BLOOM opposes the irresponsibility of the trawl lobby supported by the Brittany region 

18 April 2024

At a time when the international community is announcing in Athens that it is committing considerable resources to effectively protect its waters and ban bottom trawling in its marine protected areas, BLOOM is forced to take urgent action to force the trawl lobby to abandon its pursuit of a course condemned by science. 

Two months after the adoption of the Brittany Fishing Roadmap during the vote held at the Regional Council of Brittany in mid-February, BLOOM sent an initial appeal to the Regional Council, officially asking it to withdraw this text, which is highly incompatible with the issues of ocean preservation and climate protection, as well as with the social issues of a sector in crisis which, to regain its economic vitality, must rely on a healthy ocean. Contrary to these challenges, the Breton roadmap sets fleet renewal and decarbonization objectives that completely ignore the challenges of ecosystem and climate protection, without the slightest consideration for the preservation and development of small-scale fishing. 

At a time when the ocean is overheating and evidence is mounting of the harmful effects of trawling on the climate, marine ecosystems, public finances and jobs, the Regional Council of Brittany is pursuing a deadly ostrich policy, blind to the international targets set at COP15 in Montreal and the European Commission’s “Ocean Action Plan”. 

Against this backdrop, BLOOM calls on the Regional Council of Brittany to assume its responsibilities and, following the example of the United Kingdom, the Dominican Republic and Greece, calls for the fishing industry to move from a logic of destruction to one of cohabitation, with a social and ecological transition of the sector that combines environmental protection and social justice. 

AN APPEAL TO THE REGIONAL COUNCIL OF BRITTANY TO ABANDON AN ANACHRONISTIC ROADMAP

On February 16, 2024, the Regional Council of Brittany adopted the Breton Fishing Roadmap 2024-2027, despite a massive citizen mobilization calling on Regional President Loïg Chesnais-Girard to withdraw the text and asking elected representatives to reject it during the plenary vote. 

While the transition of the fishing industry is urgently needed to protect the ocean and fishermen, the Brittany region intends, on the contrary, to mobilize all the means at its disposal to support the industrialists and allow them to pursue their enterprise of destroying marine ecosystems and jobs. 

BLOOM therefore lodged an appeal with the Regional Council of Brittany, asking it to withdraw or cancel the Roadmap. In this appeal, BLOOM demonstrates in particular that :  

1. The fleet renewal objectives are contrary to the existing framework for protecting marine ecosystems and restoring fish stocks; 
2. The ambition to decarbonize the fishing fleet without any strategy to reduce the impact on ecosystems of the most destructive fishing gear is totally incoherent; 
3. The Roadmap discriminates against small-scale coastal fishing, for which no support measures are provided. 

The Regional Council now has two months to respond. In the event of an explicit or tacit refusal, BLOOM will take legal action. 

DEMONSTRATION IN RENNES FOR REAL MARINE PROTECTED AREAS

In addition, BLOOM called for a demonstration on April 18, so that the region’s elected representatives will vote the following day in favor of the creation of truly “protected” marine areas in France. 

The following day, April 19, the Regional Council of Brittany is due to vote on a motion put forward by Brittany’s ecologists calling on the French government to create “truly” protected marine areas, banning bottom trawling and other destructive fisheries. 

Adopting this vow would send a message to the government, on behalf of the region that has become the real stronghold of the trawl lobby, of the need to commit to a public policy of ocean protection and transition of the fishing sector based on scientific recommendations and objectives established by the European Commission: 

• Bottom trawling would be banned in marine “protected” areas. 
• Artisanal fishermen using “passive” fishing gear would be protected from direct competition with destructive fishing methods in two-thirds of these protected areas. 
• All economic extractive activity would be prohibited in one third of these protected areas (“strict protection”), enabling the essential restoration of marine ecosystems. 

If the Brittany region had the courage to stand up for its citizens and defend the general interest, the climate and marine ecosystems, the French government would have no reason to block these elementary measures to protect and restore the health of the ocean.