Brussels, 13/10/2008 (Agence Europe) - At a meeting in Brussels on Friday 10 October 2008, experts from the EU and Norway agreed on “the urgent need to consider concrete measures at the earliest opportunity, such as real-tine closures and improved gear selectivity, to tackle the problem of discards in the North Sea” fisheries industry, explains the European Commission in a press release.
The EU and Norway have “agreed that it is very difficult to entirely eliminate discarding,” but “they have nevertheless recognised that the huge current waste of valuable food resources cannot be allowed to continue. Some of the measures to address this problem discussed at the meeting are currently being tested by individual EU member states (Ed: particularly changing nets to avoid by-catches of juvenile fish and crustaceans). The EU has already proposed a new regulation on the types of fishing gear which would be allowed in the North Sea. This regulation would simplify existing measures and impose the escapement of young fish,” explains the Commission. EU Maritime Affairs Commissioner Joe Borg hailed the good technical groundwork, hoping it would allow the EU and Norway to decide jointly upon effective measures to reduce discarding by fishermen as soon as possible. (L.C./trans.fl)