20 May 2011 – Keith Taylor, Green MEP for South East England is backing plans for changes to Europe’s fisheries policy. The MEP wants to ensure that there are more fish in the sea and more secure jobs for fishermen in the South East.

Up to 80% of fisheries are being managed unsustainably according to the European Commission, and major policy reforms are to be proposed later this year. EU Fisheries Commissioner, Maria Damanaki, has announced that she wants a science-led approach and that she intends to try and ban the wasteful practice of discarding dead fish into the sea when quotas have been exceeded. This practice was highlighted in a recently by the chef, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall.

Fisheries management will be transferred from Brussels to regional organisations involving local fishermen, food companies and environmentalists.

Keith Taylor has recently put his name to a formal declaration that calls for a major overhaul of the way European countries manage fish stocks.

Keith said: “Europe’s seas are capable of supporting many more fish than now exist, but overfishing is a major threat and people have rightly been outraged by current rules which result in a huge amount of fish being wasted.

He continued: “Changes are needed urgently to ensure that people still have fish on the table in 30 years’ time. If we fail to take action we risk emptying the seas and betraying future generations. Ahead of these important changes I will be making the point that we need to ensure that we rebuild fish stocks and secure the long-term future of fishing off the South coast.”

A tough political fight is expected, although the extent of the opposition to be overcome will only become known when the European Commission publishes the details of its plans later this year.

ENDS