Europe tightens fishing controls
(LUXEMBOURG) - European fisheries ministers have agreed on tighter controls for commercial fishing, which could see fishermen lose their license and financial assistance if they infringe rules.
The new measures, most of which should be in place from January 1, are an attempt to counter depleting fish stocks and recurrent breaches of catch quotas.
"Until now fishermen could infringe rules (over preservation of fish stocks) without being noticed," the EU fisheries commissioner Joe Borg said after all night talks which ended early Tuesday.
This should be more difficult with electronic statements of sea catches, the extension of satellite surveillance systems of ships and the possibility of sanctions.
Those breaching rules will be punished by a suspension of their fishing license followed by a full withdrawal for reoffenders.
When a country exceeds its quota it will see this quota reduced the following year by a multiplying factor of 1.5.
The European Commission will be able to suspend the aid assistance payments provided by the EU fishing fund for states that do not satisfactorily apply control measures.
Ministers said they would not include recreational fishing, which the commission had wanted to include.
"We did not want to penalise both recreational and professional fishermen," French minister Bruno Le Maire said, defending the position he and the British and German ministers took on the issue.
The European Commission was targeting the tourist industry in particular, with its fishing trips (deep sea fishing, angle fishing in open seas) or poaching by recreational fishermen, an activity some scientists believe has a negligible effect on fish stocks.
The catches taken on the coast or in lakes and rivers were not affected.
The EU ministers agreed to start a scientific investigation into the impact of recreational fishing. Crucially, states would have the possibility to impose obligations on amateur fishermen to declare their catches.
In France, Le Maire said the government would establish a "good practice charter" for recreational fishing and after two years would evaluate its impact.
Environmentalists welcomed the Luxembourg agreement.
"EU inspectors will have a stronger position" said ecologist member of the European parliament, Raul Romeva, who also noted that improvements in the tracking of sea activities will make it possible to fight onboard fraud by moving loads from one boat to another.
WWF's Aaron McLoughlin called the agreement a "first step" towards a more efficient application of the rules.
He regretted however that ministers retained the 10 per cent "margin of error" allowed in catch declarations which he described as "legalised cheating".
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