Subsidising fisheries destruction (continued)

The European Commission recently released a list of fishing vessels that have received EU fisheries subsidies between 2000 and the beginning of 2007, reports Global Subsidies Initiative:

The top ten vessels received some €30 million [between them]. The top two vessels were Spanish boats Albatun Dos and Albatun Tres; each receiving €4 318 440 for their construction. Notably, a number of subsidy recipients identified in the EC list have been cited with illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing. Infractions included using illegal nets, misreporting catches in logbooks, and falsifying sales records. However, a full accounting of subsidy recipients who have been cited with IUU fishing is currently impossible, given that there is no public record of vessels that have been issued citations. “It is outrageous that taxpayers’ money has financed criminals who destroy the marine environment and undermine legal fishing activities,” said Markus Knigge, European Marine Programme Officer with the WWF.

If people were allowed to vote on whether their taxes should be used to fund environmental destruction, and voted 'yes', then I'd find it difficult to argue against them. But we are not given such an opportunity. This subsidised, permanent, destruction of a scarce, living resource, for the benefit of the short-term prospects of a few giftless politicians is despicable.