Bluefin tuna fishermen must get financial compensation during closed seasons and derogations relating to specific fishing areas and minimum size are not justified, since the Mediterranean and the Atlantic are populated by a single tuna stock, says the European Parliament in a consultative report adopted yesterday on a multi-annual recovery plan for bluefin tuna in the Eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean.
To address concern about the critical state of bluefin tuna stocks due to over-fishing, the recovery plan provides for a steady reduction in the catch quota (by 20% between 2006 and 2010), and an increase in minimum size from 10 to 30 kilogrammes, with derogations for fishing in the Gulf of Biscay and for catches in the Adriatic intended for fish farms. A derogation is already in operation for the Gulf of Biscay (6.4 kilogrammes instead of 10). Furthermore, the fishing period for long-line vessels is to be restricted from 1 June to the end of each year and for purse seine vessels from 1 July to 31 December. Control measures are to be stepped up to combat illegal fishing.
"The bluefin tuna recovery plan has been criticised in a variety of ways, which illustrates the fact that scientific experts and fishermen hold differing views regarding the need for stocks to be protected", says rapporteur Iles Braghetto (EPP-DE, IT).
Derogations are "unacceptable"
According to the report, the derogations relating to fishing areas conflict with the views held by all scientific experts and with the opinion expressed by the majority of the Member States. They are not justified from the biological point of view, would severely distort competition and would lead to more intensive fishing in the areas concerned, including by vessels which do not traditionally operate there, MEPs say.
The EP also opposes to minimum size derogations for bluefin tuna. "If the situation regarding the survival of fish stocks is really so critical, the derogations regarding both minimum size and - to a lesser extent - closed seasons are unacceptable. Derogations would not be justified from a biological point of view (…) and would also make controls less effective", says Mr Braghetto.
Closed season compensation for fishermen?
The rapporteur questions whether the socio-economic impact of reducing fishing activity in order to preserve the economic balance of fishing operations had been properly assessed. In the proposal for a regulation there is no reference to the recovery plans provided for in Community law, even though such a reference is essential if fishermen are to receive financial compensation from the European Fisheries Fund (EFF).
In one of the amendments approved in plenary, MEPs add that a financial compensation from the EFF shall be paid to fishermen - both crews and shipowners - during the closed season.
Member States to submit a fisheries plan
As the biggest problem in bluefin tuna fishing is that the EU fleet capacity exceeds the available quotas, MEPs want Member States to submit to the Commission a fisheries plan, indicating the number of vessels and traps for which fishing licences are to be requested, accompanied by information concerning the expected fishing effort.
Given failures by Member States to respect the reporting requirements in 2007 and the subsequent over-runs of certain national allocations, the EP proposes that if a Member State fails to provide catch data, then the national fishery should be closed.
On the basis of the catch data provided by the traps and as an important source of information for monitoring bluefin tuna, the Commission in conjunction with the ICCAT secretariat shall draw up a "plan to reactivate traps in the Atlantic and to recover traps which are no longer active in the Mediterranean", MEPs add. The purpose of this is to preserve a sustainable and highly selective method of catching tuna.
The report was adopted with 480 votes in favour, 41 against and 17 abstentions.
