IWT Signs up to ‘Scale Matters:Quality Counts’

The IWT has signed up to the declaration published by OCEAN2012, and signed by 150 environmental groups and artisnal fishing groups throughout Europe, calling for a system of ‘preferential access’ under a reformed Common Fisheries Policy. This would mean granting greater access to fishing grounds to those who fish in an environmental sensitive way – thus giving boat owners an incentive to modify their gear and fishing habits to minimise negative impacts.

The declaration also calls for the revoking of compulsory ‘Transferable Fishing Concessions’ – which may result in the concentration of fishing effort in a small number of hands.

See the full details of the ‘Scale Matters:Quality Counts’ declaration on the Ocean2012 webstite http://www.ocean2012.eu/publications/43-scale-matters-quality-counts-securing-sustainability (photo by OCEAN2012 & Cory Arnold)