Question 12684 — aquaculture and professional fishing

Summary

Mr. Philippe Fait draws the attention of the Minister Delegate to the Minister for Ecological Transition, Biodiversity and International Negotiations on Climate and Nature, responsible for the sea and fisheries, to the particularly worrying situation encountered by French fishermen following the international negotiations relating to total allowable catch quotas (TAC) for the year 2026. He argues that the fishermen in his constituency, like more broadly all professionals on the French coast, are today expressing growing fatigue, faced with the absence of tangible progress in improving their working conditions, despite long months of exchanges and consultations with the public authorities. Despite the non-application of The Hague preferences for the year 2026, professionals emphasize that the quotas announced provisional TACs, and in particular the division by seven of the mackerel quota, remain largely disconnected from the economic and professional realities of the sector. These quotas would not only be biased by the excesses of certain third countries, but also applied in an indiscriminate manner, without taking into account the size of the vessels, fishing methods or their environmental impact. In this regard, if the announcement of the implementation place of a social quota of mackerel of 400 tonnes, levied on producer organizations, of which a contribution from FROM of up to 100 tonnes, is perceived as a signal, professionals denounce its insufficient nature, as well as its method of distribution. This would operate uniformly within producer organizations, without real targeting of the most exposed companies. However, this social quota is intended for companies whose dependence on mackerel exceeds 20%, while some fishermen mention a dependence which can reach more than 80%, particularly during the spring period. These methods of application, perceived as deeply unfair, are causing growing incomprehension in ports. Sailors speak of disproportionate pressure exerted on independent and artisanal fishermen, today threatened with disappearance in the face of competition from factory ships subject to the same quotas, but also against that of third countries unilaterally setting their own rules, even though France and the other European fleets have, for several years, strictly aligned their harvests with scientific recommendations. At this stage of the year, when many companies are already struggling to maintain their activity, professionals fear a structural impossibility of continuing their exploitation. The fishermen of the Côte d'Opale believe that the distribution of quotas must be reviewed in order to guarantee real equity between professionals, preserve an identity, know-how and pride passed down for generations and ensure that efforts are primarily supported by those who have exceeded scientific advice. Among the avenues mentioned by concerted local actors include the implementation of a temporary cessation of activity over the period mid-April/mid-June, in order to relieve the growing pressure which has been weighing on the sector for many months. In this context, the MP recalls that the urgency of the situation now goes beyond the economic framework and takes on a major social dimension. He therefore asks her what concrete measures she intends to implement to respond to the difficulties of French fishermen and avoid the outbreak, now more likely than ever, of a major social crisis in the coastal territories.

Machine translation from French. The official text remains authoritative.

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