APPENDIX 8
Memorandum submitted by Mr John Ashworth,
Conservation spokesman for Save Britain's Fish (K16)
1. The fundamental principles of the CFP
are those contained in the acquis communautaire, and which
will be contained in the Accession Treaties of the nations presently
waiting to join the European Union in 2004. It is not what was
established in 1983, which was a transitional derogation from
the Treaty obligations.
From that standpoint the proposals will endorse
the Treaty obligations, as per what was stated in the proposals:
"ensuring that the governance remains compatible with the
legal and institutional framework of the Treaty".
2. The implementation of the Treaty obligations
will not help stock management. The destruction of the feed source,
the marketing of juvenile fish, and dumping of prime fish will
continue, because management is political. Until Member States
are given National control, free of the disastrous equal access
to a common resource without discrimination principle, enshrined
in the Treaty, stocks will not recover to their true levels.
3. The impact on the British Fishing Industry
is to be downgraded to a cottage industry. The bulk of the catching
sector will go along with the ancillary trades, and another British
industry goes with the tacit acceptance of the Westminster Parliament.
4. Unlike the collapse of the Deep Sea sector
in the 1970s, today's British fishing fleet is in remote areas.
Finding alternative jobs will be impossible, and it will result
in families having to leave those areas to find alternative work.
Forced out by their own political representatives.
5. The Treaty obligations are rigid in structure.
Therein lies the problem. A rigid political management system
controlling a fluid system of nature. Whatever tinkering on the
edges will not solve the problem.
6. Enforcement of what? Crazy rules that
make fishermen be criminals and dump prime fish dead back in the
sea as a pollutant, which the Ministry either don't except happens
or fishermen do it deliberately. The enforcement argument is being
used for one purpose, to introduce an EU fishery protection service.
The terrible state of Europe's living marine
resources, and the pending collapse of the British Fishing Industry
and ancillary industries, is down to the Westminster Parliament.
The members have been told over and over again the true situation,
but as can be seen from the title of this enquiry, "Reform
of the Common Fisheries Policy", no notice is taken of the
truth, which is any reform can only take place within the confines
of the Treaties, which is equal access to a common resource without
discrimination, and the failure of Members to take that into account,
has and will, result in a social and environmental disaster, which
Members will be held responsible for.
29 September 2002
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