Brussels, 20/01/2015 (Agence Europe) - The European Commission will not provide financial support to member states or operators for monitoring that the rules banning “finning” - cutting off sharks' fins on board fishing vessels before throwing the carcasses back into the sea - are being observed.
That is what Fisheries Commissioner Karmenu Vella indicated in his answer on Monday 19 January to a written question from MEP José Blanco (S&D, Spain). Vella says, however, that to support the sector more generally, member states may decide to provide support under the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) “to achieve more sustainable use of marine biological resources, to promote environmentally-friendly processing methods, or to make investments to deal with unwanted catches or to improve the quality of fishery products”.
Blanco had asked if the Commission intended to revise the regulation to ensure it took account of the needs of the fishing sector and of international rules.
In the view of the Commission there is no need to revise the regulation at this stage. Member states must submit annual reports on the implementation of the regulation. To date, only 15 have submitted a complete report; “this makes it difficult to assess the implementation of the Regulation”, the commissioner says. He states, too, that the regulation allows slicing partly through each fin and folding it against the carcass, thus addressing the sector's need for easier handling and storage. (LC)