Socio-economic impacts of the landing obligation of the European Union Common Fisheries Policy on Galician (NW Spain) small-scale fisheries

Highlights

• The landing obligation of the EU Common Fisheries Policy will entry in force in 2019.

• Discards volume of Galician small-scale fisheries under TAC regulation is low (0–5% of total catches).

• Discards volume increase when quotas allocated to the small-scale fishing fleet are exhausted.

• Direct economic loss for the small-scale fishing fleet is estimated at 58 million euros per year.

• The landing obligation will also negatively affect directly 3000 fishers and more than 11,000 indirectly.

Abstract

This paper analyses the impacts of the new LO policy on small-scale fishing fleet under the TAC regulation in Galicia, namely focused on Atlantic mackerel (Scomber scombrus), European hake (Merluccius merluccius) and Rays (Rajidae). The paper shows that, as in much of the North Atlantic small-scale fisheries, the volume of discards of these species is relatively small, at 0–5% of the total volume of catches. However, while the volume of discards may increase as quotas allocated to a fleet are exhausted, discards by the small-scale fleet are managed by a combination of effort and minimum size. The main reason given by fishers is that small-scale fishing is highly selective and has a discard ratio significantly lower than that of industrial fishing.

Regarding the impacts of the landing obligation (LO), this paper shows that 88% of the Galician small-scale fishers interviewed who harvest species (Atlantic mackerel, European hake and ray) under the European Union TAC regulation. Indeed, 60% of the fishers indicated that the implementation of the LO would mean they would leave small-scale fishing. The main incentive to avoiding discards lies in changing the system of TACs and quotas (based on the principle of relative stability of the EU), promoting small-scale fishing and increasing de “de minimis” exceptions. The fact that many small-scale fishers are not willing to accept the LO highlights the lack of information and dialogue on the part of authorities regarding the impact of the LO on small-scale fishing.

Regarding the economic and social impact of the LO on Galician small-scale fisheries, the economic loss for the fleet which harvest species under the TAC regulation is estimated to be 58,753,632 EUR per year. In macroeconomic terms, the direct economic loss will lead to lost income taxes plus the cost of unemployment payments to affected fishers. In microeconomic terms, given the high dependence on fishing revenues of coastal communities, the household incomes of around 3000 small-scale fishers (nearly 11,000 people taking into account family members) would be negatively affected. The effects on other economic branches supplying goods and services to small-scale fisheries are excluded from this estimate. This impact would further aggravate the social and economic crisis of the Galician small-scale fishing sector, which has lost 17% of its fishing vessels and 20% direct employment in the last decade.

Introduction

Global fish production has grown steadily over the last five decades. In 2016, global fish captures were 90.9 million t, a small decrease in comparison to the two previous years (FAO, 2018). Meanwhile, marine fishery resources have continued to decline. The proportion of marine fish stocks fished within biologically sustainable levels has exhibited a decreasing trend, from 90.0% in 1974 to 66.9% in 2015. In contrast, the percentage of fish stocks fished at biologically unsustainable levels increased from 10% in 1974 to 33.1% in 2015, with the largest increases occurring in the late 1970s and 1980s (FAO, 2018). The EU is the world's largest market for imported fish and fish products and its dependence on imports is growing (FAO, 2014).

Wild-capture fisheries are a critical source of food and employment for people worldwide, providing livelihoods and incomes for an estimated 260 million people worldwide (Teh and Sumaila, 2013). FAO (2014) estimates that, overall, fisheries and aquaculture assure the livelihoods of 10%–12% of the world's population. In addition to livelihoods, fish are a critical source of dietary protein and micronutrients for impoverished communities that may not have ready access to other sources of nutrition (FAO, 2014). In many parts of the world, the livelihoods and nutritional benefits from marine resources are derived locally, from communities that fish in coastal and inland waters near their homes (FAO, 2014; Selig et al., 2017).

According to Kelleher (2005), the global weighted discard rate is 8%, represents 6.8 million t with respect to total recorded landings of 78.4 million t at the time that estimate was made. In the EU, discarding fish is considered to be a serious problem that requires urgent action (European Commission, 2009; Coll et al., 2014; Ksagarakis et al., 2013; Uhlmann et al., 2013; Siguroardottir et al., 2014). Discarding is also perceived as unethical and wasteful (Kelleher, 2005; European Commission, 2011).

Large individuals of a given species usually attract a higher market price than smaller individuals, so most fish discarded in EU waters are smaller than the maximum permitted size and are usually sexually immature (Azorriz et al., 2014; Coll et al., 2014; Ksagarakis et al., 2013; Siguroardottir et al., 2014). While discarding fish returns biomass directly to the ecosystem, the effects of so doing are poorly understood (European Commission, 2002). What is generally recognized is that an overly small spawning stock means that the fish stock cannot replenish itself (European Commission, 2002).

The true quantities of discards are often unknown, and the exploitation impact on stocks, especially of young fish, are uncertain (Azorriz et al., 2014; Coll et al., 2014; Ksagarakis et al., 2013; Siguroardottir et al., 2014). This has a number of repercussions, especially for the evaluation of measures intended to improve selectivity and reduce landings of young fish. Solutions to the problem of discards have been debated for decades, yet measures to ameliorate discarding have had limited success (Stockhausen et al., 2012; Coll et al., 2014; Villasante et al., 2015). The discard problem was considered a priority for the future of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) in the European Commission Communication on this subject adopted in 2002.¹