Brussels, 18/11/2015 (Agence Europe) - Overall, the capacity of the EU fishing fleet has been reduced in the last few years but imbalances remain in certain segments.
That is the finding of a report published on Wednesday 11 November on member states' efforts in 2013 to achieve a sustainable balance between fishing capacity and fishing opportunities.
Between 1 July 2013 and 1 January 2015, the fishing capacity of the 28 member states of the EU fell by 1.1% in kilowatts (kW) but increased by 0.3% in gross tonnage (GT). This increase can be explained by the accession of Croatia to the EU in 2014. If Croatia is excluded, EU fishing capacity fell by 4% in GT and by 3.3% in kW between 2012 and the start of 2015, and the number of vessels fell by 3.9%.
On 1 January 2014, 86,879 vessels were registered in the EU fleet register, with an overall capacity of 1,658,033 GT and 6,573,806 KW. Compared with 2012, and excluding vessels registered in Croatia and in the outermost regions, this represents a reduction of 7.8% in the number of vessels, and a reduction of 1.6% in GT and 5.4 % in KW. EU fleet fishing capacity was 16.4% below tonnage capacity limits and 10.5% below power limits.
The report reveals that only six member states (Cyprus, Croatia, France, Italy, Latvia, and Spain) had identified fleet segments with structural overcapacity. These countries have adopted action plans to eliminate the overcapacity.
Between 2007 and 2013, member states actively decommissioned vessels under the European fisheries fund (EFF). Between 2007 and 31 May 2014, 4,156 vessels were removed from the fleet thanks to public aid worth almost €900 million, €527 million of which came from the EFF. Vessels decommissioned with EFF aid cannot be replaced. Furthermore, 2,620 vessels were removed from the fleet without public aid. Capacity decommissioned using private means can, however, be returned to the fleet. Public support schemes for permanent cessation of fishing will be phased out by the end of 2017. The Commission notes that, in many member states, the proportion of inactive vessels is considerable, reaching up to 50% in the most extreme cases (Portugal and Slovenia). (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)