Now it looks as if a similar scenario replays itself at the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, after many years of management of European fisheries by means of the notorious CFP (the Common Fishery Policy of the European Union).

In the autumn, 2002, International Council for the Exploration of the Seas (ICES) recommended a complete closure of the NE Atlantic whitefish grounds to save cod stocks from total collapse. Advised by the latter, Franz Fischler, the EU’s Fisheries Commissioner, started talking about a total ban on fishing for cod, haddock, and whiting, and substantial reductions in plaice and prawns quotas, or alternatively, drastic cuts in TACs, quotas and effort. Scottish, French, Spanish, and other European fishermen and their respective associations have reacted strongly. While they keep disputing the management’s both diagnosis and medicine, they also embarked on various protest activities. The action has been two-pronged: resistance to the draconian management steps, and demand for assistance to fishworkers barred from exercising their trade. At the time these words are printed the proposed restrictions have become reality, and the fishing industry and fishing communities around the western European coasts are facing extreme economic and social difficulties.