Disagreement Over Whether Pelagic Fleet is Being Targeted
Another point of contention is whether pelagic freezer trawlers are being singled out.
Heddema argues there is “no reason why freezer trawlers should be singled out or prioritised over other fleet segments”, highlighting the sector’s high selectivity and historically low discard rates.
EJF denies targeting a single fleet segment. It states that a separate briefing explicitly called for REM to be prioritised across all discard-prone fisheries, including bottom trawlers and vessels equipped to facilitate discarding.
This raises a broader question about consistency. If REM is justified as a universal compliance tool, the…