Brussels, 26/04/2011 (Agence Europe) - The main aspects of the proposal that the European Commission will be putting forward in mid-July in an effort to overhaul the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) are as follows: an end to public aid to the fishing fleet; compulsory individual and transferable fishing quotas; ban on discards; end to retirement aid (intervention mechanism); cross compliance for financial assistance to fishing businesses; the setting up of a European Observatory on fishing product prices and the regionalisation of decision-making on management plans and technical measures.
According to a draft reform revealed by the AFP at the end of last week, the Commission aims to develop a policy by 2015 at latest, which will help use marine resources in compliance with the Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY). This will involve optimum catch volumes that can be extracted from an annual fish stock, without threatening the stock's future reproduction. During the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg in 2002, European Union member states and many other countries made a political commitment to managing their fish stocks in compliance with MSY. According to a scientist from IFREMER, 24% of 34 different fish species are at a MSY level or below it (in the North Sea, haddock, saithe and herring - in the Channel, West Channel sole - in West Scotland, haddock - in the Celtic Sea sole - and horse mackerel in the Atlantic). Thirty-five percent of stocks are above the MSY rate and 40% of species are not known.
Access to fishing waters. The Commission is proposing to extend the 12 nautical miles rule (which would like member states' coastal zones to be reserved for the fishing fleet of the member state in question). These restrictions have helped to “reduce pressure” on fishing activities in the most sensitive biological zones and to help provide “economic stability” to small-scale and craft-based coastal fishing. The Commission is also proposing to include specific restrictions in the new rule for 100 nautical miles around the Azores, Madeira and the Canary Islands. These restrictions will help protect the sensitive biodiversity in the waters around these islands and also help to protect the local economy.
Conservation of marine resources. In addition to continuing with the multiannual fish stock management strategy, the Commission is proposing the ending of discards and reducing unwanted catches. The proposal will make unloading compulsory for all fish caught in all ports, together with an appropriate timetable for each species: - from 1 January 2014 this will apply to mackerel, herring, horse mackerel, blue whiting, anchovies, bluefin tuna, megrims, albacore and swordfish; - from 1 January 2015 for cod, sole and hake; - from 1 January 2016 for other stocks (haddock, whiting, megrim, monkfish, plaice, saithe etc). When the Council sets out annual fishing rights (total allowable catches and quotas), it will also have to set up a reserve for by-catch purposes.
Decentralisation. In the context of rules for multiannual management plans and technical conservation measures, the Commission intends to put a stop to “micromanagement”. EU legislation will define the essential principles for these plans and measures (scope and objectives etc). The Commission will propose decentralisation on sea-basin level, which will enable member states to adopt conservation and technical measures. This will create regional flexibility and simplify policy. It will help prevent time being lost by European ministers during negotiations on minimum unloading size of fish or net requirements.
Provisions on emergency measures for marine resources conservation that are in danger are maintained under the Commission project. A new provision is introduced for fisheries measures in the context of obligations under the Natura 2000 and the Marine Strategy Framework Directive.
Access to resources. The Commission is proposing a mini revolution: implementation of individual transferable quotas (ITQ), which set out maximum fish quantities for boats that are allowed to fish and which can be sold to other fishermen. According to the Commission, this system constitutes an important way of adjusting the fishing fleets. A mandatory system of transferable fishing shares as from 2014 for all vessels with the exception of vessels under 12 meters with passive gear. These measures are aimed at preventing craft-based fishing fleets being bought out by the big ship-owners. In an effort to respect the relative stability principle, the Commission is suggesting that these quota transfer operations can only be undertaken at a national level between boats flying the flag of the same member state. In Denmark, where a market in ITQ has been set up at a national level, the measure has helped reduce the fishing fleet by 30%. The Netherlands and Estonia have also drawn up a positive balance sheet on similar initiatives undertaken. According to the supporters of these measures, the system also encourages fishermen to take care of fish stocks in order to be able to sell their quota at the best price possible at a different time. Nonetheless, this idea is meeting strong resistance from France and Germany, whose fish resources are considered as a public good and not a market commodity.
Better scientific data. The proposal introduces provisions requesting member states to set up national fisheries scientific research programmes. It also includes the creation of a new Scientific Advisory Committee.
Fleet capacity. The obligation for countries to adjust fleet capacity to fishing opportunity is maintained. A basic fleet management policy remains necessary with overall fishing capacity ceilings per member state established by the Commission. Transferable fishing rights (to be introduced) will help speed up the reduction of fleet capacity. In this context, countries will be able to exclude fishing boat capacity ceilings by using a transferable equivalent. The Commission confirms its wish to get rid of Community fleet aid by 2014 (scrapping and modernising boats).
CMO. The Commission is proposing real reform of the Common Market Organisation (CMO): - an increased role of producer organisations; -creation of a European fishing product observatory (to provide operators and countries with market information); - and providing consumers with basic information on products and revising market support mechanisms. It is therefore proposing to get rid of retirement aid and maintain temporary storage aid for certain fishery products for human consumption. The objective is to create greater market stability and increase the return on products. This storage aid will be granted to producer organisations storing products, which will be put on the market later for human consumption. Producer organisations will be in charge of setting up intervention prices (prices that trigger storage aid).
Agreements with third countries. Fishery partnership agreements that the EU concludes with certain third countries will, according to the proposal, comply with the strictest rules. The fisheries partnership agreements shall ensure that the exploitation of fishery resources takes place on the basis of sound scientific advice only targeting “surplus” resources that partner country cannot or does not want to fish itself.
Financial instruments. EU financial assistance must be based on compliance by both member states and fishermen of CFP rules. The Commission is proposing to maintain the right of breaking off or correcting the amount of aid in the event of CFP rules being breached by a country or if serious infringements are committed by operators.
Advisory councils. The Commission is proposing to consolidate the experience obtained by the (RAC) (Regional Advisory Councils, RAC). These seven RACs (Mediterranean, North Sea, fish stocks, North-western Waters, Baltic Sea, remote fishing banned and South Western Waters) will be renamed in advisory councils and a new council will be set up on aquaculture. (L.C.trans/fl)