Three new reports published by the European Fisheries Control Agency (EFCA) indicate that non-compliance with E.U. landing obligations has been widespread in key fisheries.
Non-compliance with the landing obligation has been identified as an issue in fisheries in the North Sea and in northwestern waters, according to the EFCA evaluation. The evaluation was performed over multiple periods for several fisheries, and spanned 2015 to 2017 for mackerel fisheries; and 2016 to 2017 for North Sea fisheries targeting cod, plaice, and sole; and for northwestern waters fisheries targeting haddock, hake, and whiting.
The evaluation implemented up to five different methods for measuring the compliance with the so-called “discard ban,” and mitigated the low availability of reference data obtained during sea inspections where the catch composition is assessed.
The overall results suggested that non-compliance with the landing obligation appears to have been widespread during the evaluation periods, EFCA said.
It also said highlighted that the detection of non-compliance with the rules “remains difficult” when only depending on classical monitoring based on inspections due to the fleeting nature of discards at sea, which may occur at any time of the fishing trip by day and by night.
The evaluation concluded that remote electronic monitoring (REM) systems, encompassing close circuit television (CCTV), could ensure a continuous observation of the fishing gear and catch processing activities onboard the fishing vessels, and would therefore be instrumental in the efficient monitor, control and surveillance of compliance.
The European Commission (EC) said the failure of the fisheries to respect the discard ban is “a matter of serious concern” as it “jeopardizes the objectives of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP).”
These aims include ensuring the long-term environmental sustainability of fishing activities and the gradual elimination of discards.
“The European Commission takes the findings of the EFCA compliance evaluation reports very seriously and will continue working closely with member states to ensure that appropriate measures are adopted to effectively control and enforce the landing obligation,” the commission stated.
Photo courtesy of the European Fisheries Control Agency
