The European Commission has adopted a proposal for a regulation that upgrades the EU framework for the collection, management and use of fisheries data that will make it easier to put European fisheries on a sustainable footing.
Currently, data is obtained only upon request, which creates an unnecessary burden for the research institutes and leaves much of the data underutilized. But the new system will make information readily available to anyone that needs it.
According to the Commission, data is crucial in improving the scientific advice necessary for the implementation of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) across member states. The new system will make it easier to achieve optimal levels that allow fish stocks to regenerate or maximum sustainable yield (MSY).
The aim is to achieve MSY for all stocks fished in EU waters by 2020.
"If our extensive knowledge and data on EU fisheries is not accessible to all, the objective for sustainable management of our resources will not be possible. With this new simplified system, we can reinforce our coordination at regional level, and with existing EU-wide polices,” said Karmenu Vella, EU Commissioner for Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries.
Not only will the simplification process make data readily available, it will remove overlaps with other EU legislation. The scope will also be slightly expanded, whereby the side-effects of fisheries on the ecosystem will now be recorded, which will facilitate the implementation of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive.
The new proposal is the result of extensive consultations with the member states, the national scientific institutes directly involved in the collection and monitoring of fisheries data and the main data users, such as the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES), but also with NGOs and other interested parties.
The EU is a major funder of fisheries data collection. Since 2014, with the entering into force of the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF), the rate that it has co-financed data collection has increased from 50 percent to 80 percent. The Commission said it is likely that this increased funding, together with the increase in efficiency and the removal of overlaps will lead to the elimination of the gaps in knowledge about fish stocks.
Current methods for data collection will continue, including collection of data in ports or at sea by observers on board in commercial fishing vessels, scientific surveys at sea to locate and follow fish stocks, compilation of control data from logbooks, sales notes and satellite data and socio-economic surveys of the fisheries, aquaculture and processing sectors.
