Brussels, 23/06/2016 (Agence Europe) - The European Parliament gave its approval in Brussels on Thursday 23 June to the compromise negotiated with the Council establishing a multiannual plan for the stocks of cod, herring and sprat in the Baltic Sea. The report by Jaroslaw Walesa (EPP, Poland) was adopted by a large majority (see EUROPE 11535 on the adoption of the compromise in the Parliament fisheries committee).
The cod recovery plan in the Baltic is the first multiannual plan incorporating the provisions of the new common fisheries policy (CFP). The regulation states that the objective of the plan should be to contribute to the achievement of the objectives of the CFP, especially reaching and maintaining maximum sustainable yield (MSY) for the stocks concerned (cod, herring and sprat). MSY should be achieved as soon as possible and by 2020 at the latest. The regulation also applies to by-catches of plaice, flounder, turbot and brill.
The plan should also contribute to the implementation of the landing obligation (rules banning the discarding of fish at sea) for cod, herring, sprat and plaice.
The regulation sets a target fishing mortality that corresponds to the objective of reaching and maintaining MSY as ranges of values which are based on scientific opinion. This is to provide flexibility to take account of the landing obligation and of the characteristics of mixed fisheries. The rules are very complex: the ranges are derived to deliver no more than a 5% reduction in long-term yield compared to MSY. The upper limit of the range is capped, so that the probability of the stock falling below the limit spawning stock biomass reference point (Blim) is no more than 5 %. Provision is made for safeguard measures in the event of the size of stock falls below the critical biomass level of the spawning stock.
In addition, the geographical restrictions are kept in place in the Baltic to protect spawning fish and juveniles. The regulation will extend the use of fishing logbooks to vessels of eight metres length overall or more.
The plan puts into effect the ecosystem-based approach to fisheries management to ensure that the “negative impacts of fishing activities on the marine ecosystem are minimised”.
Lastly, the plan contains provisions on regionalisation. The member states which have a direct interest in these fishing activities in the Baltic are Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Sweden. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)