The UK government does not know the extent of compliance with the EU landing obligation, the new rules appear to have had little impact and illegal discarding of fish may still be taking place, a new report has found.
Six months after the rules took effect, the fact that the anticipated challenges have not arisen raises concerns that illegal discarding may still be taking place, concluded the House of Lords EU Energy and Environment sub-committee’s report ‘The EU fisheries landing obligation: six months on’.
If the landing obligation were being complied with, the committee heard that some vessels would have to stop fishing half way through the year, and that storage facilities and supply chains would struggle to cope with amount of undersized fish being brought to shore.
Lord Teverson, chair of the sub-committee, said: “Unless the discard ban is properly implemented and enforced the UK’s fishing industry could in the future find itself with nothing left to fish.”
Serious threat
In its report, the committee highlight that if fishing is permitted above the maximum level that scientific advice states is sustainable, the long-term damage to fish stocks could pose a serious threat to the fishing industry.
The committee have therefore called on the government to monitor and enforce compliance by mandating the use of remote electronic monitoring on all vessels fishing in UK waters after Brexit; tracking selectivity improvements in the UK fleet; and working with other member states and the European Commission to ensure bycatch reduction plans are implemented as quickly as possible.
These plans should include a requirement for remote electronic monitoring and the use of more selective fishing gears on vessels allocated the bycatch quota, to ensure strict compliance with the quota limits and whatever bycatch reduction measures are agreed.
The committee also raise concerns that the scale of exemptions that have been granted undermines the aim of the landing obligation.
