The European Fisheries Control Agency published three reports on Thursday 30 January which show that the rule on the obligation to land catches is not being respected in the North Sea and North Western waters.
"These reports confirm that non-compliance with the landing obligation has been widespread in the North Sea and north-western waters for specific fisheries during the evaluation period", notes the European Commission.
The failure to enforce the landing obligation "is a matter of serious concern to the Commission" and jeopardises the objectives of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP).
The reports also show that traditional control tools (inspections at sea) have proved ineffective in enforcing the landing obligation.
The European Fisheries Control Agency, based in Vigo, considers that the introduction of remote electronic monitoring, incorporating closed-circuit television systems on board fishing vessels, "would be an appropriate solution" to better control the landing obligation. The Commission's proposal for a revised control system supports the introduction of cameras on board vessels to prevent discarding at sea (see EUROPE 12210/7).
The Vigo Agency states that the evaluation was carried out over the period 2015-2017 for mackerel fisheries and over the period 2016-2017 for fisheries in the North Sea targeting cod, plaice and sole and for fisheries in north-western waters targeting haddock, hake and whiting. "The results suggest that non-compliance with the landing obligation appears to have been widespread during the evaluation period", says the agency.
The Commission takes the conclusions of the reports seriously and will continue to work closely with Member States to "ensure that appropriate measures are adopted to effectively control and enforce the landing obligation". Link to reports: https://bit.ly/2u5xeqI (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)