Brussels, 10/02/2015 (Agence Europe) - The European Commission has opened a public consultation, to run from 9 February to 4 May 2015, prior to presenting multiannual plans for the management of certain demersal species in the North Sea.
At the moment, there are two management plans in the North Sea - one for cod and the other for sole and plaice. They will have to be replaced, however, by one or more management plans that comply with the new rules of the common fisheries policy (CFP). Furthermore, the Commission acknowledges in the consultation document that the cod plan has not fully delivered the intended results, as “cod biomass remains at very low levels despite reductions in fishing mortality”.
The Commission points out that the situation has changed since the landing requirement will be in force for demersal species between 2016 and 2019, meaning that it will no longer be permitted to throw unwanted species back into the sea; they will have to be landed and counted in quotas.
Zones affected. The Commission is suggesting that a new multiannual management plan for the North Sea be put in place allowing the objectives of the new CFP (maximum sustainable yield to be achieved between 2015 and 2020 and the landing obligation) to be achieved. It proposes that this plan take account also of interactions in mixed fisheries (when several species are caught in the same net). The Commission says the plan could cover the North Sea and Skagerrak, and possibly also the Eastern Channel and Kattegat, for certain species. The question is, at any rate, specifically put in the public consultation document.
Species affected. The Commission says the main species falling within these management rules are cod, haddock, saithe, whiting, sole, place and nephrops. It is also debating whether other species, such as monkfish and megrim, should not also be covered. If the scope of the plan were restricted to the main target species, what measures could be envisaged to protect the by-catch species, the Commission asks in the consultation.
Ecosystem and regionalisation. The Commission puts two further important questions. Firstly, which ecosystem-related issues should be considered in the context of the plan, and which corresponding management tools would be required under the plan, so as to minimise negative impacts on the ecosystem? And secondly, what technical measures (such as minimum mesh sizes, permanent or seasonal closures) should be introduced at a regional level to help achieve the objectives of the plan?
Challenge of ending discards. Lastly, the Commission asks stakeholders for their views on the challenge that is the landing obligation. Most fishermen, it is acknowledged, believe that it will be practically impossible to end discards in demersal fisheries. It is for that reason that the European Parliament fought hard in the negotiations on the omnibus regulation (implementing the end of discards) for annual evaluation of how the landing requirement is being implemented (see EUROPE 11242). (Lionel Changeur)