In 1950, world catches is close to 20 millions tons. In less than twenty years, catches have increased threefold thanks to improved fishing tackles and multiplication of fishing ships. From 1970, while unloaded quantities were around 70 millions of tons, fishermen noticed the first signs of a full exploitation of the North Atlantic stock : fishes were smaller and smaller and the large aged individual had disappeared. Instead considering this warning, fishing fleets got going for other fishing places, other oceans in order to exploit new stocks of fishes. Thus catches have increased again until reaching 84 millions tons by the end of the 80’. Since, unloaded quantities are stagnating despite the fact the ships are now very much more efficient and although they are exploiting every nook of the ocean, trawling until 2,000 meters deep. On average, every year, 54 millions of tons are intended for human consumption and 30 millions of tons of small fishes are converted into fish meal for animals. 30 other millions of tons are outrageously thrown out, dead, just because they do not fit fishermen’ expectations.

In Atlantic, the decline of certain fishes populations is dramatic. The mythic cod shoals in Newfoundland, symbol of the unlimited resources of the ocean are nowadays exhausted : fishing is closed since 1992 ! Fishing should be forbidden on this side of Atlantic ocean from 2003. The hake, another so plentiful fish that it could keep busy many a harbour is also endangered : in 1961, yearly unloaded quantities in Europe were 140,000 tons when they are scarcely 35,000 tons today !

Since 20 years, world catches have reached their natural limits. Some people is still refusing to admit those limits, suggesting that aquaculture will take over. Deception ! Because most of the raised fishes are carnivores and need fish meal made out of wild fishes : to make one kilo of raised fish, on average 1,3 kilos of fish meal are necessary, i. e 6 kilos of wild fishes plus 1 kilo of soya flour ! In another hand, the big fish farms are raising very important pollution problems and cause sea damages considerably reducing the fertility of wild species.

Facts have to be faced : the sea will not be able to give us more. Its resources are naturally and definitely limited. It’s essential to match our catches with the possibilities of annual restocking of species.

To contain stocks exhaustion and guarantee the supply of its market, European Union has decided 20 years ago, a more and more restrictive Common Fisheries policy (CFP). Despite those measures, the situation kept worsening. During 2002, members states had to reform this policy which had failed. Oceans and coast department of WWF-France, directed by Laurent Debas, made a proposal for a global reform (see WWF- France website). François Sarano, in charge of Fishing and halieutic resources programme in WWF-France, analyses and considers long-term consequences of the compromise signed by European member states.

A Green Paper, months of discussions, a political and media-staged mobilization without precedent for a terrible disappointment : European community did not dare to reform its Common Fisheries policy (CFP) to save fishermen and fishes. The endless discussions and short-term policy have prevailed, preventing the necessary in-depth revision of a system which will never allow a sustainable fishing industry. As before, Europe considers the fishing activities as destructive and attempt unsuccessfully to limit the damages they cause…Politicians did not understand that fishing industry will be sustainable only when it will become a management activity, funded as such !

 

The signed compromise strengthens the measures (quotas, selectivity, confinement…) which are failing since 20 years ! Yet these measures are good. If these good measures are inefficient, it’s due to the wrong frame in which they apply. Indeed the orders given to the fishermen by the CFP is contradictory : catching fishes in order to guarantee the supply of the European market while limiting the catches to preserve the stocks. In the same time, we, consumers, are refusing to afford fishes at a more expensive price, i.e making it difficult to fishermen to make up for the loss of profits due to necessary limitation of the catches. Thus Europe and consumers are demanding the fishermen to manage what they consider as their resource, but refuse to assume the linked budgetary constraints !

The agreements signed in December 2002 keep this contradiction which convicts our fishermen to break the management rules. Europe strengthens the restrictive and punitive measures and, with the withdrawal of subsides for fleet renewal, it sharpens the economic war between fleet owners for consumers’ benefit. The consequences are catastrophic on European and worldwide scale. In Europe, artisan fishermen, who will not be able to move in foreign waters and whose boats are to be replaced could not resist to big ships companies with a stronger financial capacity and with part of its ships working out of the ZEE. Moreover, these companies often control the fishing industry as a whole : fishing, processing, distribution and aquaculture… The CFP will inexorably end in an integration of the fishing capacity within the already most powerful fishing companies. The cut throat competition to maintain the lower prices is going to reinforce the pressure on fish stocks in a worldwide scale, which, exploited with no care for the future, are for the most part endangered.

Are we exhausting the third world waters to guarantee for a short while the supply of our market ? We are 6,5 millions inhabitants. Worldwide oceans are offering 85 millions tons of fishes every year. The market has to fit into this natural limit, while considering a fairer sharing of the resources between rich countries and third world countries.

How to impose the conditions for a sustainable fishing in Europe and all over the world ?

Only one long term solution : converting fishing industry into a common management activity. To achieve it, Europe must officially recognize the halieutic resource as its asset, and must contractually entrust its management to fishermen’ care, organized in management units.

 

This new job – manager-fisherman – demands training, time and means. It cannot be financed only by selling fished fishes, specially if the management demands an important decrease of the catches. Thus Europe must contractually subsidize the manager-fishermen, setting perpetuation of the stocks as first goal and supplying the market within the limits imposed by the nature only as second goal. Such a contractual payment will lapse any other kind of grant.

This contractual management will allow to convert a coercive policy into a dialog policy which raises awareness and restores fishermen’s pride. Measures of catches limitations will be kept all the better for being decided by the fishermen themselves, specially as they will be in charge of controlling them on the field.

Since Europe could not start a genuine reforming process, fishermen must prove their capacity in joint management of the resource, at local and international scale. To reach that goal, WWF-France is proposing discussion platforms gathering fishermen and scientists to explore, on the basis of its reform project, all the ways carrying on a long term joint management of the halieutic asset.

Reflexion tracks are numerous and complexes : definition and setting up of pilot units of management getting together the fishermen working in the same sectors, or on the same stocks whatever their nationality might be, impact evaluation of human activities on halieutic resource and sea ecosystems – such as aggregate extraction, discharge of pollutants, impact of “minotere” fishing,- reflexion on fishing tackles and on the meaning of “sustainable ships” i.e adapted to the resource capacity, funding of the management tasks and integration in the financial statement of fishing activity, management training for fishermen, consumers’ information and awareness raising, promotion of sustainable fishing activities etc…

There is a lot of fascinating things to think about because it is neither more nor less than fishing industry and fishermen future which is at stake.

François Sarano
In charge of Fishing and halieutic resources programme -
WWF-FRANCE

For further information, please contact : François Sarano / longitude181@wanadoo.fr

the wholeproject is available on line on the following website :
WWF France / Département Océans et côtes
then click on « Pêcheurs, poissons même combat - Un projet fédérateur... » (in French only)

You also can download the faisability survey about Exploitation, management, and control Units (pdf)

In addition, here is an analysis of FAO statistics about Use of world sea catches (captures).
( in millions of tons )

- Stagnation of world sea catches : since the end of the 80’, despite a great increase of our fishing efforts and tough our fleets, still more numerous, are fishing in all the oceans until deep sea, the world catches increased no longer.

• 2005: 84, 2 Mt = 49,8 Mt direct consumption + 34,4 Mt industrial use
• 2004: 85, 8 Mt = 51,0 Mt direct consumption + 34,8 Mt industrial use
• 2003: 81, 3 Mt = 52,1 Mt direct consumption + 29,1Mt industrial use
• 2002: 84, 5 Mt = 52,3 Mt direct consumption + 32,2Mt industrial use
• 2001: 84, 2 Mt = 53,1 Mt direct consumption + 31,1Mt industrial use
• 2000: 86, 8 Mt = 52,6 Mt direct consumption + 34,2Mt industrial use
• 1995: 84, 3 Mt = 54,7 Mt direct consumption + 29,6Mt industrial use
• 1989: 86, 4 Mt = 54,1 Mt direct consumption + 32,3Mt industrial use
• 1987: 81, 7 Mt = 52,2 Mt direct consumption + 29,5Mt industrial use

- Regular decrease of halieutic resources availabilities per person,
(China excluded as FAO cannot consider Chinese statistics as relevant)

In 2005, average availability was 13,4 kg / year / person,
far from 1987 record level of 14,6 kg / year / person.

- Accentuation of unfairness in repartition of halieutic resources :
Rich people are more and more consuming and poor people less and less.

In 2002,
Industrialized countries inhabitants had : 28, 6 kg / year / person,
Third world countries inhabitants had : 8,5 kg / year / person.

For a thorough information, see FAO website :
http://www.fao.org/sof/sofia/index_en.htm
http://www.oceansatlas.com/index.jsp