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The long road to CFP reform by Simon Clydesdale, oceans campaigner Good news from Brussels; we finally got an agreement on CFP reform and at its heart is a big win on our key demand to support low-impact fishermen. For the first time ministers must now allocate fishing quota considering environmental impacts and benefits to the local economy - a potentially powerful boost to our small-scale inshore fleet. There was also progress on discards and fish stocks, but with some loopholes, plus progress on restricting EU fleets outside EU waters. 110,000 paper boats in support of these reforms have been collected during the Arctic Sunrise CFP ship tour. The UK was the ninth country to welcome the Arctic Sunrise on its three month tour in support of sustainable fishing. We had very positive public engagement with our paper boat stall, getting good local coverage and plenty of sign-ups. We visited Lyme Regis, Fowey, Hastings and ended in London on World Oceans Day, celebrating the end of a successful tour and a win for our oceans and local fishermen. A massive thank you to all who have worked so hard to deliver the tour. The fight is not yet over though; it’s now all about delivery in UK waters. Taking ♥ to the Arctic Council by Tim Copley, outreach team 14 May saw the handover of images gathered during the I ♥ Arctic campaign and which culminated in the global Day of Action on 20 April, involving 17,000 people in 280 cities around the world. A selection of the images were published as books and handed over to the Arctic Council meeting at Kiruna, Northern Sweden. Throughout their time in Kiruna, Arctic Council delegates were confronted with‘I ♥ Arctic’ and ‘No Arctic Oil’ messages ... in the airport lobby, outside the meeting venue, outside their hotel, in their hotel rooms; even the toilets were decorated with stickers saying: "You can't wipe away an oil spill"! And here is the final blog from Marcus Power, the guy who co-ordinated the international volunteer involvement in the I ♥ Arctic project. But beyond his disappointment at the lack of real political outcomes there is positive news - we’ve joined with indigenous people on the front line resisting the Arctic oil rush. 40 indigenous organisations and elders have now signed the joint statement of Indigenous Solidarity for Arctic Protection, demanding a ban on offshore drilling in the Arctic. This unprecedented alliance includes indigenous groups from every Arctic country and two permanent participants on the Arctic Council. Perhaps this quote from Josefina Skerk, an indigenous activist and member of the Sami Parliament in Sweden, perhaps best sums up where we are at: “Our struggle sometimes seems impossible - facing climate change and the unchecked greed of industry. But the summers of endless sunshine in the Arctic come after equally dark winters. Unity among Indigenous Peoples gives me hope that summer is coming.” Click here to share it on Facebook We are in the process of building a movement of millions. Massive thanks to everybody involved so far in the Save the Arctic campaign. We await the next phase and in the meantime I ♥ Arctic continues to be delivered by our volunteer networks, with a focus on local festivals throughout the summer. |
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