The official in charge of international negotiations for tuna was hired by the main pro-fishing lobby, denounces the Bloom association.
By Frederic Lewino
© GUY PETERSON / AFP
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VS’is a merciless conflict that has for years pitted industrial fishing in the Indian Ocean against ecologists frightened by overfishing that is decimating multiple species of tuna, including yellowfin, albacore, big-eye, bonito striped… With around ten tuna vessels, capturing some 100,000 tonnes of tuna per year, the French fleet is on the front line.
Today, the Bloom association, founded in 2004 by journalist-filmmaker Claire Nouvian, is opening fire on the enemy by denouncing an illegal revolving door case to the public prosecutor. It concerns Anne-France Mattlet who was until last March, negotiator of fishing agreements for France, in the Indian Ocean and who joined the Europêche lobby (Association of national organizations of fishing companies in the EU) to support the tuna strategy. This transfer of the public to the camp of pro-fishing lobbyists infuriates Claire Nouvian: “It’s perfectly illegal. The three-year latency period has absolutely not been respected. Beyond this case, we want to denounce the moral corruption existing between the authorities responsible for enforcing European quotas and the industrial fishermen who take advantage of shameless derogations to continue the plunder of the oceans. »
On the dock
In terms of tuna fishing, France is already on the dock of the European Commission. On June 9, 2021, it announced the launch of an infringement procedure against France for non-compliance with EU rules aimed at combating illegal fishing and for non-control of fishing activities. sin. France is mainly criticized for having published a circular in 2015 authorizing French tuna vessels not to apply the tolerance margin of 10% per species of tuna caught, but to apply it to all fished species.
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The advantage for the tricolor fleet is clear, as it can thus under-declare the highly sought-after yellowfin tuna and declare more other species. Of course, French shipowners have arguments to put forward. Such as the impossibility for a captain to estimate catches species by species, because there is no sorting on board. “To apply the European directive, the tuna should be counted when it is brought back on the boat. Which is impossible insofar as it must be frozen quickly in order to guarantee the quality of the product”, declared some time ago, the secretary general of the CGT of the sailors of Concarneau.
“It’s organized crime”
In short, bosses and unions agree to affirm that if the European regulation were applied, it would be signing the death warrant for French fishing. This is why France is currently waging a hellish campaign in Brussels to extend the margin of tolerance to all species, as part of an ongoing renegotiation of fishing rights. “Which, by the way, would regularize past frauds. This is organized crime! says Claire Nouvian. According to the latter, the recruitment of Anne-France Mattlet by Europêche would be part of a joint strategy between the French administration and the shipowners to strengthen French lobbying in Brussels in favor of more favorable regulations. Tuna is not always good!
