European fishing industry representative body Europêche has submitted proposals to the European Commission for a “targeted revision” of the bloc’s Landing Obligation, arguing that more than a decade of fishing under the regulation has demonstrated shortcomings that cannot be resolved through gear selectivity and monitoring alone.
At the center of Europêche’s argument is the alleged inflexibility of the Landing Obligation – also popularly referred to as a discard ban – in complex mixed fisheries where it is sometimes unavoidable for vessels to catch species for which they don't have enough quota. According to the organization, these “choke” situations can force vessels to stop fishing for their main target species even when quota remains available, creating what it describes as an operational mismatch between the policy’s objectives and conditions at sea.
Europêche said its proposal is intended to make the Landing Obligation “more effective, proportionate, and workable” while maintaining the underlying objective of reducing unwanted catch and improving selectivity.
“The Landing Obligation shows why targeted legislative changes are necessary,” Europêche President Javier Garat said in a statement from the organization. “Despite sustained efforts by fishers, scientists, and authorities, the framework remains unworkable in many fisheries. These shortcomings have too often resulted in an unfair portrayal of fishers and sanctions, overlooking the sector’s considerable efforts to make the policy work.”
The proposed revision comes as groups like the Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF) and Oceana have argued that the E.U. can address persistent discarding through greater use of selective fishing gear, real-time closures, improved catch information, digital monitoring, and stronger enforcement, rather than reopening the bloc’s Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) to make changes.
They also noted the European Commission’s own evaluation of the CFP this year had identified insufficient discard data, numerous exemptions, ineffective monitoring and enforcement, and limited industry buy-in among the problems affecting implementation of the Landing Obligation, instead of problems with the regulation itself.
In response, Europêche said technological progress has an important role to play but cannot eliminate all of the problems created by biological interactions and the structure of the E.U. quota system.
Its proposed changes would, therefore, seek to concentrate regulatory requirements where they are most relevant and scientifically justified while providing greater flexibility in mixed fisheries and other situations where unavoidable bycatch could otherwise create choke risks.
The organization is also calling for greater recognition of fully documented fishing practices and for rules that are simpler, more adaptive, and proportionate to the circumstances of individual fisheries.
Europêche said its latest proposal represents a proactive attempt by the fishing sector to contribute to the legislative process rather than simply criticize the Landing Obligation.
“The fishing sector is proactively developing science-based solutions to address the legal and operational shortcomings of the Landing Obligation,” Garat said. “With this proposal, we want to drive the necessary legislative changes and help build a system that reduces unwanted catch while remaining proportionate, workable and effective at sea. We look forward to a constructive dialogue with the European Commission.”
The Landing Obligation was introduced as part of the most recent overhaul of the CFP, which took place in 2013, and phased in from 2015, becoming fully applicable to quota species in 2019.
Despite NGO pushback to another overhaul of the CFP, the E.U. Parliament recently voted in favor of asking the E.U. Commission for proposals on revising the document.
