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Time to Take Stock |
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Written by B. Tyril
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Friday, 11 April 2008 |
Calling for stability, national consensus and a long-term vision — the new Minister of Fisheries and Natural Resources vows to review Faroese fisheries legislation without changing the core of the effort management system.
It didn’t take long for Tórbjörn Jacobsen, the Faroe Islands’ new Minister of Fisheries and Natural Resources to announce his intent to act on the question of reviewing the Commercial Fisheries Act. The move is expected to deal with at least two major issues: how best to govern fishing licenses in all fisheries, and how to adjust for changes in fishing efficiency in an effort management system.
Just weeks after taking office, Mr Jacobsen formed a task force manned by representatives from industry, the administration and the scientific community, headed by former fisheries director Kjartan Hoydal, with an assignment that includes the assessment of changes in fishing efficiency over the past decade.
Taking a closer look at the now 12-year old effort management regime, or Fishing Day System, has long been a matter of political debate.
Few have, however been able to present a clear picture of what should be the main features in a revised version of the days-at-sea regime for groundfish fisheries inside the 200-mile exclusive economic zone. But there is widespread agreement that an expert assessment of the fishing efficiency today is a necessary basis for deciding on adjustments to the system and how it has been implemented since 1996.
Several other related issues have been discussed publicly, even promoted by the Minister and his Republican Party before this government was formed in February — most notably a public ‘fishing day bank’ to coordinate the trading of days at sea, to the extent that such trade is permitted.
“We need to develop a more structured approach to the allocation and management of general fishing rights, catch quotas, and fishing days. It was never the purpose of the Commercial Fisheries Act to facilitate a private capital market for fishing licenses. And certainly not when such trade tends to lure too many away from fishing, while creating debt which can threaten the fishing industry’s economic viability, and at the same time raising the financial barrier for newcomers to join the industry. In our system, fishing licenses are not private property.”
Marine resources in Faroese waters and those to which the Faroe Islands have rights through bilateral and international agreements are by law ‘the property of the Faroese people,’ as the Minister pointed out.
“We are going to look carefully at how to best restore this management system to match today’s needs as closely as possible,” Mr Jacobsen told this publication. “The system has worked well and should be self-regulating, but we now need to make sure that the concept of self-regulation is really working in practice. I believe the continued success of the system will be determined by our ability to ensure the right balance between the reality of our fishery ecosystems and the capacity of the fishing industry to create economic benefits.”
That self-regulating element is this: Instead of altering the business environment of the fishing sectors every year in accordance with the annual stock assessments, the fishing effort is constant — naturally yielding more catch when stocks are abundant, and less when stocks are less abundant.
“For our country, safeguarding the marine environment and ensuring the sustainable use of its valuable resources is more than a major responsibility — it’s an absolute necessity. A revision of today’s effort management framework is warranted, both in consideration of effort levels, technological developments and economic aspects. We must never lose sight of the fundamental aim, which is of course to ensure the sustainable use of our valuable fish stocks.”
Fisheries for groundfish within the 200-mile zone are regulated by the Fishing Day System as combined with area closures, especially for bottom trawl fisheries, and a range of technical measures. Total fishing effort and the total number of fishing licenses are fixed by law. Vessels are grouped by size and gear type, and each group is allocated a set number of fishing days per year, which are then allocated among the vessels in the group.
“We are not going to redesign the system but rather adjust certain aspects of it where necessary,” Mr Jacobsen said.
Work to review the legislation will be carried out with an emphasis on the need to achieve a broad consensus, the Minister underlined.
“It’s essential for the fishing industry that our regulatory framework is clear and stable,” he said. “It’s my intention to take the time to discuss issues thoroughly with the industry. Politically, any measures taken need to be backed by all parties, both those in the government coalition and those in opposition. We should be looking for measures that can be examined and put in place during the life of this Parliament, but which will extend beyond the election cycle.”
Link to pdf presentation...
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Fisheries, Seafood