The Government of the Canary Islands has requested the European Commission to create a program of specific options due to remoteness and insularity (POSEI) for fishing and aquaculture. The objective is to expedite and improve support for compensating the additional costs faced by these activities in the Outermost Regions (ORs).
The matter was discussed during a meeting in Madrid between the Commissioner for Fisheries and Oceans, Costas Kadis, the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Luis Planas, and the councilors of the autonomous communities, in which the head of the area, Narvay Quintero, raised the reform of the current regulatory framework of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP).
According to the head of the area, “the implementation of a POSEI for fishing and aquaculture activity similar to the one applied in agriculture would boost the economic sustainability of the fishing and aquaculture sector in the Canary Islands and the rest of the ORs, in line with the objectives of the CFP Regulation.”
“The current inflexibility in compensating additional costs causes significant delays in the payment of aid, which would not occur if this type of aid were integrated into a POSEI program,” added Quintero.
In its current configuration, the regulatory framework of the CFP has been ineffective in promoting the necessary modernization of the fishing fleet of the ORs for a decisive improvement in maritime safety, working conditions on board and energy efficiency of aging vessels, helping to increase the attractiveness of the activity for young fishermen.
Quintero also stated that the oceanic waters of the ORs account for more than half of the extension of the exclusive economic zones (EEZ) of the entire EU and that, similarly, the extent of the EEZ of the Canary Islands sub-fishing ground accounts for more than half of the extension of the entire EEZ of the Spanish national fishing ground.
In this regard, he stressed that “the great potential for exploitation of the fishing resources of the ORs should be taken into account, in the largest maritime space with sovereign rights over EU fisheries,” and stated that he had extended an invitation to the commissioner to visit the Canary Islands and learn about the reality of the ORs on site.
In this sense, the proposal submitted by the Canary Islands to the European Commission also raises the need to improve the assessment of fishing resources and the distribution of national quotas for the benefit of the artisanal fishing fleet of the ORs, especially with regard to migratory tuna populations.
For this reason, the Executive also requests the strengthening of the national research programs of the Canary Islands sub-fishing ground, through the Spanish Institute of Oceanography, with the aim of improving the use of fishing resources through effective and sustainable management, while consistent with the objectives of generating economic, social and employment benefits, as well as improving the availability of food products for the benefit of the development of the ORs.
