Brussels, 03/05/2006 (Agence Europe) - The Association of National Organisations of fishing enterprises in the EU (Europêche) and the fisheries section of the General Confederation of Agricultural Cooperatives in the EU (Cogeca) are opposed to the closure for 15 days per month of eel fisheries in the EU, a safeguard measure proposed by the European Commission which has already been rejected by most Member States. The European Parliament is also expected to criticise the proposal when it votes on the report by Albert Jan Maat (EPP-ED, Netherlands) (see EUROPE 9178 on content of draft report adopted by the Parliamentary fisheries committee on 19 April) in Strasbourg on 16 May.
Europêche and Cogeca note that during its freshwater cycle, the eel has to face many dangers other than fishing, such as hydro-electric power station turbines, dams and dykes, pollution, climatic changes and natural predators, like cormorants. The measures to be taken to protect the eel must, therefore, take account of all these factors, say fishing professionals, and not simply target the fisherman by closing the fishery for 15 days every month. The two organisations point out that, at the “regional workshop” held on 15 February, the whole profession opposed such a measure “which fails to take account of the socio-economic consequences for the sector … and which will endanger measures already adopted by some Member States” to manage the eel resource in rivers and lakes.
Europêche and Cogeca accept the need for action at Community level to rebuild eel stocks, but call for it to be left to Member States, as part of their national management programmes, to choose for themselves the protection measures they consider best adapted to local conditions, including a possible limitation of fishing. Among the measures that could be considered, Europêche and Cogeca put forward limiting the use of non-static gear to given times, farming and release of silver eel into the sea or setting a minimum landing size of 40 cm.
Additionally the profession criticises the target set by the Commission of a 40% escape level for adult silver eel migrating towards the sea. This target poses practical problems, given that a river may rise in one Member State and flow into the sea in another.