Oceana applauds EU Commission steps to improve control and enforcement in fisheries

Oceana applauds Commissioner Maria Damanaki’s strong position against Member States who violate fisheries rules, which she released at a press conference today.

Press Release Date: April 12, 2011

Location: Brussels

Contact:

Marta Madina | email: mmadina@oceana.org | tel.: Marta Madina

The effective enforcement of the new rules applied to the EU Fisheries Control regulation will encourage a culture of compliance, simplify the application of control rules and harmonize standards for inspections and sanctions. The credibility of the Common Fisheries Policy depends on all of these elements.

“The reformed Common Fisheries Policy must at its core prioritize the sustainability of our oceans and their resources. Oceana strongly supports a ban on discards, and stricter requirements to follow scientific advice and the ecosystem-based approach, but the most important requirement, which Commissioner Damanaki highlighted in today’s announcement, is that policy must in fact be turned into practice – and in order for that to be achieved, strict control and enforcement measures are a must,” says Amelie Malafosse, Policy Advisor at Oceana.