Brussels, 20/10/2014 (Agence Europe) - On Monday 20 October, the European Commission adopted a number of regional plans in the form of delegated acts to introduce the phasing out of the rejection of fish at sea. The requirement to land all fish comes in on 1 January 2015 for some species under the new Common Fishery Policy (CFP) rules.
The practice of throwing fish back into the sea is banned under the new CFP, which allows a degree of tolerance and a gradual phase-in.
The five 'fish reject' plans adopted by the Commission lay down practical rules and a limited number of exemptions to help fishermen comply with the new rules.
The plans cover all fishing regions in EU waters and all fishing in the Baltic Sea, and have been drawn up by the member states, which have drafted joint regional recommendations for the Baltic, the North Sea, Western Northern regions, Western waters and the Mediterranean. Local industry and stakeholders have also contributed via the regional advisory councils, which have the right to be consulted about such matters. Before approving the plans, the Commission revised the joint recommendations in the light of the CFP rules and objectives. (LC)