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Την απόρριψη της αίτησης καλλιέργειας του γενετικά τροποποιημένου (ΓΤΟ) καλαμποκιού Bt-1507 ζητά με γραπτή ερώτησή του από την Ευρωπαϊκή Επιτροπή ο ευρωβουλευτής του ΠΑΣΟΚ, Κρίτων Αρσένης
Άρθρο μου στο THE PARLIAMENT MAGAZINE
για την αναθεώρηση της Κοινής Αλιευτικής Πολιτικής
By Kriton Arsenis - 6th February 2012
By Kriton Arsenis - 6th February 2012
One of the main features of the previous CFP was lack of compliance
Kriton Arsenis
A chance to reform the common fisheries policy only comes once a decade, and Kriton Arsenis wants parliament to grasp the opportunity with both hands.
We have a historic opportunity in our hands. The common fisheries policy (CFP) is reformed every 10 years and this is the only chance we will get to ensure that there are fish, and thus fishermen left, in our seas. Moreover, this is the first time that, with the Lisbon treaty, the European parliament is called to play an active and decisive role in this reform. Europe’s fisheries policy is in urgent need of a radical reform. We need to reverse this catastrophic trend of overfishing, overcapacity and destruction of the marine ecosystem. Vessels are catching more fish than can be safely reproduced, thus exhausting individual fish stocks and threatening the marine ecosystem. Today, three out of four stocks are overfished: 82 per cent of Mediterranean stocks and 63 per cent of Atlantic stocks.
The fishing industry is experiencing smaller catches and facing an uncertain future. Both its economic and social sustainability are in question. To safeguard the economic and social sustainability of our fleet, we must first all recognise that it is vital to ensure the long-term ecological sustainability of our fish stocks and we must therefore ensure that the necessary measures to do so are included in the current reform. We need to make sure that by 2015, all fish stocks are maintained or restored above levels capable of producing maximum sustainable yield and that we take the necessary measures and fish in such a way so as to achieve a good environmental status in the marine environment by 2020. These targets are not optional but a clear legal obligation that we need to adhere to.
In my vision of the CFP, a radical reform is needed and the establishment of fisheries reserves will play a key role as a particularly effective and cost-efficient measure to achieve the long term conservation of fish stocks. The establishment of fisheries reserves, with a particular emphasis on the protection of ecologically significant areas, such as spawning and nursery grounds and the feeding grounds of marine species, will enable commercially exploited stocks to replenish and, due to the spill over effect, will benefit the fishermen of the region. Coastal communities around such areas will also reap significant benefits as fisheries reserves provide alternative economic opportunities such as ecotourism, diving and underwater photography. Moreover, given that these restrictions and management measures are applied in clearly defined geographic areas monitoring and control is much easier and far more effective and a wealth of invaluable scientific research and data is made available.
In the case of the Mediterranean, where we have a fishing fleet comprised predominantly of small-scale vessels, mixed fisheries, a lack of fishing quotas and often inadequate data regarding the state of fish stocks, fisheries reserves are not only useful, but possibly the only tool we have to ensure the sustainability of our fish stocks and therefore our fishing sector.
We must also not forget that one of the main failures of the previous CFP was lack of compliance. We need to ensure that the right measures are put in place, but also that they are fully respected. I therefore believe that all subsidies need to be conditional and tied upon the respect and implementation of rules and particularly the use of selective gear and environmentally sustainable fishing methods. This may be the only chance we get to ensure that there is life in our oceans; we need to make sure that we don’t miss it.
Kriton Arsenis is a member of parliament's fisheries committee
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