Fishsubsidy.org today publishes a list
of 42 convictions of fishing vessel owners that have also received EU
subsidies under the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP). The study, which
focuses on two major EU fishing nations, Spain and France, involves
matching records of court convictions with data on EU fisheries subsidy
payments. Between them, the 36 law-breaking vessels received 13,510,418
euro in EU subsidies between 1994 and 2006.
Illegal fishing contributes to the overfishing of valuable fish
stocks, many of which are at dangerously depleted levels. While
previous studies have shown that many EU fisheries subsidies have
directly contributed to the overfishing of fish stocks, this is the
first study that draws the link between subsidies and illegal fishing.
While there is no obligation to take criminal behaviour into account
when deciding which vessels should get subsidies, EU Member States are
free to consider this information. There is little evidence that any of
them are.
“EU Member States should ensure those in receipt of subsidies are
not engaged in illegal fishing. Subsidies have in the past fueled
overfishing; in the future they must be used to support a transition to
more sustainable fishing.” said Markus Knigge of the Pew Environment
Group, which commissioned the research into convictions and co-founded
the fishsubsidy.org website that tracks EU fisheries subsidies payments.
The research gives only a snapshot of the problem of illegal fishing
and the prevalence of EU subsidies being paid to vessels that have been
convicted of illegal fishing, or that have gone on to break the law
having received subsidies. Data on convictions is very hard to obtain
and for this study the principal sources were newspaper reports, which
will only ever give a very incomplete picture of the situation.
“European governments should publish comprehensive lists of
convictions for illegal fishing so we can know who is breaking the law.
This is the only way to ensure that public money is not going to
fishermen who are breaking laws that protect our precious fisheries.”
said Jack Thurston, a co-founder of fishsubsidy.org.
Five of the vessels on the list received more than 1 million euro
each in EU subsidies. They have been convicted of serious infringements
ranging from logbook misreporting to captures under minimum size to use
of illegal fishing gear and exceeding quota.
Some of the vessels on the list have been convicted multiple times
and have been heavily fined. In 2001, Hodeiertza and Gure Reinare, two
vessels owned by Pesqueras Zozuak / Pascual Santizo, were found guilty
of using illegal fishing gear. Each vessel was fined 35,000 euro. The
EU had financed the construction of the vessels to the tune of nearly 2
million euro between them. Hodeiertza received a further EU grant for
modernisation in 2006.
The study also covers the UK which, until December 2009, was alone
among Member Statess in publishing detailed prosecution reports until
the Marine Fisheries Agency decided to remove this information from its
website, on grounds of ‘data protection’.
The full list of identified infringements can be viewed online:
http://fishsubsidy.org/infringements
Notes:
1. The EU’s common fisheries policy (CFP) is a system of rules,
fishing quotas, enforcement controls and subsidies. Until 2004 a large
sum of money was spent on building new fishing vessels and subsidies
continue to be paid for the modernisation of vessels and other measures
that increase the pressure on dwindling fish stocks.
2. According to the European Commission, “In the new programming
period 2007-2013, the exclusion of vessel owners convicted of serious
infringements from receiving Community aid is so far only possible if
it is provided for in the national legislation of a Member State. The
Commission, however, intends to monitor the practice of Member States
in this field and may eventually propose to incorporate provisions into
Community law whereby vessel owners convicted of serious infringements
would, if considered necessary, be excluded from receiving Community
aid for a specified time.”
3. Fishsubsidy.org is a project coordinated by EU Transparency, a
non-profit organisation in the UK and the Pew Charitable Trusts, a
charitable foundation based in the United States. The aim is to obtain
detailed data relating to payments and recipients of fisheries
subsidies in every EU Member State and make this data available in a
way that is useful to European citizens. Subsidies paid to owners of
fishing vessels and others working in the fishing industry under the
European Union’s Common Fisheries Policy amount to approximately 1
billion euro a year. For more information, please visit
http://www.fishsubsidy.org/
4. A full record of all the source material for the infringements list is available for download:
http://followthemoney.eu/docs/prosecution_reports_20100310.pdf
Follow the Money
Print This 
Print This 