Puffins being ‘kicked around like a political football’ by EU
BRITAIN’S largest nature conservation charity has blasted “outrageous” EU attempts to overturn a post-Brexit fishing ban.
The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds has taken aim at Brussels, which has picked a fight over North Sea waters being closed to all boats targeting sand eels.
The UK policy aims to protect marine habitats. Sea birds such as puffins depend on sand eels for a significant part of their diet.
Katie-jo Luxton, the RSPB’s director of conservation, said: “This outrageous challenge by the EU Commission on the UK’s sand eel fisheries closure is seeing the future of beautiful birds like our muchloved puffins kicked around like a political football.
“While some EU countries seem hell-bent on hoovering up sand eels on an industrial scale to feed livestock, we believe they should be restoring marine ecosystems and nourishing pufflings [puffin chicks].”
Almost 62% of sea bird species are in decline across the UK, with over-fishing and climate change having destroyed sand eel stocks.
The European Commission has lodged its first formal complaint under the trade and co-operation agreement against the UK for banning sand eel fishing in its waters.
Ms Luxton said: “The EU should look to its own stated ambition on marine restoration, recognise these measures support this and back down. The Government must stand firm on the sand eel closure across the North Sea and Scottish waters.
“With species like our sea birds in steep decline we need to be doing so much more to safeguard the future of our wildlife, not stamping on the green shoots of progress.”
Many trawlers operating out of Boulogne in France depend on catches from the 13 areas subject to the UK restriction. The EU said online: “The EU and the UK committed to co-operate in ensuring fishing activities for shared stocks in their waters are environmentally sustainable and contribute to achieving economic and social benefits.”
Sand eels are in demand for their oil and used as feed for livestock and farmed salmon.