No public money for fishermen breaking the rules
© Australian Customs Services
Illegal fishing continues to be a huge threat to healthy fish stocks and profitable fisheries.
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Brussels, Belgium - Today, 20 October 2009, the EU Fisheries Council reached political agreement on new rules to stop illegal fishing in Europe’s waters. WWF firmly supports the Control Regulation which creates a common system of rules and sanctions to be applied at national level in Europe.
The new measures will ban EU public funds going to governments and fishermen who continue to break the law.
“Existing rules have been applied poorly or not at all, disadvantaging fishermen and governments who played by the rules. Illegal fishing continues to be a huge threat to healthy fish stocks and profitable fisheries. This reform is the first step towards an effective change in how EU fisheries are managed” says Aaron Mc Loughlin, Head of European Marine Programme at WWF European Policy Office.
WWF strongly believes that measures to tackle illegal fishing inside and outside EU waters are to be implemented as soon as possible starting from the 1st of January 2010.
For further information:
Aaron Mc Loughlin, Head of European Marine Programme, WWF European Policy Office
Tel: +32 2 740 09 24
Mobile: +32 472 94 83 17
E-mail: AMcLoughlin@wwfepo.org
Stefania Campogianni, Press Officer, WWF European Policy Office
Tel: +32 2 743 88 15
Mobile: +32 499 53 97 36
E-mail: scampogianni@wwfepo.org
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