16 October 2018

NEW MOBILIZATION FROM CHEFS AGAINST ELECTRIC FISHING

16 October 2018

The chefs of the “Relais & Châteaux” network, who, following chef Christophe Coutanceau’s manifesto, became widely mobilized[1] last January alongside BLOOM against electric fishing, are taking the floor again today. They are now joined by chefs from another network, “Euro-Toques”, which has 300 members in France.

The key point of chef Coutanceau’s  manifesto was: “We refuse to work with seafood coming from a fishing method that condemns our future and that of the ocean. With artisanal and recreational fishers, dozens of professions will disappear as well as our culture, our heritage.” His message was widely relayed by the media in more than 25 countries around the world, and contributed to the happy outcome of the plead BLOOM and small-scale fishermen made to euro-deputies earlier this year. On January 16th 2018, the European Parliament voted, by a large majority (402 votes against 232), in favour of a total and definitive ban of electric fishing in Europe.

Unfortunately, despite this clear vote by the European Parliament and the subsequent revelation of new scandals in this explosive case[2], the European negotiations between the Commission, the Council of the European Union and the Parliament are moving forward towards an unacceptable authorization of marine life electrocution, with the implicit consent of France.

Faced with a situation of urgency, and in a context of increased awareness of Mankind’s disastrous ecological trajectory, the chefs are reiterating their call and extending it to citizens and institutions. They demand that public policies cease to support the destruction of the environment and worse, the destruction of good fishing practices. Electric fishing leads to mass bankruptcies amongst small-scale fishermen around the North Sea.

After months of inertia, France, under the pressure of the public opinion, has finally stood up against electric fishing. However, instead of making use of its diplomatic power in order to round up a majority of Member States opposing this barbaric technique, France did nothing, leaving the room for the Netherlands, who are fully supportive of their destructive industrial fleet.

BLOOM has just launched a new petition to urge French President Emmanuel Macron to stop electric fishing in a firm and definitive way.

The chefs’ support will be decisive in mobilizing public opinion once again. Indeed, without the public’s support, political decision-makers will not move in the right direction.

> View the interviews of chefs from the “Relais & Châteaux” network here:

> Find the interviews of chefs from the “Euro-Toque” network here:

> Use this interactive map to zoom in and find all chefs supporting the BLOOM campaign for the complete and definitive ban of electric fishing in Europe.

[1] More than 260 chefs from the “Relais & Châteaux” network signed the manifesto written by Christophe Coutanceau, chef of the famous restaurants “Christophe Coutanceau” and “La Yole de Chris” in La Rochelle.

[2] On April 16th 2018, BLOOM filed a complaint with the European Commission against the Netherlands for failing to publish the list of the beneficiaries of the European Fisheries Fund (EFF). Read the BLOOM press release about it here: https://www.bloomassociation.org/en/pulse-fishing-second-complaint-against-the-netherlands/. This resulted in another complaint by BLOOM and a coalition of NGOs and fishermen filed with the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) against the Netherlands on June 13th 2018. Read the BLOOM press release about it here: https://www.bloomassociation.org/en/fishers-and-environmental-organisations-call-on-the-european-anti-fraud-office-to-open-a-formal-investigation-about-electric-fishing/

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