Fishermen try to reel in Brussels over ban
Greece’s amateur fishermen – who are thought to number more than 96,000 – have complained to the European Commission over its plans to ban them from fishing with nets and trawl-lines, their union said yesterday. Brussels has proposed this EU-wide measure to ensure fish stocks are not threatened, but the Union of Greek Amateur Fishing Associations (PESEA) says that the professional fishermen are the ones doing the damage. According to the Commission’s figures, half of amateur fishermen in Greece use nets or trawl-lines at sea, helping them to reel in some 19,000 tons of fish a year. But PESEA disputes these figures, arguing that this would require fishermen to catch 2.5 kilos of fish for 75 days a year. «This does not happen,» the union said. PESEA has also written to the government, asking it to take up the case with the Commission.
