Brussels, 30/03/2010 (Agence Europe) - On Monday 29 March, the European Commission objected to Italy's request to postpone implementation of Regulation 1967/2006 on the management of fish stocks from the Mediterranean. Maria Damanaki, the European Commissioner for Fisheries, was very clear on the subject and warned that as guardian of the treaties, the Commission had to ensure European legislation was respected. She informed European ministers at the Agriculture and Fisheries Council on Monday that, “I will therefore not hesitate to make full use of the instruments provided for by the Treaties."
Italy had requested pragmatic implementation of the very complex regulation on fishing in the Mediterranean, given the difficulties the country's fishermen have in respecting provisions on minimum distances, depths and fishing gear (EUROPE 9312). New minimum distances will enter into force on 1 June 2010 and involve 3400 boats in Italy, as well as provisions on banning certain fishing, which have certain potentially “worrying” social and economic effects, explained Italy. The Spanish delegation also recognised the complexity of the regulation in question and underlined the importance of finding a balance between stock conservation measures and socio-economic effects provoked by such measures. Cyprus has explained that it will review certain of the measures from the regulation to facilitate implementation.
Maria Damanaki informed the Council that recent inspections have demonstrated that member states are not fully respecting their obligations on the management plans for certain stocks and designations of certain protected zones where fishing is banned. Suddenly, the countries concerned are facing infringement procedures. According to the Commission, the regulation must be implemented without delay because, “many stocks are in an alarming state and fishermen are catching less every year”. More than 54% of the stocks that were analysed by scientists are overexploited. For many stocks such as hake, red mullet, deep-water rose shrimp, Nephrops or sole, scientists recommend drastic mortality reductions of between 30 and 80%. In addition, there is insufficient data for a substantial number of important stocks, “so we don't know their current state”.
More than 3 years after its entry into force, "the level of compliance remains totally insufficient'. Member States have clearly not done enough to implement the rules and to ensure their respect by fishermen. Commissioner Damanaki stressed that the Commission services “will help facilitate implementation but not postpone it". The Commissioner clarified that the Regulation does not ban any traditional or "special" fishing. On the contrary, it allows for derogations from the specific rules, as long as the scientific assessment shows that their impact on species and habitats is compatible with the aims of the CFP and as long as they are managed under a national plan.
The Commissioner is also recommending action at regional fishery organisational levels, such as at the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) and, more especially, in the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM). The Commissioner welcomed the fact that the GFCM has adopted the minimum mesh size of 40mm square, matching our provisions in the Mediterranean Regulation."