Brussels, 04/06/2007 (Agence Europe) -On Friday 1 June, EU member states reached a political agreement on eel stock recovery measures. The compromise, which was reached in the Committee of Permanent Representatives to the EU, must still be formally endorsed by European fisheries ministers on Monday 11 June.
After successive failures in April and May, member states' fisheries ministers are preparing next week to show their agreement on the recovery plan for eel stocks. Negotiations have long foundered on the measures to be taken to restock north and central European rivers and basins with eel. The compromise ground out requires those countries -France and Spain -which catch glass eels (eels of less than 20 cm) to sell a certain percentage of their catch to buyer countries - the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and Denmark - to restock rivers and streams where eel have virtually disappeared. 35% of catches will go to restocking in 2009, rising to 60% by 2013. To ensure that eel fishers do not suffer too severely in financial terms, a safeguard clause will be included, as France and Spain wished. This clause will allow the Commission to reduce the percentage for restocking purposes when the European market price falls substantially (somewhere around 20%) below that of the world (Asian) market.
Management plan. Member states will be required to submit to the Commission, by the end of December 2008 at the latest, their eel management plans for each catchment basin. The aim of these plans will be to ensure that at least 40% of adult common eels are able to descend the rivers and streams to reach their reproduction area, located in the Atlantic Ocean. These plans may contain various measures (regulation of the fishery, including recreational fishing, fish passages in dams, re-creation of the eels' wetlands, temporarily stopping hydroelectric turbines, reducing the numbers of predators etc.). If the Commission were to reject the plans submitted, member states would be required to impose a 50% reduction in eel and glass eel catches. In addition, there will be measures to encourage member states to do more to combat the illegal fishing of glass eels (monitoring exports of live eels and glass eels, drawing up a list of vessels authorised to catch eel in marine waters). (lc)