Discards in the common fisheries policy: the evolution of the policy

This chapter deals with the development of the European Union (EU) discard policy over time. It describes the process from 1992, when the issue of discards was first recognised in the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) reform process, to the Landing Obligation (LO) adopted in 2013. It analyses the context to which policy choices were made that shaped the present format of the EU LO, how it is being implemented and the impact it is having on associated fisheries management measures. Finally, future possible policy developments are examined

Fishing Industry Perspectives on the EU Landing Obligation

International audienceThe Landing Obligation (LO) represents a fundamental change in European Union fisheries policy and it has a particularly significant bearing on the activities of Europe’s fishing industry. This chapter provides an account of European fishing industry engagement with the discard issue prior to the LO and industry attitudes towards the LO. A discussion about discard management in Europe follows. The fishing industry had a consistent approach to discard management in the run-up to the LO enactment: they favoured fishery-specific discard reduction plans and were unanimously opposed to an outright ‘discard ban’. Canvassing fishers’ opinions from the North Sea (Denmark, France), Eastern and Western Mediterranean (Greece, Spain and France), the Celtic Sea (France, the UK and Ireland), Western English Channel (France) and the Azores between 2015 and 2018 reveals a consistent negative attitude towards the LO. We found that choke species are the main concern outside the Mediterranean Sea while in the Mediterranean region, the cost of disposal and the creation of a black market for juvenile fish are seen as the main negatives. Fishers recognise the necessity of reducing discards although zero discard fisheries are not seen as attainable. They favour a combination of selectivity improvements and spatial management as the best discard reduction measures. New measures to deal with intractable choke species problems are being sought by industry and Member State groups but the European Commission want existing measures to be utilised first. We discuss some potential consequences of negative stakeholders’ attitudes towards this key element of EU fisheries management policy. These include control and compliance challenges, associated business reputation problems for the industry, a longer LO implementation timescale, and deterioration in the quality of scientific data about discards

Knowledge for Fisheries Governance:Participation, Integration and Institutional Reform

As outlined in Chapter 1, the GAP project is situated within a transition zone from a traditional fisheries management approach that relies upon a clear separation of knowledge towards a new ‘bridging perspective’, which aims to establish a common knowledge base for fisheries governance. The transition builds on collaborative practices of participatory research and joint knowledge production, as will be described in the GAP case studies in subsequent chapters. Before these detailed empirical explorations, this chapter will first take a brief look at the knowledge gaps that are created by the dominant perspective of fisheries management and the resulting implications on sustainability of fisheries including the legitimacy deficits created by the traditional approach to fisheries. Second, three key domains of social science research that the GAP project connects with will be presented (participation, knowledge integration and institutional reform). Finally, some central aspects of the overall GAP approach are highlighted, and a brief overview of the GAP case studies is presented