Brussels, 28/07/2005 (Agence Europe) - The Regional Advisory Council (RAC) on deep-sea stocks (Blue Whiting, Mackerel, Horse Mackerel, Herring, with the exclusion of Baltic Sea stocks and those from the Mediterranean) is up and running and its first general assembly meeting will be on 5 September in the Netherlands. The Commission is expected to adopt, on Monday 1 August, a decision on making the Advisory Council operation within the context of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP).
This will be the second RAC following the council on the North Sea and which was based in Scotland (EUROPE 8821). Fisheries ministers from EU Member States decided at the end of April 2004 to set up seven regional advisory councils for the following zones: Baltic Sea, Mediterranean, North Sea, North Western and South Western waters, deep-sea stocks and fishing fleets in the high seas and remote fishing regions (EUROPE 8711). Member States involved in the RAC and deep-sea stocks are: United Kingdom, Denmark, Netherlands, Germany, Sweden, Ireland, France, Portugal, Spain, Poland and perhaps Lithuania. European Association of Fish Producers (EAPO) for northern deep-sea fisheries prepared the RAC on deep-sea stocks.
The RAC bodies will prepare recommendations for fisheries in the zones they cover and send them to the Commission or relevant national authorities. They are made up of representatives from the fisheries sector and other interest groups affected by the CFP. Scientists from Member State institutes or international organisations are invited to participate as experts in the work of the Regional Advisory Councils.