32. Fishy tales
Jun 12th 2008
From The Economist print edition
by Charlemagne

Europe's governments must ignore fishermen's demands--for the sake of the fishing industry

32-1-141

RATIONAL debating points are hard to hear above the din of breaking glass, water cannon and a car being overturned. Luckily, the fishermen who recently demonstrated outside the European Commission to complain about fuel prices stuck to a simple list of grievances (before their protest disintegrated into the usual baton charges and splintered office windows).

  Fishermen are striking, marching on capitals and blockading ports all over Europe. Broadly, they want three things. The first is subsidies to cut the price of marine diesel by 40% or more. Second, they want the European Union's quotas eased to let them catch more fish. And third, they complain that they cannot pass on their rising costs. They blame this on cheap imports (which they want controlled) and on the system of selling catches in quayside auctions, which they say gives buyers too much power (they want this investigated).

  With one partial exception, these are all terrible ideas. One fishing representative in Brussels de-clared that only cheaper fuel could give Europe a sustainable fishery. The exact opposite is true. Marine diesel is already subsidised in effect, because it is tax-free. More subsidies would reduce the already slim chance that Europe will ever have a sustainable fishing industry. Raising quotas would be worse still. The commission says that 88% of EU stocks are overfished, compared with a global average of 25%. As for controlling imports, the idea is nonsense. Most of the fish eaten in the EU is imported, and will remain so, as demand long ago outstripped domestic supplies.

A. 어휘

ignore 무시하다, __殺(묵살)하다. rational 합리적인. debate 토론하다.

din [쨍쨍.꽝꽝하는] 시끄러운 소리.

above the din of breaking glass 유리창 깨지는 소리 때문에. water cannon 물 대포. a car being overturned 뒤집혀지고 있는 차.

the European Commission 유럽위원회(유럽 공동체 본부). complain 불평하다.

fuel 燃料(연료). stick-stuck-stuck 부착하다. stick to 첨가하다.

grievance 불평. disintegrate 산산조각 내다, 분열하다. baton charge 경찰의 공격.

splinter 쪼개다, 찢다. blockade 봉쇄하다. port 항구. subsidies 보조금.

marine diesel 선박용 디젤 油(유). the European Union 유럽 공동체.

ease 완화시키다. pass on their rising costs 상승하는 비용을 감당할 수가 없다.

imports 수입품. catches 잡은 생선. quayside 부두 지역. auction 경매.

investigate 조사하다, 수사하다. with partial exception 일부의 예외는 있지만.

representative 대표자, 대리인, 국회의원. de-clare 선언하다. sustainable 지속 가능한.

fishery 수산업. exact 정확한. the exact opposite 정반대. tax-free 免稅(면세).

raising quotas 漁獲(어획) 割當量(할당량)의 증가. stock [동식물의] 종족, 魚族(어족).

overfish 濫獲(남획)하다. as for ...에 관해서는. outstrip ...을 능가하다.

domestic 국내의.

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  European governments would be irresponsible to give in to these demands. Alas, when it comes to their fishermen, they have shown abject cowardice for years. The industry has political clout way beyond its size (you could seat every fishing-boat skipper in Europe in a single football stadium). This is for various reasons: fishing is concentrated in coastal regions with few other obvious jobs; some fishermen are prepared to riot for political ends; they all do a romantic, dangerous-looking job. A government that is tough on fishermen seems mean to millions of voters who have never handled a net in their lives.

  Here are some things that EU fisheries ministers lack the courage to say in public. There are fewer boats now, but that does not mean fishermen are heading for extinction. Today's boats are more capable, with better engines, hull designs, nets and electronic gadgets that lead them straight to the fish. A rule of thumb says there is 2% _technology creep_ a year. Even if fish stocks were stable (which they are not), Europe would need to scrap many boats every year to maintain a sustainable industry.

  Instead, it has done the opposite, propping up fleets that are anywhere from 20% to 60% too large. And too many governments have then tried to square this circle by lobbying for higher quotas. This has locked fishermen in a suicidal spiral. Decades of falling catches have induced them to travel farther to fill their holds: one reason why Spanish skippers hate expensive fuel is that so many sail way beyond EU waters.

A. 어휘

irresponsible 무책임한. give in ...에 굴복하다. alas 아아, 슬프다!(감탄사).

abject 비굴한, 비열한, 零落(영락)한. cowardice 비겁함. clout 영향력, 强打(강타).

way [부사, 전치사를 강조하여] 훨씬, 월등히. way beyond 훨씬 더 초과하여.

skipper [소형 어선, 상선의] 선장. for various reasons 여러 가지 이유 때문이다.

coastal regions with few other obvious jobs 다른 일자리가 거의 없는 해안지방.

riot 폭동을 일으키다. mean 비열한, 불친절한. voter 유권자. fishery 어업, 수산업.

minister 장관. extinction 死滅(사멸), 소멸. capable 유능한, 성능이 좋은.

hull 船體(선체). electronic gadgets 전자장치.

a rule of thumb 엄지손가락으로 재기, 주먹구구식. creep 기어가기, 徐行(서행).

“technology creep' 기술의 느린 발전. scrap 폐기하다.

prop up [支柱(지주)로] 떠받치다. fleet 船團(선단), 함대.

square the circle 불가능한 일을 시도하다. cf. square 네모지게 하다. circle 圓(원).

lock 얽히다, 자물쇠가 잠기다. spiral 진행성의, 螺旋形(나선형)의.

suicidal spiral 자살로 진행하는 것. decades of 수10년의.

falling catches 줄어드는 漁獲量(어획량). induce 유도하다. hold 船倉(선창), 화물실.

sail way beyond EU waters 유럽연합에 속한 바다보다 훨씬 더 머리 항해하다.

waters 바다.

B. 구문

  - to give in→if they gave in (가정법과거 조건절).

  - The industry has political . . . a  single football stadium).

   [수산업계는 그것의 규모를 훨씬 능가하는 정치적 영향력을 가지고 있다. (유럽의 모든 어선선장을 단 한 개의 축구장에 앉혀 놓을 수 있을 것이다. 그만 큼 수산업에 종사하는 사람의 수는 적다.)]