This year, the European anglers met in Lausanne (Switzerland) at the end of August for the annual general assembly of the European Anglers Alliance that was hosted by the Federation Suisse de Peche en Mer.
Constructive meetings on sea and freshwater topics took place during the event. The participants had the possibility to hear and exchange updates on many relevant issues such as the upcoming reform of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP), the upcoming review of the Water Framework Directive (WFD), the situation of salmon aquaculture in Norway and in other EU countries, the issue of cormorants and on the work done on iconic species such as sea bass and Baltic cod.
In particular, it was acknowledged that the Fisheries Committee of the European Parliament had asked for a pilot project aimed at developing an efficient system for controlling recreational catches of sea bass in the Atlantic to be funded by EU. An amendment to the 2018 budget proposing this pilot project was adopted last week by the Fisheries Committee. Now it needs to be considered and adopted by the Budget Committee before going to a plenary vote.
EAA members were also updated about the activities done in Brussels, the events organised by the European Parliament Forum on Recreational Fisheries and Aquatic Environment and the work done on many important pieces of legislation such as the North Sea Management Plan and the Technical Measures Regulation.
Next to the meetings, participants could also hear about the many activities carried out by the Swiss Federation especially regarding rivers restoration and stocks management. They also attended the “Swiss Fishing Day” where they had the possibility to meet and discuss with their Swiss counterparts and with some political officials of the Lausanne Region.
As every year, the general assembly represents the perfect occasion to exchange experiences with other European colleagues but also to take stock and reflect on the work done and to adopt the strategy for the year to come.
