Brussels, 23/06/2004 (Agence Europe) - In conclusions adopted on Monday in Luxembourg, the Ministers for Agriculture and Fisheries of the EU welcomed the communication (presented the same day) on the promotion of more environmentally-friendly fishing methods (EUROPE of 18 June, p.13).
The Council calls upon the European Commission to look into the option of providing financial and non-financial incentives, by the end of the year, in order to encourage fishermen to adopt more ecological fishing methods. It also invites it to present a simplified proposal "as soon as possible" on technical conservation methods for the Atlantic and the North Sea. The Commission is invited to continue its work to develop more selective fishing gear. The Council also asks the Commission to launch a pilot project to tackle the problem of "ghost fishing" (fishes caught in lost nets) in Community waters, by bringing in a system to retrieve lost gears.
On research, the Member States feel that the priority should be given to the use of closed zones or protected marine areas, in order to protect sensitive habitats and non-target species, and to the development of ways of assessing the environmental impact of new fishing and aquaculture technologies.