photo: kasperbs

On Monday, fisheries ministers from each of the EU countries will be gathering at their monthly meeting, this time to discuss discards and the common fisheries policy (CFP). It appears that a number of Member States are planning to publish a declaration on the CFP reform. As we understand it, there will be grand statements reiterating the States’ “commitment to the sustainable exploitation of fisheries resources” and an “ambitious reform… aiming at maximum sustainable yield in the framework of ecosystem based fisheries management.” The wasteful practice of discarding fish is apparently a “considerable obstacle on the road to a sustainable fisheries policy”.

image: dezz

This week began with some fantastic news as we read in the Guardian about the sharp rise in the sale of sustainable seafood products in the UK throughout 2011. This shows that people really do care about where their food is coming from and what effect that has.

Consumers have the power to help avoid an ecological disaster by choosing to buy sustainably caught or sustainably farmed fish. This seems relatively simple, but it’s not always clear which fish really have been sustainably caught, or responsibly farmed, or otherwise. Harmonised labelling for these kinds of terms, which are often used but are not regulated, is crucial to help consumers take action.

ClientEarth's senior lawyer on marine issues Sandy Luk has written an op-ed for the website www.cfp-reformwatch.eu. In the piece Sandy explains that although Commissioner Maria Damanaki has said she wants an ambitious CFP reform that ends overfishing, as a legal document, the CFP reform proposal does not define clearly enough the terms and provisions to realise its goal.

Read the piece HERE

photo: ALBOWIEB

Good access-to-information news! This year we helped NGO TransparentSea in an access to documents case regarding EU Fisheries Partnership Agreements (FPAs) with third party states. We requested access to all the reports held that provide evaluations and audits of EU fisheries agreements with non-EU countries.  TransparentSea had originally been refused access on the grounds that the documents are confidential to protect commercial interests of the European fishing fleet and preserve the international relations of the EU.

photo: buildscharacter

The Jackson Review is intended to address the significant financial risks that come with bringing a case in UK courts. ClientEarth lawyer Sandy Luk explains why it has missed the target for environmental cases.