On Thursday 8 March, the European Commission presented its draft multiannual plan for demersal fish stocks in the Western Mediterranean, which proposes to greatly limit fishing during the first year of implementation, given the worrying situation of most stocks concerned.
According to the latest data, it is estimated that, in 2015, French, Italian and Spanish boats fishing in the area concerned (which stretches along the Northern Alboran Sea, the Gulf of Lyon and the Tyrrhenian Sea, covering the Balearic archipelago and the islands of Corsica and Sardinia) landed around 100,000 tonnes of demersal worth €675 million. The European Commission stresses: “Catches for these stocks have significantly decreased by around 23% since the early 2000s. At this rate more than 90% of the stocks assessed would be overfished by 2025”.
It therefore proposes to reduce fishing activity and to fix objectives for the largest demersal fish stocks at commercial level: hake, red mullet, deep-water rose shrimp, Norway lobster, blue and red shrimp and giant red shrimp. For this, the Commission considers it is necessary to impose a restriction on trawlers operating in marine waters up to 100 metres in depth between 1 May and 31 July, and to reserve the coastal area for more selective fishing gear. “This will protect nursery areas and sensitive habitats, and enhance the social sustainability of small-scale fisheries”, the Commission states.
Each year, on the basis of a scientific opinion, the Council will determine the maximum number of fishing days (or allowable fishing effort) for each fleet category and for each member state. The fleet covered by this multiannual plan is made up of around 10,900 boats, of which 50% are Italian, 39% Spanish and 11% French.
In addition, provisions relating to the landing obligation and technical conservation measures could be put forward by member states concerned (Spain, France and Italy) working closely with the fisheries sector.
The multiannual plan is the fourth proposed to date, in line with the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP), by the European Commission after the Baltic Sea, the North Sea and the Adriatic Sea (still under discussion). It should present a fifth plan in the near future relating to western waters (Atlantic) (see EUROPE 11914). (Original version in French)