Description
Speaker and panellist at European Commission High-Level Conference "Joining Forces for the Energy Transition in EU fisheries and aquaculture".Abstract of the talk given to the DGMARE conference: Efficient management of fisheries resources is crucial in achieving a successful energy transition and decarbonization of the fishing sector. This means we should engage a virtuous cycle in fisheries to effectively manage our fisheries while also transitioning to clean energy and reducing carbon emissions within the fishing industry. At the start, the prerequisite is to ensure sustainable fishing, which is fishing at the right level in balance with the fishing opportunities (in Europe, it is FMSY or less), which recognizes that fishing less is making fisheries earn more (which is almost the only economic sector where such a logic happens). The second prerequisite to support fisheries is to ensure the protection of habitats. By safeguarding these habitats, we can maintain healthy ecosystems from which we can catch more, with less fuel use, by deploying less effort in searching for the fish. The next step is to recognize that there are proven less fuel-demanding fishing techniques (for example, for the French fleet in the NAO, we immediately see that the most energy-intense fisheries are the ones using mobile bottom contacting gears; Fuel Use Intensity FUI is measured as the amount of fuel burnt per kilo landed). A co-benefit is then to reduce and shift from these practices to other practices with less impact on the marine ecosystems. From the research side, this comes with the need for carbon auditing, feasibility studies, estimation of the upfront costs fishermen can face, and the investment payback time, which can be actually short for some solutions. There are also simple solutions, and the development of what we now call "precision fishing" is a way forward. A co-benefit of adopting less fuel-intense fishing practices is also to improve the economic resilience of the fishing sector to crises and shocks and economic downturns, as we have seen recently happening in Europe and beyond. Fewer emissions, more profitable fisheries and fewer impacts will leave the fishing sector and managers some flexibility to re-invest the money to organize the energy transition. This includes the development of innovative ways of powering the vessels, but also innovative fuel-efficient gears and more selective gears. The use of alternative fuels should be greatly encouraged and supported with innovations, funding and education schemes to operate those new ways: e.g. hydrogen, electrification of the smallest vessels, or development of wind-assisted propulsion and so on. We then close the loop and increase the economic resilience of the fishing sector that way and the resilience of the underlying supportive habitats to meet the environmental targets of the EU CFP and beyond.
| Period | 16 Jun 2023 |
|---|---|
| Held at | The European Commission's Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Belgium |
| Degree of Recognition | International |
Keywords
- Decarbonisation
- Sustainability
- Fisheries Management