The European Parliament adopted (643 votes in favour, 11 against and 47 abstentions) on Wednesday 28 April its position (first reading) on the multiannual management plan for bluefin tuna.
The proposal, as amended by Parliament, transposes the provisions of the International Convention for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) into EU law.
Parliament asks: - Member States to allocate a sector-specific quota to small coastal vessels and to provide incentives to vessels using selective fishing gear; - an increase in fishing capacity (up to 20%) for purse seiners; - an increase in by-catch limits (from 5 to 20%) of total catches; - a seven-day extension of the fishing season for purse seiners (26 May-1 July); - an extension of the fishing season in case of adverse climate conditions.
Parliament and the EU Council Presidency had reached an agreement on the text of 10 November 2020, but this agreement was rejected by Coreper due to Member States’ concerns about their exclusive competence to allocate fishing opportunities. The Committee on Fisheries may decide to reopen negotiations with the EU Council with a view to reaching a second reading agreement. See the adopted text: https://bit.ly/330izv2 (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)