Voice 20 - 21 December 2005 AN INDEPENDENT VIEW FROM THE FISH

Slaughter to continue CFP legacy No respite in sight for How have fi sh and other Mediterranean bluefi n tuna or creatures fared under the EU’s traditional fi shers fi sheries policy? Page 2 Special Report – Page 3 Special European edition Special European Deep-sea fi sh horror: thousands left to rot in nets

© Nils-Roar Hareide By Annie Whiting Europa anniewhiting@econofi sh.com

THOUSANDS of tonnes of Sealed fates? monkfi sh and deep-sea sharks are The fate of many eurofi sh in the being left for days and sometimes Northeast Atlantic Ocean will even months in gillnets set in the be determined this week, as Northeast Atlantic Ocean, only the human EU Council to be thrown away rotten when meets to determine quotas for fi shing vessels return to collect Homo sapiens fi shing fl eets in 2006. their catch. Page 2 Human fishers are leaving thousands of kilometres of gillnets News in various areas on the continental shelf for a very long time. Sixty- five per cent of the monkfish Com-plaice-ency caught this way must be thrown 80% of plaice caught in the away because they are unfit for North Sea, almost all juveniles, human consumption. The same is are discarded and left for dead happening to deepwater sharks. due to wasteful practises in the “Our deep-sea communities North Sea. are outraged and live in fear of Page 2 this negligent practice,” said Rotten monkfi sh and deep-sea crabs from a net left for four months at Rockall Bank. Benedict Monkfi sh, an outspoken Survey critic of intense human fi shing efforts. He said deep-sea, slow- published recently by the Homo The long soak time is that manage human interests Buyer power growing species are “already sapiens species. It investigates responsible for the high proportion in the North Atlantic Ocean and The vast majority of human vulnerable” to these efforts, and a fl eet of deep-sea gillnet vessels of the catch being unfi t for human adjacent seas. seafood indulgers, retailers, “cannot afford” such high levels mainly targeting monkfish consumption. On average, 65% of “These fisheries are of mortality. (Lophiidae) and deep-sea sharks monkfi sh must be discarded after poorly understood and poorly and restaurateurs in Europe are Scientists estimate that some (Centroscymnus coelolepis and being left for dead in the nets for documented, with very little, if concerned by their impact on the deep-sea shark populations in the Centrophorus spp.) at depths this long, according to data from a any, management,” he added. marine environment. Northeast Atlantic have already of 200-1,200m. These fisheries Norwegian Coastguard inspection “We are recommending a zero Page 2 declined to just 20% of their operate from the UK, Ireland of one vessel. catch for deep-sea sharks.” original levels since gillnet fi shing and Scotland to Norway, on the A subsequent investigation Global conservation Trends for these species began some ten Porcupine, Hatton, and Rockall found seven tonnes of deep-sea organisation WWF told years ago. A long-term population Banks and between the Shetland sharks in 200 nautical miles of Fish Voice that such tragedies Endangered soup recovery strategy is essential for and Faroe Islands. active nets, of which 60% was will continue unless humans A Guinness World Record for The these species, which only reach Each vessel sets up to 250km rotten. The vessel that had set the close all their deep-sea Most Expensive Bowl of Soup breeding age after 20 years and of fi shing gear at a time, which nets had not been on the fi shing fisheries in the Northeast Commercially Available has been whose females only produce 15- is left unattended for 4-10 days grounds for at least 2 weeks. Atlantic Ocean. WWF is calling awarded to a bowl of shark fi n 30 pups every second year. The before being hauled in. In some “The appalling squandering of on the EU Fisheries Council soup. Will humans strive to beat only solution for recovery is to cases, the nets are being left monkfi sh and deep-sea sharks is meeting this week to take close this fi shery. for much longer. The report completely unacceptable,” said this big step until scientists this record and will this spur even The shocking revelation of the “conservatively estimates” that a Piscos Ices, a scientist working have data showing that such more deaths of sharks and other sheer scale of fi sh being wasted total of 5,800-8,700km of nets are for the regulatory body providing stocks can sustain fishing beleaguered creatures? comes from DEEPNET, a report in constant use. advice to human governments pressure. Page 4

STOP WASTEFUL FISHING Make your voice heard - take action @ http://www.panda.org/passport/fi sheries 2 20 - 21 DECEMBER 2005 Fish Voice News

Fisheries management INDEX News 2 The EU and Libya allow continued Analysis 3 Editorial 3 Entre Fish 4 bluefi n slaughter in the Mediterranean By Paulo Pescado fi shstep do not even want to THE WEEK paulopescado@econofi sh.com protect our survival.” The proposed measure LAST month bluefi n tuna could have cut human tuna AHEAD were denied a much-needed catches by 30% and helped 20 December: EU Fisheries summer respite. Humans protect spawning females, Council meeting starts in from the US, Japan, Norway, she said. “The failure of Iceland and Mexico tried ICCAT to adopt it could well Brussels, Belgium. On the to introduce proposals mean the disappearance of agenda: setting of Total to substantially reduce one of the oldest and most Allowable Catches for fi sh fi shing pressure on already important fi sheries in the populations in EU waters dwindling Mediterranean world”. and for European vessels in bluefin tuna stocks by The fish-friendly other waters where catch closing the industrial purse conservation organization WEEK seine during July WWF has recognized limitations are required. and August. that the Mediterranean Late night haggling, However, to the bluefi n tuna fi shery suffers sea-horse trading, and dismay of fi sh right groups, from massive overfi shing, political ducking and diving environmental organizations, management abuses, expected. Will Fisheries and traditional fi shers, the and the catch of illegal Ministers fi nally take the EU and Libya rejected these and undersize tuna. The measures at the 19th annual organization estimates that plunge and give our survival meeting of the International 45,000- 50,000 tonnes of a chance? Commission for the bluefin tuna were caught 21 December: Fish will Conservation of Atlantic in 2004, greatly exceeding Tunas (ICCAT) in Seville, the 32,000 tonne quota fi nd out their fate... Hundreds of traditional tuna fi shers joined conservation group WWF in a demonstration outside the Spain. allocated by ICCAT. ICCAT meeting in Seville, Spain Tuna rights groups “Current levels of teamed up with traditional fi shing are 2.5 times higher for traditional tuna trap 500 jobs in Spain and wild tuna in cages mainly tuna fishers to condemn than the bluefin tuna fishers, net and boat another 800 in Morocco. for the Japanese sushi No plaice this failure of a human populations can sustain,” builders, processors, and “Tuna trap fi shers want market. This has expanded fi sheries management body said Charlotte Mogensen, sellers of tuna products sustainability,” said Martina the market for the tuna, to hide to take action to save the Fisheries Policy Offi cer at in coastal communities Spadara, of the tuna trap leading to a further increase Mediterranean bluefi n tuna WWF’s European Policy of the Mediterranean Sea, producers organisation. in fi shing effort. Worse, the By Poirot Poisson from extinction. Office. She said ICCAT’s and the Atlantic coast of She said the industrial fl eet practise falls outside ICCAT “We were given failure to extend the closing the Iberian Peninsula and is systematically violating regulation, resulting in an poirotpoisson@econofi sh.com hope that at least some of the fi shing season means north Africa. conservation measures, unregulated growth of tuna FISH rights groups have humans were taking fish “a new massacre” next year In the tuna trap sector, and will destroy in just a farming. expressed outrage over management seriously, but in Mediterranean waters. bluefi n tuna catches have few years a fi shery that is Humans are even human fishing practices unfortunately not enough of Strangely, humans are dropped 80% over the 3,000 years old. resorting to illegal that see half of the plaice them to make a difference,” even putting thousands last 5 years. These traps One reason behind the measures, such as using caught in the North Sea said Rosy Shark, a tuna of their own species at are a selective, fi xed, and escalating bluefi n slaughter spotting airplanes to search thrown away dead. Worse, expert. “We feel betrayed risk. Bluefi n tuna provide traditional type of fi shing is the relatively new practice for tuna outside of the they say, is that the vast that politicians on our own employment and income gear that maintain around of tuna farming: fattening of fi shing season. majority of plaice caught by humans have never even Public awareness Human politics had the chance to spawn. “Humans estimate This needless loss of plaice spawning stocks to Growing appetite for People meet to decide life is often the result of be near the lowest level mistaken identity. Plaice observed in their history,” new fi shing quotas are caught alongside said Peter Plaice from sole in mixed fisheries. welfare group Fry for the By Martin Marlin professionals and 30% of EUROPEAN Fisheries “But they are threatening indulgers indicated they Ministers are meeting our very existence by But while the minimum Future. “Small wonder martinmarlin@econofi sh.com landing size for plaice in when they are taking all have previously made a this week in Brussels, killing far more of us European waters is 27cm, the youngsters.” THE VAST majority of decision to not buy seafood Belgium, to decide on than they need, including the minimum landing size He pointed out that human seafood indulgers, that harms the ocean. fishing quotas for EU young females that have for sole is only 24cm. such fi shing methods are retailers, chefs, and Human awareness fi shing fl eets in 2006. never even had the The use of smaller net “clearly not sustainable” restaurateurs in Europe of specific threats to the The human ministers chance to breed.” meshes to catch sole results and that these “two-legged are concerned by the ocean is high, with 71% will establish Total Many other forms in up to 80% of the co-caught predators” face losing environmental impact of of seafood professionals Allowable Catches of marine life are also plaice being pointlessly an “important fishery” if seafood. aware of and (TACs) per species per “at severe risk” he said, caught and then discarded, they don’t improve their A new study commis- more than half of indulgers area. Their decisions will including corals, starfi sh, either because they are too management practices. sioned by the Seafood conscious of environmental be based on a proposal seabirds, dolphins, and small or in favour of the Some humans do see the Choices Alliance, a non- concerns such as presented by the marine turtles which are more profi table sole. folly in this. Conservation profi t trade association for and overfi shing. European Commission, caught in nets and then This fi shocide affected group WWF believes the people, shows that 79% of “Humans clearly do the human equivalent in dumped dead or dying around 175 million fi sh in fi shery should not continue those surveyed think the care about the marine Europe of the Piscatorial back into the ocean. 2002 alone (about 70,000 unless are reduced, environmental impact of environment and the Commission. However, if past tonnes) and accounted and is urging the EU seafood is an important consequences of their The outcome of decisions are anything for half of the total plaice Fisheries Council meeting factor in purchasing actions,” said Angel Fish, the meeting is vitally to go by, the human catch. Once discarded, this week to develop a long- decisions. For indulgers, Professor of Humanoid important for almost all pressures facing many these innocent fish have term management plan for it is even more important Behaviour at the Piscatorial marine species living in of these species are not little chance of survival. plaice and sole in the North than price. University. areas where EU vessels likely to be relieved. They also never had Sea. Key demands include The study also found “Unfortunately the operate. “With tragic regularity, the chance to replenish the a reduction in fi shing time an emerging activism short-sightedness and “Humans eat fi sh, we EU Fisheries Ministers p o p u l at i o n b e f o r e b e i n g of 30% and an increased for protecting the ocean greed of just a few has accept that,” said Henry have repeatedly ignored caught: female plaice don’t minimum landing size and through the choices seafood nearly destroyed things for Halibut from the fish scientific advice,” said spawn until they are 31cm mesh size to reduce bycatch buyers make. Forty- everyone, human and fi sh activist group Save Our Halibut. long. and discards. four percent of seafood alike.” Scales. Editorial - Page 3 20 - 21 DECEMBER 2005 Fish Voice 3 Analysis CFP legacy: swimmers and sinkers in EU waters With EU Fisheries Ministers meeting once again to decide how JELLYFISH many fi sh European humans will be allowed to catch, Raymond Representing the peak of animal complexity 650 Ray profi les a few of the swimmers and sinkers under the EU’s million years ago, jellyfi sh ruled the oceans for some 200 million years before the fi rst fi sh came along. (CFP). They could have their day again. Some believe that as fi sh populations collapse from overfishing, jellyfish will move in to take their place. This reversal in fortunes could be COD further aided by other human alterations to Cod have supported Europe’s humans for over the oceans, such as eutrophication and warmer a thousand years and played a key role in their temperatures due to climate change. history. Millions of these magnifi cent fi sh once Jellyfi sh populations are already exploding thrived in the North Atlantic Ocean. But as in some parts of the world. One prominent humans grew ever more effi cient at catching human fi sheries scientist, Victor Vis from the Portrait-style drawing of fi sh, cod began a slow decline. University of Medusa, has even predicted that While such a development could see In 1970, when Europe’s humans introduced a cod if overfi shing continues in the North Atlantic these creatures became SINKERS, in the the precursor to the CFP, cod stocks in the Ocean, human fi shers could soon be chasing medium-term they could be one of the few North Sea, Irish Sea, and west of Scotland were jellyfi sh instead of fi sh. SWIMMERS. still large enough to be sustainable. However, continued overfi shing has seen the number of breeding fi sh fall below that needed to maintain FISHERS these stocks. All are now at their lowest ever recorded 2004, but many fear it is too little, too late. One Fishing is an important economic activity for level. And this level is very low: as little as 20% ongoing problem is that juvenile cod continue humans living in the EU. Although the EU fi shing of that needed for stocks to be sustainable. to be caught, and discarded dead, in many other industry generally contributes to less than 1% So how has the EU Fisheries Council fi s h e r i e s . of gross national product, it employs around responded? Sadly, this can only be described The sad thing is, each cod female only needs 260,000 fishers, often in areas where other as “predictably”. to produce two surviving off spring in her entire employment opportunities are limited. The International Council for the Exploration lifetime for the population to remain stable. Two The future of these people clearly depends of the Sea (ICES) has recommended a complete baby fi sh reaching adulthood is not very many, on the future of the fi sh. And if the status quo ban on cod fi shing in the North Sea, Irish Sea, and but for the past 30 years humans have not even continues, the future of the fi sh doesn’t look west of Scotland for the last four years. allowed this. that good. EU Fisheries Ministers have consistently The question is, will EU Fisheries Ministers It’s not just European fishers who are ignored this advice and allowed fishing to this year fi nally follow scientifi c advice and take aff ected, either. The EU has fi shing agreements continue. action to save Europe’s cod stocks from commercial with some 15 developing countries in Africa, the The ministers did fi nally introduce a long- extinction? Or are they set to join their Canadian Indian Ocean, and the Pacifi c. A new framework for negotiating fairer fi shing overdue recovery plan for North Sea cod in cousins as SINKERS? Some, if not all, of the agreements made prior access agreements between the EU and other to 2003 contributed to overfi shing and represented countries was developed as part of the 2003 CFP unfair competition to local fi shermen in these reform. However, many believe there is still room for NORTH SEA HERRING countries. This put the livelihoods and food supply improvement. And without improvement, fi shers of hundreds of thousands of people at risk. could join the fi sh as SINKERS. Like cod, the North Sea herring fi sheries have supported humans for centuries. Also like cod, herring catches declined under heavy pressure from human fi shers but in this case the stock crashed completely in the mid 1970s. In response, the fi shery was closed from Cod be with you 1978 to 1982. Stocks recovered, but declined again 10 years later. However, thanks to further By Gadus Cloverus for humans to give us cod a break. action by EU Fisheries Ministers, the stocks once Except that most of them don’t again recovered and in 2004 were at the highest It’s getting lonely out here in the appear to know how to catch haddock level recorded for 40 years. North Sea, where our species is close and not cod. Only some do. The situation is currently so good that one ICES is warning that careful management is to annihilation. Where vast armies of North Sea herring fi shery looks set to receive still needed with low recruitment over the past Gadus morhua ranged over the great Our friends at Marks and Spencer, Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certifi cation three years, but the herring have proved that good underwater plains and canyons, there which gets all fi shes’ vote as top as a sustainable fi shery. management produces SWIMMERS. are now just a few scattered platoons. retailer, have decided they don’t want to catch us North Sea cod because we The great fecund granddaddy PLAICE, SPURDOG, RAYS, SOUTHERN HAKE... are endangered. A clever fi sher has and grandmother cod are gone. We designed a net which passes over our North Sea herring may be a bright light, but youngsters are lucky to breed before heads while it scoops up haddocks unfortunately cod are more representative of what we get trawled. There’s about 50,000 by the thousand. It’s based on the has happened to most fi sh stocks under the CFP. tonnes of us left (by humans’ rather simple fact that we swim down when The European Commission itself has warned grisly way of describing it), out of threatened and haddock swim up. The that the of mature fi sh for many stocks a population which probably once Portrait-style drawing of a nets still catch 5% cod, but it gives in EU waters is currently just 10% of the level one of these - maybe a shark, weighed in at 4 million tonnes. the rest of us a break. of the early 1970s. Two-thirds of the 60 main ray, or Nephros? commercial fi sh stocks in the Northeast Atlantic There’s a lot of haddock about, What we ask EU politicians is, if M&S are classifi ed as heavily overfi shed. though. It may be unkind to point this can fi x it, why can’t you? The situation is so bad that this year ICES is out, but there are 450,000 tonnes of recommending zero quotas for nine fi sheries, our gadoid cousins, Melanogrammus including spurdog, Nephros, Southern hake, and aeglefi nus, in the North Sea, more Charles Clover’s The End of the Line: skates and rays. council has recommended lower quotas for these than there has been for a generation. how overfi shing is changing the world ICES also considers many other stocks to be stocks, which include North Sea whiting and North Enough, you would have thought, very low, at risk of reduced reproductive capacity, Sea plaice. Unless this advice is heeded, cod won’t and what we eat, is available on Amazon. and/or being harvested unsustainably. The be the only SINKERS. 4 20 - 21 DECEMBER 2005 Fish Voice Stop eating our babies! Like fi sh citizens Even more shocking immature plaice only We hope that any everywhere, Entre Fish is that despite 27cm long. politicians reading this is shocked by reports apparently knowing In case the problem will cut out the diagram that European humans that female plaice only stems from humans and keep it in their are catching young reach maturity once they simply forgetting in pockets... and maybe even female plaice that have reached a length which order numbers refer to it from time to time. have not yet reached of 31cm, politicians run on a ruler, Entre They should spawning size have established laws Fish has made a simple remember, however, that (see page 2). allowing fi shers to catch diagram (right). this ruler is not to scale! Plaice image © Andrey V. Dolgov

Entre Fish Special European edition The shape of fi ns to come? Anchovy ghost town appeal © WWF-Canon / Jürgen Freund A browse through the Guinness Book of Records, an Spare a thought for anonymous, was brought “What we really need encyclopedia of the amazing achievements of the human Anchellonia this holiday up as an orphan. As most is for predators to realise race, gives many opportunities to be thankful for being season. A thriving adults in the town had that their total disregard lower down the evolutionary scale. Awards are given for fi shtropolis a few years already been killed, there truly marvellous feats, such as smashing watermelons with for fi sh not only impacts ago, the city is now in were no teachers to have a the head, spitting dead crickets, and blowing spaghetti out the fully grown members much need of investment. school. Now he spends his of a nostril. of the community but also “Chov” culture has days with his small gang of It would be a good giggle, if not for the fact that an the children,” said one award has recently been given to a bowl of shark fi n soup taken over this once friends, looking for food concerned fi sh. “In the a dish whose popularity is causing tremendous cruelty to highly cultured and and trying to avoid being end, whole villages, towns, sharks and seriously threatening several species. On sale at prosperous society, which caught. a London restaurant, the dish has earned the title of Most is now occupied only by Fish welfare groups and cities are simply Expensive Bowl of Soup Commercially Available. the meanest of anchovy are trying to help these destroyed.” Even more alarming is the human penchant for beating An Anchovy previous records. No doubt someone somewhere is trying youth. disadvantaged youth, but to create an even more expensive soup, and in the process Millions of sharks are finned One youth, “Cutter”, their existence is also Appeal will begin on 20 contributing to the extinction of one species or another. worldwide each year. who wishes to remain under threat. December.

Eurofi shy staffi ng deals

What can be made of admitted it was having received, most applicants rumours that a seal diffi culty recruiting staff are simply too young. is to head DG Pelagic from several minority “In recent years Environment in the fi sh groups. It seems that we’ve lost most of the Piscatorial Commission? from senior management older, more experienced Surely there’s a confl ict of through to administration, members of the diverse interest between looking recruitment is well below communities that make after the upper waters of the Commission’s stated up the Piscatorial Union,” the oceans and a member goal of one species per added the spokesfi sh. of a species that habitually directorate. With so many senior preys on fi sh living in Apparently, posts still vacant, we these same waters? applications from some can only presume Although no formal species are not even being the Commission is announcement has been received. “It’s like they’ve considering further made, one could argue disappeared completely,” unusual appointments. that the Commission is said a Commission Perhaps a seagull for DG trying to forestall any spokesfi sh. Fish Culture? possible objections. The Commission And a human for DG In a press conference also said that even when Fish Youth? last week, the Commission applications are being

Marine biology workshop Refresher for politicians

Designed for human fi sheries ministers, a series of seminars will be run this December explaining basic concepts of . Promoting informed debate, transparency Topics include: Fish Voice and sustainability in fi sh matters • Only adult fi sh spawn Press Centre • 36, Avenue de Tervuren - B12 • 1040 Brussels, Belgium • Telephone: +32 2 740 09 25 • Fax: +32 2 743 88 19 • Net size matters Editors: Claudia Delpero, Suzanne Natelson Writers: Emma Duncan, Charles Clover Production Editor: Justin Woolford Cartoonist: Vincent Dubois • Different fi sh species swim together Sources: • Extinction is forever DEEPNET report: http://www.bim.ie/templates/text_content.asp?node_id=789 • can recover if adequate action ICCAT and bluefi n tuna: http://www.panda.org/news_facts/newsroom/index.cfm?uNewsID=50600 Status of Northeast Atlantic fi sheries: http://www.ices.dk/ is taken : http://www.seafoodchoices.com/ Guinness World Record: http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?fi le=/2005/11/18/nation/ Contact the WWF European Policy Offi ce for further information 12630816&sec=nation 36, Avenue de Tervuren - B12 • 1040 Brussels, Belgium © 1986 Panda symbol WWF World Wide Fund for Nature (Formerly World Wildlife Fund) Telephone: +32 2 743 88 00 • Fax: +32 2 743 88 19 ® “WWF” & “living planet” are Registered Trademarks www.panda.org/epo Printed by: beëlzePub • Lakensestr. 82/84 rue de Laeken • 1000 Brussels. Fish Voice is printed on recycled paper