On Wednesday evening, 13 February, representatives of the Council and the European Parliament reached a political agreement in Strasbourg on technical fishing measures and the ban on electric trawl fishing from 1 July 2021 (see EUROPE 12191).
The trilogue negotiators managed to reach a compromise on the controversial issue of electric trawl fishing, which is mainly carried out by Dutch vessels. The end date for using this technique, which, it is claimed, damages young fish and eggs, is July 1, 2021. The Council had agreed on a later date (1 January 2022) and the Parliament had requested a ban to become operational as soon as the Regulation entered into force.
Immediate ban in French waters. Provisions are included in the agreement to allow Member States to ban or restrict this practice in their territorial waters immediately. The French Minister of Agriculture, Didier Guillaume, noted that the new text "allows an immediate ban on electric fishing in waters under French sovereignty".
As if by coincidence on Wednesday, while the trilogue negotiations were going on, the United Kingdom announced that it would ban electric trawling in its waters after it leaves the EU (https://bit.ly/2Id5k2w ).
The text of the Technical Measures Regulation will still have to be adopted by the European Parliament and the EU Council in either March or April.
Transition period. The Parliament rapporteur Gabriel Mato (EPP, Spain) welcomed the agreement, which was reached after three years of "hard work" on "flexible, simplified and regionalised technical measures, adapted to the specificities of each fishery and sea basin". On the issue of electric fishing, the agreement provides for a transition period so that fishermen have time to adjust to the ban, he said. "And this does not preclude the innovation we so desperately need", says the rapporteur, who, like the European Commission, was not necessarily opposed to this fishing technique at the beginning of the process.
Protection of cetaceans. The new rules simplify existing technical measures, which have become very complex over the years. They allow a high degree of selectivity in terms of mesh sizes and minimum catch sizes. Restricted and closed areas have been identified. If scientific evidence is found to support it, the new Regulation requires Member States to take additional measures (regionalisation) to reduce incidental catches of cetaceans (whales, dolphins and porpoises) and sea birds.
The NGO Bloom welcomed the change of mind. "Wednesday's negotiation focused on the date of the ban; no one was questioning the principle behind it any more."
Several French MEPs, including Eric Andrieu (S&D, France), Isabelle Thomas (S&D, France) and Alain Cadec (EPP, France) acknowledged that they would have liked an earlier date for the ban.
"This is the end of this practice, which is disastrous for the environment, and a real victory for the Parliament", said Mr Cadec, who is Chair of the Parliament Fisheries Committee. No new licences can be granted during this transition period and many licences will be expiring at the end of this year, he explained.
The Netherlands, which will vote against the Regulation, will probably not be subject to the launch of an infringement procedure for misuse of electric trawl licences mainly because 42 licences (more than 50% of the total number of electric trawl licences) will not be renewed this year. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)