On Wednesday 12 February, the European Commission adopted an implementing regulation aimed at harmonising the process for communicating data on recreational fishing by EU Member States.
This text, published in the Official Journal of the EU (https://aeur.eu/f/fge ), stems from the regulation on controls. The aim is to provide a clearer picture of the real effects of recreational fishing on the health of fish stocks (see EUROPE 13284/14).
RecFishing, an electronic system that will facilitate the collection of data and the declaration of catches in the EU, will be set up in collaboration with the EU’s coastal countries.
The regulation aims to better combat illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing and to mitigate the impact of lost or discarded fishing gear (recreational fishing gear is often unmarked). There are plans to mark “non handled” recreational fishing gear (nets, longlines, traps, pots and creels). Many EU countries have introduced licensing procedures for recreational fishing. Fishing rods are excluded from these provisions and do not need to be marked. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)