Issues
Small-scale coastal fishermen face any number of threats and indeed, the number of small boats has fallen year after year. Sustainable fishing is anything but the norm, with a predominance of dredging vessels, gear that is not very selective and, most of all, fishing rights monopolised by industrial players.
In France,1 fishing quotas are allocated according to system based on two principles that act as a brake on the establishment of young fishermen:
- The purchase of an existing boat, which is, in essence, a quota buy-back, as quotas are allocated on a per-boat basis, advantageously positioning industrial players to buy back fishing boats, which are often extremely expensive, to obtain more quotas.
- A boat’s catch history, which affects the quotas allocated to the boat. These are attributed according to its fishing history during defined reference years: the more a boat catches a particular species of fish, the more quotas it obtains for that species.
The system thus encourages overfishing and industrial fishing, while the model of sustainable small-scale fishing is jeopardised, as it is very difficult for young fishermen to set up shop. Artisanal fishermen, the guarantors of sustainable and equitable fishing, find it increasingly hard to gain access to fishing quotas.
1Le projet “Mer de Liens” : comment soutenir l’installation de jeunes pêcheurs artisans durables ?, Pleine Mer, mars 2023 : https://associationpleinemer.com/2023/03/09/le-projet-mer-de-lien-comment-soutenir-linstallation-de-jeunes-pecheurs-artisans-durables/
Actions
Created in 2018, the Pleine Mer association contributes to a transition towards sustainable fishing that benefits the men and women who practice it, as well as all citizens and the environment.
The organisation aims to protect the oceans and support the development of sustainable fishing and aquatic farming methods and management. The main purpose of the ‘Mer de Liens’ project is to counter the collapse of the small-scale fishing fleet and promote environmentally friendly fishing techniques.
This will entail providing financial and logistical support for young, sustainable fishermen, to help them set up in the area, and lobbying to change the system for allocating fishing quotas, which currently favours established fishermen who often use industrial fishing practices that are harmful to the seabed.
This project is inspired by the work of Terre de Liens in agriculture, and will seek to carry out similar work in fisheries: supporting the installation of young sustainable fishermen thanks to crowd financing, in order to protect fishing rights and preserve small-scale fishing.
In addition, Pleine Mer is committed to facilitating access to a renovated fleet in order to promote a sustainable fishing system. By encouraging the adoption of cleaner, more efficient technologies, Pleine Mer contributes to the preservation of marine resources and the sustainability of fishing communities.
Key figures
Our support
- Multi-year partnership over three years (2024-2027)
- Primary sponsor of the Pleine Mer association and Mer de Liens project, in view to ensuring the association has the means to implement its lofty ambitions and to strengthen its action to design new models for sustainable fishing
- Skills sponsorship according to needs as identified by Pleine Mer
- Outreach and raising awareness