Protecting the South East's small boat fishing fleets

3.00.00pm GMT Tue 23rd Mar 2010

At a meeting with Maria Damanaki, the new Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Catherine Bearder MEP asked Commissioner Damanaki about what she intends to do to help fishermen in South East England. See the full text of her question below:

"In my region, South East England, historically 90% of the cod in the English Channel was caught by the under 10 metre fishing fleet. Yet at the distribution of the cod quota, 30% was given to them and 70% to the, wrongly named large Producer Organisation, wrongly called, because it is the sea that produces, they just harvest! Small local fishermen as we know fish in a far more sustainable manner and are more likely to support their local communities. The social and economic well being of the fishing communities is an important part of the Integrated Maritime Policy."

"How can the Commissioner protect the future of these small fishing fleets and the communities that depend on them, the local food suppliers, the trades and professions that service the fleets and the tourist industries that also depend on these traditional ways of life; and how will she ensure that they are consulted and involved in the reforms of the Common Fisheries Policy and the Integrated Maritime Policy?"