The European Commission will adopt by the end of 2022 a report on the functioning of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP). To feed into this work, the EAA Swedish and German members worked with other stakeholders within the Baltic Sea Advisory Council (BSAC) on a White Paper on the CFP, which “agrees that recreational fishing should be part of the CFP.”
On 14 February, the
BSAC adopted its white paper on the “
Implementation and revision of the CFP with a Baltic perspective.” It has been
built on the consensus reached between all stakeholders – be it commercial or recreational fishermen or non-governmental organisations – and
covers a wide range of topics related to the CFP: ecosystem-based approach to fisheries management, climate adaptation, scientific advice, landing obligation, maximum sustainable yield, etc.
The BSAC recognises in it
the key role recreational fisheries “play in the fishing community and the exploitation of several stocks, and as a consequence, they should be part of the CFP and be clearly defined within the CFP.” The core BSAC message is sum up as follows:
- The BSAC agrees that recreational fishing should be part of the CFP;
- The recreational fishing sector shall be clearly defined within the CFP; and
- EMFAF funding should be made available for certain aspects of recreational fishing.
The Commission will take into account the BSAC white paper in its report on the functioning of the CFP. It is also conducting a
targeted consultation to collect information from the concerned stakeholders. To close this consultation process, the Commission will organise a
stakeholder event on Friday 10 June 2022.
Read the white paper here.