform of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP).

"Today the Fisheries Committee missed an opportunity to demonstrate clear support for an effective reform of the Common Fisheries Policy ensuring healthy fish stocks and vibrant coastal communities."

OCEAN2012 is committed to shaping a CFP that:

    * Enshrines environmental sustainability as the over-arching principle, without which economic and social sustainability is unobtainable;
    * Commits decision-makers to following scientific advice;
    * Reduces the fleet based on environmental and social criteria;
    * Makes public funding available to smooth the transition to more sustainable fisheries;
    * Makes access to fisheries resources and public aid for fishing conditional on environmental and social factors; and
    * Gives the public access to fisheries data from Member States, such as catches, fleet figures and compliance

Notes to the Editor:

1. The European Commission's CFP reform website
2. European Parliament's Committee on Fisheries draft report on the Green Paper on the reform of the Common Fisheries Policy (pdf)
3. The European Parliament is scheduled to vote on the report in plenary on 25 February 2010.
4. CFP consultation: OCEAN2012 submissions and documents
5. OCEAN2012 is an alliance of organisations dedicated to transforming European Fisheries Policy to stop overfishing, end destructive fishing practices and deliver fair and equitable use of healthy fish stocks.
   OCEAN2012 was initiated, and is co-ordinated, by the Pew Environment Group, the conservation arm of The Pew Charitable Trusts, a non-governmental organisation working to end overfishing in the world´s oceans.
   The founding members of OCEAN2012 are the Coalition for Fair Fisheries Arrangements (CFFA), the Fisheries Secretariat (FISH), nef (new economics foundation), the Pew Environment Group and Seas At Risk (SAR).