European Parliament rapporteur Gabriel Mato (EPP, Spain) failed to obtain the negotiating mandate from the fisheries committee to open inter-institutional negotiations on the regulation on the conservation of fishery resources and the protection of marine ecosystems through technical measures. He failed by one to obtain an absolute majority of 14 votes. The text will have to be put to the vote, therefore, in plenary session, probably in February.
The committee position, adopted by 20 votes to 5, with 2 abstentions, amendment by amendment, maintains the status quo on the most problematic point of the regulation: electro-fishing. Green MEP Yannick Jadot (a fisheries committee substitute member) immediately welcomed the outcome of the vote. “The fight will continue in plenary session. We call on the European public and fishermen to make their voices heard in order to bring pressure on their MEPs to end this destructive practice”, he said.
At the present time, there are over 30 different European regulations establishing technical measures for fishing; the new rules will introduce common measures on fishing gear, methods and species authorised for all EU, while authorising the adoption of regional and tailored measures for of the EU’s seven sea basins. “Regionalisation would make it possible to move away from micro-management and rigid technical rules and to adopt a more flexible, results-based management approach”, Mato said after the vote.
EU fisheries ministers reached a political agreement on this issue on 11 May (see EUROPE 11786). The Council, in its position, retains the ban (with a derogation) on electro-fishing (or “pulse fishing”). Current derogations allow this kind of trawling on an experimental basis for up to a maximum of 5% of each EU country’s beam trawler fleet.
In a press release before the parliamentary vote, French Fisheries Minister Stéphane Travert attributed his opposition “to any lifting of the ban on this technique beyond the current limited derogation. This fishing technique has not demonstrated that it has no negative impact on the environment and marine ecosystems compared with current techniques”.
On 2 October, the NGO Bloom lodged a complaint with the European Commission against the Netherlands, accusing it of having illegally authorised far more vessels to engage in the practice of electro-fishing than the maximum number permitted. (Original version in French)