OREANDA-NEWS. July 01, 2016. The EU deep sea fishing regime regulates which operators are allowed to target deep sea species and sets the conditions under which member states can issue fishing authorisations for deep sea fisheries.

The agreement on revised rules strikes an ambitious balance between the commercial exploitation of certain deep water fish populations and their sustainability.

It does this through the introduction of innovative tools to manage the stocks such as:

  • a 800 meter depth limit below which it will not be possible to fish with bottom trawls
  • the setting of a geographical footprint based on historical criteria by which vessels will only be able to fish in those areas where they have done so during the reference period
  • special protection measures for vulnerable marine eco-systems which apply to operations with bottom gears below a depth of 400 m
  • boosted control measures based on the system applied by the management plans
  • additional targeted data collection obligations aimed at ensuring a better picture of deep-sea stocks. Among these, of particular importance is an observer coverage of 20% applicable to EU vessels fishing with bottom trawls and bottom set gillnets in both EU and NEAFC waters

Next steps

The Coreper will be invited to endorse the agreement, while the European Parliament is expected to vote on the compromise text at a future meeting of its PECH committee. Further steps will then be the formal adoption of the Council's position at first reading, reflecting the political agreement, and Parliament's identical second reading position in autumn.

This should enable the entry into force of the new legislation by the end of 2016.

Background

The Fishery Committee for the Eastern Central Atlantic (CECAF) is the competent organisation responsible for recommending fisheries management measures for the international waters of the Eastern Central Atlantic to its Contracting Parties.

The purpose of the Committee is to promote the sustainable utilisation of the living marine resources within its area of competence by the proper management and development of the fisheries and fishing operations.

The North East Atlantic Fisheries Commission (NEAFC) is the competent organisation responsible for recommending fisheries management measures for the international waters of the North East Atlantic to its contracting parties. The latter include Denmark (in respect of the Faroe Islands and Greenland), the European Union, Iceland, Norway, and the Russian Federation. The objective of NEAFC is to ensure the long-term conservation and optimum utilisation of the fishery resources in its convention area, providing sustainable economic, environmental and social benefits.