Better distribution of fishing rights

A Swedish government report FISKE2020 on its fishing industry is proposing radical changes to allow a better distribution of fishing rights between the commercial and recreational sectors.

The report which is over 120 pages long is published by the Swedish Board of Fisheries which says FISKE2020 aims to provide a basis for the debate on sustainable fishing and whilst recognizing the course will be far from easy, they believe that within a decade its recommendations could lead to fishing being carried out within a sustainable ecosystem framework.

Presenting the report, the agency’s Director-General Axel Wenblad recognized that in these “times of reconsideration” the question to be answered is what a “credible fisheries management” would need to look like, both on a national and on the EU level, and that there appears to be a general consensus that change is necessary and a “holistic approach” is needed

Some of the changes mentioned in the report were that :

• the fish to be caught should be large individuals that have been able to spawn several times ( SSACN – in line with our the GFAC model);
• management should be based on ecosystem plans that vary in design and scope depending on which sea or water area each plan includes;
• fisheries management should become trustworthy in the eyes of the general public and its various interested parties;
• financial incentives for sustainable fishing should be created by means of rights-based management;
• fisheries should not be subsidized and fishers should bear parts of the management costs;
• there should be effective spatial planning for all sea and water areas;
• healthy and environmentally-friendly aquaculture should be developed;
• trustworthy information should be made available to consumers about fish on the market.
• priority should be given to those fisheries most valuable to society, be it small-scale coastal fisheries, fishing tourism or leisure fisheries – ( SSACN – Best Value policy in action )
• Economic, social cultural and recreational values” would be the basis for the distribution of rights. “Fisheries that have the least impact on the environment shall also be given priority.”

Mr Wenblad said that this was “not a wishing-list”, but that the measures proposed were based on their combined experience of the present management system and from the perspective that most things are possible if we just stay purposeful and think long-term.

An 8 page summary of the report may be found here.

Category: Government