The European Parliament’s Fisheries Committee met on Wednesday to vote on the first draft regulation in the common fisheries policy reform package.
The new rules, approved in the committee by 24 votes to 1, state that EU fishermen's organisations must be strengthened and better equipped to help promote sustainable fishing, reduce unwanted catches and combat illegal fishing.
MEPs say that producer organisations must be properly funded and their role strengthened, in order for them to play a more meaningful role in day-to-day fisheries management.
Setting up transnational producer organisations or associations of these organisations at trans-regional level should also be encouraged. In addition, the Commission should provide financial support and assistance to help producer organisations create nationwide electronic databases, based on existing vessel monitoring systems and electronic logbooks, to coordinate the activities of fishermen and processors for their mutual benefit.
The approved text also clarifies the role of producer organisations in any future strategy to reduce discards. Reducing unwanted catches of commercial stocks should be a priority, MEPs say. Fishermens' organisations should also step up checks on their members' activities in order to avoid unwanted catches and fight illegal fishing.
By-catch
Landed by-catches could be used for bait, fishmeal, fish oil and pet food. Fishermen should be reimbursed the expense of these catches so that they land them, but this should not become a new market, MEPs say. Any profit from such products should go to a national or trans-national fund for data collection, control, surveillance and scientific research purposes, they add.
To improve information to consumers, all fish and aquaculture products will have to specify the fish stock and the area where it was caught or farmed and date-of-landing for fresh fish products.
MEPs also call on the Commission to table a legislative proposal by 1 January 2015 to introduce a new EU eco-labelling system for fisheries products
Today's market intervention mechanism should be reduced, in line with the Commission proposal, to a single storage aid, say MEPs. The committee rejected amendments seeking the continuation of additional support measures such as fish withdrawals.
The new rules will be put to a vote by Parliament as a whole at its September plenary session. The final shape of the new common fisheries policy will be co-decided by the Parliament and the Council, and is to enter into force on 1 January 2013.
