The European Parliament and Council of the EU have reached an agreement on revising the fisheries control system to better implement the Common Fisheries Policy.
The European Commission proposed changes five years ago to the legislation, first adopted in 2009, to reduce overfishing, create a more effective and harmonised fisheries control system and ensure a level playing field between different sea basins and fleets.
“By revising and updating the fisheries control system, we ensure a more effective control over the use of our valuable marine resources and a better enforcement of the rules in the future,” said Commissioner for the Environment, Oceans and Fisheries, Virginijus Sinkevičius.
“Our achievement demonstrates that the long and difficult discussions throughout the years were worth every effort.”
The new rules make better use of technology such as the mandatory use of cameras for vessels above 18 metres, mandatory use of geolocation systems and electronic logbooks for small-scale vessels, use of traceability tools and the mandatory introduction of engine power monitoring devices for certain vessels using active gears.
Other revisions include a margin of tolerance of 10% per species (with some variation for certain fisheries), harmonisation of sanctions and better monitoring of recreational fisheries.
‘Difficult and complex negotiations’
Trade body, Europêche, has welcomed the agreement which it says comes after five years of ‘difficult and complex negotiations’. It says the sector now needs time to assess whether the deal strikes the right balance between effective control on one hand and bureaucracy and costs on the other.
“We appreciate the efforts made by the Parliament and the Council to reach compromises and introduce flexibilities for the implementation of the future control rules,” said Daniel Voces, managing director of Europêche.
“It is now time to check whether the political agreement sets the foundations for a clear and efficient system that guarantees a level playing field, workable rules, acceptable control devices and overall makes life easier for fishers,” he added.
Particular sticking points for Europêche are the introduction of cameras which are seen by the industry as ‘intrusive’ and the margin of tolerance when applied to the tropical tuna purse seine fishery.
The European Parliament and the Council will now formally have to adopt the new regulation before it can enter into force.
