“There is an urgent need to act and to better understand what is happening in the sea”Hervé Berville, Secretary of State for the Sea, said on Tuesday on franceinfo. “exceptional” higher than “4 to 5 degrees” seasonal norms, threatening marine ecosystems, say experts on climate change in this sea.
franceinfo: Is the sea in danger?
Herve Berville: There is an urgent need to act and to better understand what is happening under the sea. We must ensure that the protection of the oceans, the preservation of resources, the acceleration of the fight against climate change are at the heart of the intergovernmental approach. Under the authority of the Prime Minister, I am in charge of maritime planning to ensure that we speed up on this subject since the ocean is our most precious common good. We must put resources at the local level and fight internationally to ensure that we have a much stronger coalition and actions.
What do you think of the sling against cruise ships?
It is obvious that we must adapt and change practices. We can no longer be satisfied with having these millions of tonnes of carbon that are thrown away, but we also recognize that cruise passengers are a local economy. Many efforts have been made for several years by shipowners, companies, and there is the need to have a plan with a zero-emission ship, the decarbonization of all boats. This is true for fishing, cruises and shipping in general.
We hear a lot about marine planning. What is it exactly ?
This means concretely that when you are on the coast you have several activities at sea. There is yachting, tourism, the need to develop renewable marine energies, the creation of wind farms, fishing activities and marine biodiversity. It is clear that in order to implement the increase in renewable marine energies, to ensure that our fishermen can continue their activity and cope with the tourist uses of the sea, we must have a framework, strategies, investments, protection . It must be done globally and then broken down by seafront so that there is consistency.
Financial assistance on fuel for fishermen is extended until September 30. What will happen next?
It was a commitment that I had made because it is a question of the survival of the sector. The overall envelope is 18 million euros but there cannot always be a support-only mechanism. Fishermen understand this very well. There must gradually be a solidarity contribution from the entire industry to take over from this State system so that fishermen are not penalised. In August, I will bring together the supermarkets and the major distributors on this subject.