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Stichting De Noordzee

SDN

The North Sea Foundation is working towards a clean and healthy North Sea.

Lobbying Activity

Meeting with Costas Kadis (Commissioner) and

7 Nov 2025 · Participation of NGOs to Advisory Councils

Response to The European Oceans Pact

14 Feb 2025

Please find our feedback in the attached document
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Meeting with Sebastiaan Stöteler (Member of the European Parliament)

26 Sept 2024 · Introduction and discussion about Marine Protected Areas

Meeting with Ton Diepeveen (Member of the European Parliament)

26 Sept 2024 · Kennismakingsgesprek

Meeting with Bas Eickhout (Member of the European Parliament)

25 Sept 2024 · Mariene Beschermde Gebieden (MBG's) in Europa

Response to Evaluation of the Common Fisheries Policy

5 Sept 2024

In our view, the CFP remains a good framework for sustainable fisheries and ecosystem management, but it needs (political) willingness and cooperation for full implementation. Currently, it lacks adequate implementation, control and enforcement. The necessary tools to address gaps in the implementation do exist within the policy itself or in other available legal instruments. What is not covered in the CFP, is climate change as one of the challenges. The EU has been successful in reducing overall fishing pressure since the CFP was reformed in 2013. Although many catch limits continue to be set in excess of scientific advice, on average the limits have been brought closer to the levels that scientists recommend. Where overfishing has been brought under control, stocks have recovered quickly. Better management has led to higher yields and record-high profits for the fishing industry on an aggregate level. Such trends provide strong evidence to support continued improvement: the right decisions in line with scientific advice lead to positive outcomes. This would not have been achieved by individual Member States. However, fishing continues to be the main threat to ecosystem health (ICES,2024) MS fail to implement environmental criteria when allocating fishing opportunities, consequently ignoring the best available scientific advice from ICES. Measures to reduce and mitigate fisheries impact on sensitive species are not sufficiently promoted and implemented. Scientists and policymakers still mostly assess stocks and make management decisions for individual fish species in isolation from one another, without considering important predator/prey relationships and the impact of fisheries on species across the ecosystem. This narrow approach threatens the functioning of the ecosystem as a whole and jeopardizes individual vulnerable species that rely on fish as forage, or are caught as bycatch. However, progress is being made and scientists are developing models and advisory processes to clarify practical steps that strengthen ecosystem considerations and biodiversity protections and move current management frameworks partially towards an ecosystem approach to fisheries management. Results from an international study on fishing pressure within Natura 2000 areas in seven EU countries, published by Seas At Risk and Oceana show that Dutch MPAs are fished with trawls much more than those in Germany, Denmark and Spain. The Netherlands accounts for almost half of the total number of fishing hours: 2.1 million out of 4.4 million fishing hours measured between 2015 and 2023. NL also fishes the largest area of protected seabed, at 71%. This shows that most MPAs designated for the protection of their habitats (N2000 Habitats Directive Areas), are inadequately protected with fishery measures. In 2023, fishery measures (Joint Recommendations), that were following a process of over 10 years were finally put into place, protecting parts of designated MPAs from bottom-trawling. This shows that JR processes can work, however, it also highlighted many issues and bottlenecks within the process, which caused delays and interruptions by MS. The poor compliance with the landing obligation among MS is widely recognized. Illegal discarding continues and the adjusted TACs cater to overfishing. The failure of proper implementation does not mean that the landing obligation policy is unworkable! Specific actions need to focus on improvement of fishing gear selectivity, development of avoidance techniques (e.g. closures), formulation of science-based JRs and robust controls (with initiation of infringement procedures). For the Advisory Councils to be effective, proper monitoring and assessment needs to ensure advices meet scientific standards and are not undermining the CFP objectives. Good practices should be encouraged and a balanced representation of stakeholders in ACs should be promoted.
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Meeting with Charlina Vitcheva (Director-General Maritime Affairs and Fisheries) and WWF European Policy Programme and

16 Sept 2020 · Workings of the Advisory Councils