It seems that time has come for us to check up on the events since December last year where we had the seminar in Denmark. This letter will be send to the participants from the seminar whom we know uses the email. The purpose of the letter is to find out whether it is possible to arrange another seminar, as we agreed upon in December, and further, to see if we can initiate a group that will develop a proper forum for European coastal fishermen.

Initially, we have ourselves realised that events concerning fishery has been hectic, chaotic and work consuming this year. Thus, it seems inevitable that none of us have had the time to follow up on the seminar in December. On the other hand, it seems that the events call for an even larger effort in the areas that we have in common. Thus we will suggest the following, as a first attempt:

To organise a committee that can handle the future work in this or another network, that might develop into an organisation such as “European Coastal Fishermen”.

 I.e. the following tasks should be analysed and initiated:

• The network that was identified and attempted mobilised under the project “ECOast fish” has to be revised so that we can gather all persons and organisations whom naturally belongs to such a network

• The routes of communication and the responsibilities must be developed

• The Second Seminar is to be organised and carried through

 Arguments for the above tasks:

• All participants perceived the 1^st seminar as a success and a necessity for the coastal fishermen

• Since December last year a number of conferences, seminars and meetings have been held in Europe under the theme “a sustainable fishery”. Nearly all the assemblies have had one thing in common: the participants are always the same – and none or only a very few fishermen participates. The agenda is the same, the speeches are the same, and it seems that nothing changes, and we don’t move closer to the concrete goals for the fishery. There is a real need for a group of working fishermen, who can set a more realistic agenda for the benefit of the sea environment and the management of the common resources.

This summer in Denmark, the Living Sea has worked from our new vessel, M/S Anton. We have travelled the country’s harbours with an exhibition and with meetings concerning the future fishery. Especially, there has been a lot of attention to the European Green Book, and to a Danish discussion in our parliament whether the coastal fishery in Denmark should be managed separately and with their own quotas. We believe that more focus on the coastal fishery and its particular values, can be the rescue of the coastal fishery.

Further, we have followed the initiatives of the “Fishermen’s Ecological Network”. The 31 vessels that are now attached to the network, sell their fish with a “environmentally friendly” stamp. And though it proceeds slowly, this initiative has good perspectives for the environmentally sound fishermen.

Another initiative in Denmark has been the selling of fish over the internet. These initiatives seem to move in one direction only: forward!

EU’s Green Book seems to ask for the work that European coastal fishermen could do. There can be no doubt that the Commission would appreciate the fishermen getting together in a cross-European network, and finding solutions to our common problems in this context. Thus, it must be in our best interest to gather ourselves, so that we can speak with a firm voice in the fishery advise that national and international authorities are going to ask for.

Now, we will send this letter. And by the end of November we can venture on a small travel to as many as possible of the seminar participants. Henning Thøgersen, skipper  and I will bring our report from the seminar and our ideas for the future, and we will discuss this.

We hope to have a concrete response from this letter. We need to know both if the above suggestion is of interest to you, and to receive invitations for Henning and I in November/December.

We will form a library on our home page www.levende-hav.dk Press the English flag, and check the information on ECOast Fish.

If you have some address we have to contact please send them to us.

Yours

Living Sea Coordinator
Kurt Bertelsen Christensen
Juelsgaardvej 27, Ferring Strand
DK- 7620 Lemvig
Phone 0045 97895590

mail lev-hav@post4.tele.dk