Commonsense at last

[SEAJUNKY]

Attached Message
From: Damian Wilson <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]; [e-mail]; Henry Gilbey <[e-mail]>; [e-mail]; [e-mail]; Tim Oliver <[e-mail]>; Nick Fisher <[e-mail]>
Subject: article 47 angling campaign
Date: Tue, 31 Mar 2009 17:57:47 +0100

Afternoon all,


So often, all it takes is just one little word and Article 47 of the Common Fisheries Policy is no exception.


The policy and its 390 proposed amendments went to the EU Fisheries Committee this afternoon and was involved in what Nigel Farage has called "an outbreak of commonsense".


It looks like a victory for UKIP and all the supporters of recreational sea angling in Britain simply through the adoption of the word 'May' instead of 'Shall' in a couple of key paragraphs.


As well as this, the proposed amendment to exempt shore fishing has been passed. A relief to all of us.


So just to be clear, Article 47 as it now stands says:


In paragraph 1:


Recreational fisheries conducted from a vessel in Community marine waters on a stock subject to a multiannual recovery plan may be evaluated by the Member State in whose waters they are conducted. Fishing with rod and reel from shore may not be included.


While in paragaph 2:


Within two years of the date of entry into force of this Regulation, Member States may estimate the impact of recreational fisheries conducted in their waters and submit the information to the Commission. The relevant Member State and the Commission, on the basis of the advice of the Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries, shall decide which recreational fisheries are having a significant impact on stocks. For those fisheries having a significant impact, the Member State, in close cooperation with the Commission, shall develop a monitoring system that is able to accurately estimate the total recreational catches from each stock. Recreational fisheries shall comply with the objectives of the Common Fisheries Policy


The incorporation of this word into the policy can be interpreted in one easy way: We don't HAVE TO do any of it but if a country decides that it does want to submit information to the Commission, then the development of a monitoring system can follow automatically.


UKIP Leader Nigel Farage greeted the victory with caution.


He said: "The amended policy still has to go through the plenary session before reaching the fisheries council, so the battle is not over yet."


And he warned that the we needed to keep a close eye on future policy discussions. "We need to be aware that the principle of recreational sea angling coming under the realm of the Common Fisheries Policy has now been established and there's every likelihood that it will one day return for regulation," he said.


"Also, with the current New Labour government only to keen too go along with European harmonisation at every opportunity, Gordon Brown may well opt to take up the implicit offer of Article 47 despite the clamour to scrap the entire thing."


If you need any further information on this, please don't hesitate to contact me and thanks once again for your continuing support
Kind regards


Damian Wilson
UKIP campaign organiser


Damian Wilson
[e-mail]

[highplains]

Thank you for the update seajunky.

Nice to see common sense has prevailed.

Highplains