Brussels, 13/06/2016 (Agence Europe) - Negotiators for the Community institutions could reach a compromise on the proposal seeking to regulate what are known as “deep-sea” fishing activities when they meet in trialogue on Tuesday 14 June.
This type of fishing targets species such as scabbard fish, round nosed grenadier and ling. The compromise is expected to include the Council position banning trawling below a depth of 800 metres. The principle of a footprint freeze, restricting activities to the areas where fishing took place between 2009 and 2011 (the reference period called for by the Parliament), is likely to be adopted.
Provisions, such as recording all catches, will be approved to improve monitoring of these fishing activities. Isabelle Thomas (S&D, France) is the Parliament rapporteur on this somewhat sensitive issue.
A number of questions remain to be negotiated on Tuesday, including whether or not NEAFC (North-East Atlantic Fisheries Commission) zones should be taken into account in the regulation and provisions on by-catches.
The Commission initially proposed quite simply to ban deep-sea fishing, causing consternation in the Parliament's fisheries committee and in several member states, including France and Spain, whose fishermen are engaged in this type of fishing. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)