No other issue in the context of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) reform has attracted more attention than the proposed ban on discards – causing heated debate amongst policymakers, civil society, industry, and opinion-makers. The ‘discard ban’ has become a new milestone against which the success of the CFP reform is likely to be measured.

And the political polarisation resulting from an ill-informed and sensationalist debate has overshadowed the genuine efforts by the fishing industry to find the right solution. 
 
The vote on discards taken on Wednesday (18 December) by the European Parliament’s fisheries committee has taken us a step into the wrong direction and the behaviour during the voting session was symptomatic of the underlying ideological differences between the members.

Alternative proposals by the industry have not been embraced in a meaningful way in the amended report prepared by Ulrike Rodust, a German socialist member of the European Parliament. This is because the Rodust report has essentially endorsed the European Commission’s obligation to land all catches, therefore rendering any gradual phasing out of discards superfluous. 
 
If the fishing industry has to land the fish, what will we do with them? There is no infrastructure to collect and store these unwanted fish, or to process them, quite apart from the fact that the presence of these fish would distort the market even if we were able to just give it away. And in the current financial climate, I do not see member states or the European Commission making the extra investments required to make the obligatory landing of all fish a success. Rather than bring fish on-shore for no reason, it would be better to return the fish to the marine ecosystem, where they would feed other marine organisms.
 
Let there be no misunderstanding: the fishing industry is willing to reduce discard levels in all fisheries to the lowest possible levels – and the numerous initiatives ongoing in many fisheries are proof of the industry’s efforts.

We have floated an alternative, more workable proposal to the European Commission’s intended ban. We need an approach based on prevention and minimisation of discarding, supported by a range of incentives to reward sustainable fishing methods. To strengthen this, we should introduce a targeted discard ban for the fish stocks that are in danger.

Discards are inextricably linked to fisheries management and mixed fisheries almost by definition lead to discarding. A blanket discard ban will not solve the complex and multi-faceted reasons underlying the practice. The amended wording for the regulation remains unworkable at sea. It is very important that the fishing industry and policymakers work closely together to implement a reform that ensures sustainable fishing practices.
 
Gerard van Balsfoort is chairman of the Northern Pelagic Working Group (NPWG) of the European Association of Fish Producers Organisations (EAPO), president of the Pelagic Freezer Trawler Association (PFA) and vice-president of Europêche and Cogeca-Pêche.