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Parliament supports SP proposal to end subsidies for EU predation of Africa’s fish

13 October 2011

Parliament supports SP proposal to end subsidies for EU predation of Africa’s fish

'The right to food takes precedence over economic interests, and I’m pleased that Parliament agrees with the SP on this.’ So said SP Member of Parliament Henk van Gerven as his proposal to exclude subsidised European industrial fishing boats from African waters won a majority. ‘We must prevent the coastal waters of Guinea-Bissau from being emptied of fish by the theft of this primary foodstuff of coastal communities.’

Henk van GervenFisheries agreements regulate access to African waters for European ships. The agreements have come under fire because they are enabling heavily subsidised factory ships from Europe to empty Africa’s seas of fish. Local fishermen are being driven out and nature and fish stocks are suffering damage. The high by-catch of, amongst other species, turtles and sharks, is a principal cause of damage to the environment. Van Gerven’s motion calls for factory ships to be excluded from the coastal zone, giving local people a chance once more to catch fish and maintain their livelihoods. Under the rules of Dutch parliamentary democracy, the fisheries minister must now argue this case at European level. “I hope that this will put an end to predatory fishing at the expense of Africans,” says Van Gerven.

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