Following a vote in the EU’s Committee on Fisheries and Aquaculture in June, the European Commission is expected to soon adopt measures to prohibit fishing gear that touches the seabed from being used in vulnerable areas.
For Commissioner for the Environment, Oceans and Fisheries Virginius Sinkevičius, the “aim of this measure is to protect vulnerable ecosystems from the impact of bottom gears. [...] It shows the European Commission’s commitment to protecting deep-sea species and their fragile habitats, [...] essential to a healthy marine life. I know this decision requires a great deal of effort from our fisheries sector, and I would like to acknowledge its essential role in preserving our ocean”.
The conservation measure closes certain zones of the EU’s deep waters to all bottom gear, ranging from bottom-set longlines to bottom trawls. Fifty-seven vulnerable habitats in the northeast Atlantic will be closed to fishing, notably to protect corals and anemones.
The measure also establishes a fishing ‘corridor’, called a ‘footprint’, that all vessels catching deep-sea stocks will have to respect by fishing within its bounds.
The European Commission will soon adopt an action plan for the conservation of fishery resources and the protection of marine ecosystems. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)