Commission sets out guiding principles for proposals on fishing possibilities for 2007

The overall guiding aim is to attain sustainability in all fisheries, in which European fishermen are involved, in line with the objectives of the Common Fisheries Policy. Common principles are therefore proposed according to the conservation needs of the fish stocks concerned while keeping in mind the need for equity with regard to stakeholders and fishing communities. A gradual but sustained approach would be applied except in cases where more stringent measures are urgently required. The Communication is part of the Commission’s efforts to improve consultation on European fisheries management as set out in its earlier Communication of 24 May 2006. This exercise, which the Commission intends to repeat each spring, will provide much more time for consultation before Council makes its final decision on fishing possibilities in December.

Introducing this Communication, Joe Borg, European Commissioner for Fisheries and Maritime Affairs, said, "This Communication sets out a common basis for discussing with stakeholders how best to secure long-term stability in our fisheries while trying to avoid damaging disruptions in the short term. I look forward to a constructive debate with them on this crucial subject."

The Commission proposes to set management measures that are always proportionate to the biological risk involved. To this end, fish stocks are grouped into categories defined by level of biological risk. For all the fish stocks in each of these categories, similar management measures will be proposed. This will ensure a fair and even approach. The 6 categories of fish stocks identified are: 1) stocks which are currently fished according to the principles of maximum sustainable yield (MSY), 2) stocks that are overfished with regard to MSY but inside safe biological limits, 3) stocks outside safe biological limits, 4) stocks subject to long-term plans, 5) short-lived species and 6) stocks for which the precise state is unknown but which are not at high biological risk.

Long-term fisheries plans, which the EU began to adopt following the reform of the Common Fisheries Policy in 2002, are at the heart of decision-making in fisheries. Annual fishing possibilities and days at sea should be proposed according to the relevant long-term plans so that the stocks can rebuild and fisheries can improve. This is especially important for the recovery plans for stocks near to collapse. So far, the EU has adopted recovery plans for four stocks of cod, northern hake and southern hake and Norway lobster. The Commission has also proposed plans for Baltic cod, western channel sole, and North Sea plaice and sole and these are currently before the Council of Ministers and the European Parliament.

In order to improve fisheries, fishing pressure must be reduced but this should be done gradually in order to help preserve jobs. The Commission has therefore decided, after consultation with the fishing industry, to extend the provision already applied in some cases to limit changes in TACs to no more than 15% (up or down) from one year to the next. While it may not be possible to keep to this rule where urgent measures are needed to prevent stocks declining, the Commission now proposes that this guideline should be applied wherever possible to all relevant European fish stocks.

As well as the six groups of stocks described earlier, the Commission also looks at the cod stocks subject to a recovery plan indicating that that the existing measures need to be strengthened as hitherto there has been no significant reduction in fishing mortality. To this end, it has started a review process of these measures. Reference is also made to fishing possibilities and fishing effort on deep sea species on which the Commission will shortly table a proposal for 2007. Other species such as nephrops and blue whiting are also included in the Communication as are mixed fisheries.

The TACs and quotas proposed each year also depend on the EU's international commitments. These include decisions reached with Norway and other nearby states as well as with the other Contracting Parties in regional fisheries management organisations.

Until now, the annual process on setting TACs and quotas did not formally begin until the Commission tabled its proposal in late November. As a result, there was little time for proper consultation with stakeholders on how decisions were made. This will now change. As a further improvement, the Commission is also moving towards presenting its TAC proposals earlier in the year so as to avoid the need to resolve a wide number of important issues in a short space of time leading up to the annual December Fisheries Council. The Commission adopted its proposal for Baltic TACs, for 2007, last week, and the proposal for deep sea species will be tabled later this month. The Commission prepared these two proposals according to the principles outlined in the Communication.