The European Union plans to modernize the “technical measures” which govern how, where, and when fishermen may fish, the European Council has confirmed.
Last week, E.U. member states' ambassadors endorsed the agreement reached on 13 February between the presidency and European Parliament's representatives on rules regarding the conservation of fishery resources and the protection of marine ecosystems. The measures in question include specifications for fishing gears and mesh sizes, closed areas and seasons, and the minimization of the impact of fishing on the marine ecosystem and environment.
Petre Daea, Romania’s minister of agriculture and rural development and president of the European Council, said the new agreement on simpler and better technical measures was “a milestone” in the implementation of the E.U. Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) and for the sustainability of the region’s seas.
“These rules will make fishermen's' lives easier and allow member states and the fishing sector to have a greater say in deciding what is appropriate for different sea basins and local specificities,” he said.
According to the council, the new regulation on technical measures will take the E.U. a step closer to achieving the objectives and targets set out in the reformed CFP, such as the reduction of unwanted catches and by-catches of sensitive species. In particular, the new rules will help reduce the number of juveniles caught, and minimize the impact of fishing activities on seabeds.
In line with the CFP, the new rules set out a framework for the regionalization of technical measures. Through a “bottom up approach,” member states – cooperating closely with the industry in local advisory councils – will be able to submit joint recommendations on issues of vital importance. These joint recommendations will then be taken into account by the European Commission in adopting secondary legislation.
Through enhanced regionalization, regional groups of member states will be allowed to develop additional mitigation measures in their joint recommendations to reduce the impact of fishing on sensitive species and habitats. Similarly, member states will have other tools at their disposal, such as real-time closures and restrictions on the construction and operation of certain fishing gears, to improve selectivity and the protection of the environment under certain conditions.
A list of prohibited species that fishermen won’t be able to fish will also be established.
Electric pulse fishing will be prohibited after 30 June, 2021, and a phase-out period, during which no new licenses will be granted, is expected in order to allow the industry to adjust to new conditions.
Scientific research will continue although it will have to be carried out in line with stringent conditions. In order not to close the door to innovation in the sector, the regulation includes the requirement of a future commission report, including advice from the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) on the impact of innovative gears on marine ecosystems, sensitive habitats, and selectivity.
It is expected that the new rules will apply from the middle of this year.
Image courtesy of Petre Daea's Facebook page
