After reading ‘Fisheries: implementation and enforcement of the EU landing obligation. House of Lords – European Union Committee. 8 February 2019’, the only hope for Europe’s fisheries is Martin Selmayr.
I have spent many years working (intermediately) on fisheries. Sadly, every time I dip back in, not much has changed.
Just ignore the law
I took advantage of a long train journey to read the new report on the implementation and enforcement of the discards ban. Half way under the channel tunnel, I had a flashback. Nothing has changed since before the new CFP was introduced in 2013. The UK industry and government(s) just choose to ignore it. It seems they have no desire to implement it.
This well written report deserves reading. It seems to politely conclude that if you don’t like the law, the thing to do is just ignore it. And, it helps if the government accepts this. As you know they won’t enforce it, let alone set up a system to police it, you know your chances of getting caught are low.
It’s like having speeding limits without speeding cameras, police to run random tests, or even a administrative or judicial system to enforce the laws.
Officials try to reverse the law
Attempts by industry and government officials to quietly ignore recently adopted laws are not unknown. When the EU introduced legislation on mobile roaming charges, attempts by Commission officials to re-introduce them via the back door of secondary legislation led to public anger. Martin Selmayr, then chef de Cabinet of President Juncker, is rumoured to have stepped in, and withdrawn the offending text.
Just Ignore the Ban
The EU introduced a ban on the discarding of fish back in 2013.
The House of Lords report:
“Instead, we found little evidence that fishers had adhered to the new rules during the phasing in period, or that there had been any meaningful attempt to monitor or enforce compliance”.
This is not just happening in the UK, but all over Europe. A popular measure is being ignored by fisheries and governments. It’s not a case of turning a blind eye. It’s mass amnesia.
A helping note for the French – 30 March 2019
I’d expect that some clever `French official will read this report. After all, English is the working language of Europe. They’ll see that the UK government and industry are very openly admitting in public that they don’t implement the law.
The French, Danes, Dutch and others are having a hard time getting access to UK waters after the UK leaves the EU. They may be looking around for pressure points for the UK.
If I were them, I’d send the House of Lords report into the European Commission and ask them to launch IUU proceedings against the UK. It’s not hard to prove. They have already admitted it.
As the UK exports most of their catch to the European mainland the prospect of being barred from their largest market will hurt. If they want to know if this has an impact, have a chat with the Thai government and industry.
No Surprises
That this has happened is not a surprise. Many government and commission officials working in fisheries objected to the discards ban. Their political masters overruled them. Fisheries officials too often have a symbiotic relationship with those they are regulating, the fishers. Their viewpoints too often align.
Solutions
The report is good. It identifies the solutions. Quota ownership, where 80% of the fleet own only 6% of the quota, is key. The UK industry’s practices are too often feudal. Another solution, used by others, is quota swaps and trading.
Perhaps the best solution is to simply abolish fishing ministries and ministers. After all, there is no Minister for lawn movers (likely a larger and more profitable industry in most countries). Without the protective embrace of officialdom, the law can be enforced.
The easiest would be to get Martin Selmayr interested in fish.