Brussels, 26/11/2015 (Agence Europe) - The Council of the EU decided on Thursday 26 November not to express any objections to the delegated act establishing a discard plan for certain demersal fisheries in the North Sea.
In the North Sea, the landing requirement (which follows from the rule banning discarding fish at sea) will apply from 1 January 2016 at the latest for mixed fisheries targeting cod, haddock, whiting and saithe, for fisheries targeting langoustine, for mixed fisheries targeting sole and plaice, for fisheries targeting hake and for fisheries targeting northern shrimp.
The delegated act sets out in detail the de minimis exemptions (discard allowance), between 2% and 7% depending on species and fishing gear.
Denmark, Estonia, Germany, Latvia and the Netherlands adopted a statement in which they express no objection to the delegated acts but ask the Commission to carry out “appropriate” consultations, including at expert level, in its preparatory work. “Although the delegated acts on discard plans are based on Joint Recommendations from member states with a direct management interest, such consultations are important for the sake of transparency and clarification”, the statement says. Denmark, Estonia, Germany, Latvia and the Netherlands urge the Commission to carry out such expert consultations in the future. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)