In the last weeks, the European Ocean Pact (EOP) has been a hot conversation topic in Brussels, with a high-level round-table of selected stakeholders with Commissioner Kadis on 21 February, a discussion organized by the news organization Politico on 3 March, followed by a full day-session of the European Ocean Days on 5 March devoted to it.
These exchanges of views between “ocean” stakeholders will help shape the EOP, complementing the more than 930 opinions, including CFFA’s, sent in response to the European Commission dedicated consultation.
In introduction to these discussions, Mr. Costas Kadis, EU Commissioner for Fisheries and Oceans, insisted that the EOP will provide a comprehensive, integrated, coherent approach to ocean governance, moving beyond siloed policies, and reminded that the pact will pursue “the equally important objectives of ensuring a healthy and productive ocean, by protecting biodiversity; boosting the EU’s sustainable blue economy; expanding the EU’s marine knowledge framework; reinforcing international ocean governance and developing resilience and opportunities for coastal communities.”
“How to unlock the socio-economic profits of the “blue economy” sectors while ensuring the ocean long-term environmental sustainability, and protecting small-scale fisheries?””
To strategically promote the coherence of policies, MEP Isabella Lövin, and Pascal Lamy, Coordinator of the Jacques Delors think tanks network, called for joint EU Ministers actions. MEP Lövin further emphasized the need to have something stronger than an approach, a legislative proposal. What another speaker, MEP Christophe Clergeau (SEARICA) called “going from an ocean pact to an ocean act.”
The main challenge for the EOP identified by most stakeholders is how to unlock the socio-economic profits of the ocean “blue economy” sectors while ensuring the ocean long-term environmental sustainability, and protecting small-scale and artisanal fisheries. Indeed, many speakers, including the European Commission, recognized that small scale fisheries are key users of the ocean, and that they must be involved in both the design and implementation of the EOP, with their activities safeguarded.
Marta Cavallé, Executive Secretary of the Low Impact Fishers of Europe (LIFE), stressed that being a small-scale fisher is more than a job: “they are food providers, they have strong links with tourism and other sectors, rooting people in territories. They are the backbone of coastal communities. They are part of the solution.”
She questioned the narrative that, in the blue economy, everyone is a winner: ‘this narrative is fallacious and dangerous. It’s not a question of having a pie, and everyone – small-scale fisheries and other blue economy sectors – gets a piece. There will be trade-offs, and with small-scale fisheries being the most vulnerable sector, they risk disappearing to the benefit of more powerful sectors’. To protect small scale fisheries, she called for the 12-mile zone, in European waters, to be reserved for small scale, low impact fishing.
Ms. Raissa Madou represented the African confederation of artisanal fisheries organisations (CAOPA): “Do not give the green light to a blue economy that pollutes, that destroys ecosystems and that will destroy the communities that depend on these ecosystems." Photo: Margaux Rochefort.
On how to improve biodiversity conservation, several voices called for an ambitious action, a “real 30x30 program” for Marine Protected Areas, with a robust implementation mechanism and clear indicators to track progress. Raissa Nadège Leka Madou, a fish processor in Côte d’Ivoire, representing the African Confederation of Artisanal Professional Fishers Organisations (CAOPA), stressed the central role of inclusive management of fishery resources for conservation: “In many African countries, the conservation of biodiversity is the result of the implementation of zones reserved for small-scale fishing, co-managed by fishing communities and the authorities.” She noted that the Organisation of African Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) has already recognized the importance of small-scale fisheries in conservation and have agreed that “these co-managed zones, which have a conservation objective, should be considered as contributions to the objective of conserving 30% of marine areas by 2030.”
Both Ms. Madou and MEP Isabella Lövin emphasized the need for the European Ocean Pact to be based on the precautionary approach. At the politico event, MEP Lövin insisted on it: “when we don’t have enough knowledge, it’s not a pretext for going ahead with further exploitation of the ocean resources, even if there are economic interests behind.” Echoing this, Ms. Madou pleaded for the future European Ocean Pact: “do not give the green light to a blue economy that pollutes, that destroys ecosystems and that will destroy the communities that depend on these ecosystems for their livelihoods.”
Header photo: From the X account of Ms. Charlina Vitcheva.
To mark International Women's Day, and taking advantage of her visit to Brussels as part of the Fisheries and Oceans Dialogues organised by the European Commission, we interview Raïssa Madou, a fish processor in Côte d'Ivoire.