Brussels, 03/03/2009 (Agence Europe) - In Brussels on Monday 2 March, the European Parliament fisheries committee debated the proposal, dating from 14 November, to enhance control of fishing activities in Community waters. The vote on the report by Raül Romeva i Rueda (Greens/EFA, Spain) will be held in the fisheries committee on 31 March, before it is debated at the EP April plenary session (Strasbourg, 21-24 April). The EU Council of Ministers is hopeful of reaching agreement on the text before the end of this year.
The EP legal service decided that the Commission proposal seeking to harmonise sanctions imposed by member states on fishermen who breech common fisheries policy (CFP) rules is consistent with Community law, since it complies with European Court of Justice case law and with legislative acts in force. The Commission also has the right, for the same reasons, according to the opinion of the legal service, to propose strong measures (suspension or reduction of financial aid) when it is proved that an EU country has deliberately broken CFP rules.
For the moment, the rapporteur does not want to amend the Commission proposals on these two points. Paulo Casaca said that there was “very great anxiety” among fishermen, particularly in the Azores, about proposals for an electronic logbook. Struan Stevenson (EPP-ED, UK) criticised the proposal that the captain of the fishing vessel should be required to record all discards (over 15 kg in volume) and submit this information to national authorities. These arrangements were also challenged by Carmen Fraga Estévez (EPP-ED, Spain). Stevenson said the only way to monitor discards would be to use a video camera (Ed: this technique is already used for bluefin tuna). The Commission representative argued that it was important to record discards.
Stevenson also challenged measures that would see catches made by recreational fishing deducted from quotas granted to fishermen. The Commission representative said that the rapporteur's amendment was a move in the right direction. The impact of recreational fishing on stocks should first, she said, be assessed, and then decisions taken on a case-by-case basis. The Commission was seeking to limit the impact of recreational fishing on stocks that need to be built up (bluefin tuna and also cod and other species). Recreational fishing had to comply with the aims of the CFP, the Commission representative said. The rapporteur's amendment states that “non-commercial” fishing from a vessel in Community marine waters on a stock subject to a multiannual plan should be evaluated by the member state in the waters of which the fishing is carried out (the Commission proposed that the member states issue an authorisation for this kind of fishery and that recreational fishing catches of stocks for which there is a recovery plan be recorded by the countries). The rapporteur's amendment is in line with the spirit of the initial proposal, stating that catches by non-commercial fishing of species subject to a control system be included in the flag member state's quotas. Stevenson felt that the rapporteur was going too far in controlling recreational fishing.
Fraga Estévez and others, such as Emanuel Jardim Fernandes (PES, Portugal) protested about the Commission proposal to reduce the margin of tolerance allowed in logging estimates of quantities of fish retained on board from 20% to 5%. The Commission representative said that it was felt that this measure was necessary since it had been noted that fishermen were using this margin of tolerance to land up to 20% more than permitted volumes. She pointed out that the margin for species for which there are recovery plans is currently 8%. (L.C./transl.rt)