Lobbying by European Fishing Tackle Trade Association

European Fishing Tackle Trade Association

EFTTA

The European Fishing Tackle Trade Association (EFTTA) was established in London in 1981 with the aim of representing the interests of the European tackle trade and recreational angling industry.

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ID: 08955462188-48

Lobbying Activity

Response to Implementing Act on the provision applying as from January 2026 of the amended Fisheries Control Regulation

25 Aug 2025

EFTTA would like to raise one issue with regard to recreational fisheries and the implementation of Council Regulation (EC) No 1224/2009. Earlier this year the Commission published: Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/274 of 12 February 2025 laying down detailed rules for the application of Article 55 of Council Regulation (EC) No 1224/2009 on the control of recreational fisheries With regard to ANNEX II - CATEGORIES OF FISHING MODE FOR RECREATIONAL FISHERIES these four fishing modes are listed: 1. From the shore 2. From a vessel 3. Under the water 4. From ice We suggest the Commission clarifies the abovementioned term vessel, which seems to be in conflict with the vessel definition in Council Regulation (EC) No 1224/2009, Article 4(31): fishing vessel means any vessel equipped for commercial exploitation of living aquatic resources; In particular: 1) Are rowboats, kayaks and other small boats or floating platforms included the vessel term mentioned above? 2) Should some of these boats and platforms be registered? Which ones? Criteria? The answers/clarifications may have implications for the wording of the proposed Regulation: COM(2025) 435 final - 2025/0246(COD), 30.7.2025 Proposal for a REGULATION OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL on European fisheries and aquaculture statistics and repealing Regulations (EC) No 1921/2006, (EC) No 762/2008, (EC) No 216/2009, (EC) No 217/2009 and (EC) No 218/2009

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Response to Delegated Act on the provision applying as from January 2026 of the amended Fisheries Control Regulation

12 Aug 2025

The European Fishing Tackle & Trade Association (EFTTA) and the European Anglers Alliance (EAA) urge on behalf of EU's 9+ million sea anglers to introduce a stepwise penalty structure with regard to non-compliance by recreational anglers. The electronic control system (fishing app) to be mandatory from January 2026 is new to most EU anglers. It will be a huge task to inform all anglers properly before and after January 2026. We will do our part on top of what the national authorities will do but it won't be enough. Some anglers won't comply for various reasons like lack of knowledge of the new rules or being unable to making use of the app - not intentional violation of the rules. Therefore, we urge the detailed rules to be amended to introduce a phased in penalty scheme e.g. a first time warning; second time a 'small' fine, to be increased for 3rd and 4th violations.

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Response to The European Oceans Pact

17 Feb 2025

EFTTA, the European Fishing Tackle & Trade Association serves Europes 25 million anglers with fishing tackle and other fishing related equipment. President Ursula von der Leyen has declared that: the European Oceans Pact will focus on boosting the blue economy and ensuring the good governance and sustainability of our oceans in all of their dimensions. EFTTA applauds that. Our sector is an important part of the blue economy. Our sectors annual turnover is estimated 2 billion EUR in Europe. For marine angling alone, the total economic impact of the spending by Europes 9 million marine recreational fishers amounts to 10.5 billion euro, supporting almost 100,000 jobs according to this study conducted for the European Parliament: www.europarl.europa.eu/thinktank/en/document/IPOL_STU(2017)601996 Article: https://academic.oup.com/icesjms/article/77/6/2171/5924560 This huge economic impact and its growth potential are, unfortunately, often overlooked by policy makers. We would like the Ocean Pact to rectify that. Tourism angling The total value of European tourism angling was not estimated by the study mentioned above but some figures from Ireland and Norway were given. It is stated that: Tourist fisheries can be large in a number of countries (..), but there is little knowledge of the benefits or impacts of this sector. More information is required to understand how these fisheries can be managed and developed in the future. COM(2023) 102 final COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION has it that: Improved environmental sustainability, for example through effectively managed MPAs, can provide additional or alternative livelihoods for local fishing communities, such as nature tourism and well-managed recreational fishing. Thus, recreational fishing (angling) is one of very few activities, which can create economic activity and jobs within an MPA sustainably. In October last year, two important reports were published by CBI, Centre for the Promotion of Imports from developing countries under the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs: - The European market potential for fishing tourism www.cbi.eu/market-information/tourism/fishing-tourism/market-potential - Entering the European fishing tourism market www.cbi.eu/market-information/tourism/fishing-tourism/market-entry Angling tourism has a huge growth potential in Europe and globally. Angling tourism can bring economic activity all year round, also in the most remote areas, with little to no negative impact on the environment. Fish farming Fish farming growth is an EU priority. Therefore, the Ocean Pact should encourage that all new fish farms at sea should be closed containment installations, to avoid fish escapes and pollution with chemicals, medicine, feed, parasites and diseases. Todays open net fish farms should all convert to closed containment within a few years. EUs Common Fisheries Policy (the CFP) is not fully implemented Deadlines have passed. Still, the CFP from 2013 is not fully implemented. We request that the ongoing CFP evaluation leads to a CFP reform, which should, among other things, implement fully documented fisheries, and align the CFP to the Ocean Pact, and, not the least, include recreational fisheries in a fair and equitable manner, which is not the case today. We also support the many voices in favour of a ban on bottom trawling, which would help to restore big parts of the ocean floor. That is much needed for a number of reasons, including boosting the biomass, preserve biodiversity, and increase the oceans CO2 uptake: Ocean habitats such as seagrasses and mangroves, along with their associated food webs, can sequester carbon dioxide from the atmosphere at rates up to four times higher than terrestrial forests can. www.un.org/en/climatechange/science/climate-issues/ocean

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Meeting with Christophe Clergeau (Member of the European Parliament) and European Anglers Alliance

12 Feb 2025 · SEARICA/ENVI

Meeting with Michal Wiezik (Member of the European Parliament) and European Anglers Alliance

17 Sept 2024 · European Parliament Forum on Recreational Fisheries and Aquatic Environment

Response to Evaluation of the Common Fisheries Policy

2 Sept 2024

The European Fishing Tackle & Trade Association (EFTTA) urges the inclusion of recreational fisheries in the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) on an equal footing with commercial fisheries and aquaculture. EFTTA has been urging this to happen for more than 20 years.Now is the time to put that inclusion on track. The CFP evaluation must conclude -based on the many and important legislative acts regulating recreational fisheries at EU level- that evidently there is a need to amend the CFPs General Objectives and other provisions to include recreational fisheries fully and fairly. - A CFP inclusion is supported by the fisheries advisory councils NSAC, NWWAC, BSAC and (partly) the MEDAC. - Also, the European Parliament suggested at the last CFP reform in 2013 to include recreational fisheries in the General Objectives (Article 2) . However, the EU Council didn't agree so it didn't happen. Today, the EU Council ought to be supportive as recreational fisheries since 2013 have been legislated substantially at EU level. For reason of coherence, the fisheries sector definition in the Data Collection Framework Regulation, Article 3(1), ought to be replicated by the CFP. It reads: - "fisheries sector means activities related to commercial fisheries, recreational fisheries, aquaculture and industries processing fisheries products...." [see more in the attachment].

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Meeting with Anabela Rodrigues (Member of the European Parliament)

9 Apr 2024 · Considerations concerning the Water Resilience Initiative by the Living Rivers Europe Coalition

Meeting with Michal Wiezik (Member of the European Parliament) and European Anglers Alliance

5 Mar 2024 · Water Resilient EU Initiative

Response to Correction to the multiannual programmes for fisheries

19 Dec 2023

EFTTA, the European Fishing Tackle & Trade Association does not agree with changes, which water down the protection of fish stocks against overfishing. We agree that the MAP texts could be phrased better but this should not be achieved by lowering the stock protection level, which seems to be the case according to the Stockholm University Baltic Sea Centre. Cuttings from their analysis published on 7 Dec 2023: www.su.se/stockholm-university-baltic-sea-centre/news/analysis-those-are-our-rules-and-if-you-don-t-like-them-well-we-ll-make-others-1.697321 "ANALYSIS: Those are our rules, and if you don't like them, well, we'll make others" (..) Commission is removing the safety belt We at the Baltic Sea Centre have pointed out that the TAC decisions are based on forecasts over stock growth, and that they by nature are uncertain. That it is imprudent to base management decisions on the assumption that the growth forecasts will always be realised in full. There are plenty of examples of fish growth forecasts not being realised. It would make sense to apply a bigger precautionary buffer. Instead, the Commission is now proposing to remove the safety belt. It claims that application of the seat belt may not be compatible with other provisions of the MAP, presumably the safeguard remedial measures that have failed to deliver. After all, Art. 5.2 only says that targeted fisheries MAY be closed, not that they MUST be closed. That is, its redundancy is not detailed enough. The Commission also says that applying the seat belt may result in potentially severe socioeconomic implications. Not reflecting on the socioeconomic implications of two more herring stocks potentially going down the tubes like the cod and Western Baltic herring. -------------------- EFTTA urges: 1) To not remove the articles 4(6 and 4(7) as proposed by the Commission but to merge the content with other articles, without lowering the protection level. 2) To take more seriously the term "rapid" in the MAPs ["to ensure rapid return of the stock concerned to levels above those capable of producing MSY"]. The European angling community - anglers and the dependant businesses - has been very accommodating, patient and suffered a lot with regard to the EU restrictions put on anglers' catches of bass, Baltic cod, Baltic salmon and eels in the hope that the management of commercial fisheries would follow suit so the overfished stocks could bounce back rapidly, more rapidly than what we see, or not see, these days.

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Meeting with Caroline Roose (Member of the European Parliament)

25 Apr 2023 · Evènement "More Big Fish In the Sea" RecFish Forum

Meeting with Caroline Roose (Member of the European Parliament) and European Anglers Alliance

25 Jan 2023 · La Loi sur la Restauration de la Nature et la pêche récréative

Meeting with João Albuquerque (Member of the European Parliament) and European Anglers Alliance

18 Jan 2023 · Presentation of European Anglers Alliance (EAA)

Meeting with Karmenu Vella (Commissioner) and European Anglers Alliance

29 Jun 2016 · Common fisheries policy