THE NETHERLANDS IGNORES EU LAW AND INCREASES ITS FISHING CAPACITY

28 September 1999

BRUSSELS -– The Netherlands continues to ignore EU law by launching today yet another super trawler which will increase the country’s already excessively over-sized fishing capacity. The new Dutch super trawler is being launched today in Vigo, Spain, despite the European Commission’s ongoing legal action against the Netherlands for refusing to reduce its fishing capacity.

Greenpeace condemned the launch of the 140.8m super trawler Maartje Theadora, belonging to the Dutch company Parlevliet & Van der Plas. This super trawler is the fourth to be built for a group of Dutch companies in last 18 months (1). A shipyard in Vigo has an other Dutch order for a new vessel of the same size for next year.

"The Netherlands has built 4 of the biggest super trawlers in the world to fish in Mauritanian waters where no effective fisheries management exists", declared Hélène Bours, Greenpeace International fisheries campaigner. "Although the international community agrees that the world's fishing fleets are far in excess of what fish stocks can sustain, these enormous ships keep adding to the already over-sized EU fleets."

Greenpeace says the Netherlands is deliberately flouting EU regulations (MAGP IV) (2) intended to reduce EU fishing capacity and to contribute to a much-needed decrease in global fishing capacity. The European Commission has taken the Netherlands to the European Court of Justice for failing to respect those compulsory plans but it does not have any effective means to force Member States to abide by those regulations.

"The EU must urgently adopt mechanisms to ensure that regulations aiming to establish a balance between fishing capacity and available resources, one of the major stated objectives of the EU Common Fisheries Policy, are effectively implemented and enforced by Member States", Bours concluded.

Excess fishing capacity has been identified as one of the primary causes for declining fish stocks worldwide (3). "Fishing boats are not built to sit idle at the dock. Too much fishing capacity is bound to result in political pressure to keep the fleets in activity at all costs, with high quotas and access to other countries waters", she said.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:

- Hélène Bours, Greenpeace International, Fisheries Campaigner, +32 84 477 177

(1) DUTCH SUPER TRAWLERS launched in last 18 months

In 1998, the 126m super trawler Carolien was launched. In March 1999, the 126m super trawler Africa left Rotterdam to join her sister ships in West African waters. A month ago, Construcciones Navales Paullino Freire launched another 142m super trawler, the Willem van der Zwan.

(2) MAGP IV

The Netherlands failed to reach any of its objectives under the previous EU programme for fishing capacity reduction, the third Multiannual Guidance Programme (MAGP III, ended 1996). Council Decision 97/413/EC establishes MAGP IV. Implementing Commission Decision 98/121/EC requires the Netherlands to complete the reductions provided under MAGP III and imposes additional reductions of up to 23% by the year 2001.

(3) ASSESSMENT OF THE WORLD’S FISHING FLEETS 1991-1997 (Submitted to Greenpeace International by John Fitzpatrick and Chris Newton - May 1998)

Fishing overcapacity is a global problem, particularly acute in the large-scale, industrialized fleet sector (e.g., 100 GRT+). The FAO has indicated that there might be up to 45,000 such vessels worldwide. Such large-scale vessels are able to move great distances to fish on the high seas and in the waters of other countries, particularly in developing countries' waters. These fishing boats represent only 1% of all existing boats in the world while they are responsible for 50% of the catch worldwide. Factory trawlers employ only 2% of all fishermen in the world.

Greenpeace is calling for a 50% reduction of capacity in this sector by 2005.