On Thursday 31 October, the European Commission adopted a proposal to mitigate the economic impact of the closure of cod fishing in the Western Baltic in 2019 and 2020, including exceptional aid for ‘scrapping’ from the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF).
“The cod stock in the Eastern Baltic is not expected to recover until 2024, even in the absence of fishing”, says the proposal (see EUROPE 12350/15).
The fleet segments most dependent on this species encompass 300 vessels, mainly trawlers and net fishermen in Lithuania, Latvia, Poland and, to a lesser extent, Denmark.
“Only a minority of these vessels seem resilient enough to survive a short-term closure, but not a medium or long-term closure”, the Commission analysis states.
The proposal allows Member States, under certain conditions, to use part of their unspent EMFF funds to assist shipowners who wish to permanently ‘decommission’ their vessels targeting cod in the Eastern Baltic. Such aid for the ‘scrapping’ of vessels has been generally prohibited since 2017.
The proposal limits the number of vessels that can fish for cod in the eastern Baltic to reduce pressure on the cod stock and help it to gradually recover. The proposal does not increase the EMFF funding per Member State or the overall EU budgetary contribution.
The Commission also proposes to strengthen monitoring and data collection. From 2020 onwards, vessels fishing for cod in the Eastern Baltic must be equipped with a vessel monitoring system or other equivalent electronic monitoring system. In addition, at least 20% of these vessels must carry observers on board. This will allow scientists to collect reliable data on the condition of this stock and the impact of fishing on it.
To consult the Commission's proposal: http://bit.ly/31ZvLNx (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)