Greenpeace ship Arctic Sunrise visits Rijeka as a part of its tour in support of small fishermen

At a point when negotiations on the reform of the EU's Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) enter their final stage, Greenpeace ship Arctic Sunrise kicked off its campaigning tour in Constanta, Romania in order to provide support for small fishermen in Europe

  At a point when negotiations on the reform of the EU's Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) enter their final stage, Greenpeace ship Arctic Sunrise kicked off its campaigning tour in Constanta, Romania in order to provide support for small fishermen in Europe who are dedicated to fishing in a sustainable manner, states the Croatian branch of Greenpeace, Rije?ki internetski dnevnik reports.

  Arctic Sunrise will visit nine countries (Romania, Bulgaria, Greece, Croatia, Slovenia, Italy, Spain, France and UK), and collect signatures on paper ships  (https://myboat.gp/hr/) in support of fisheries that have a low impact on the environment and invite European ministers to give these fishermen preferential access to hunting grounds.

  The fishermen will travel on the Arctic Sunrise wearing a torch from one country to another, which is a symbol of the joint struggle for a healthy European sea.

  Greenpeace accused CFP for being more inclined towards industrial fisheries for decades, claiming this threatens the future of our seas and fish one consequence of which is that coastal communities suffer dire consequences.

  The organization points out that sixty percent of European fish species have been overfished and cannot be renewed. It claims that the European industrial fishing is so powerful that it is able to catch two or three times more fish than the amount that can be renewed.

  It also states that we have small fishermen who fish sustainably and responsibly, and has called for a change in the direction of European fisheries policy in order to ensure a sustainable future for fish and fishermen.

  Greenpeace believes that the European governments should look up to the European Parliament and achieve some kind of balance regarding the size of the fishing fleet with regards to the amount of fish in the sea.

  "They should start by removing the ships that make the greatest environmental damage and at the same time offer a smallest number of jobs to coastal areas" it is said. The organization also stressed that the governments should provide support to the fishermen who fish in a sustainable way and thus preserve numerous jobs.

   The Arctic Sunrise will stay in Rijeka from April 14-16. Citizens of Rijeka will be able to visit the ship and see the exhibition of photographs of European small fishermen.