Members of the European Parliament have backed a major reform of the EU’s fisheries policy in a move which seeks to restore fish stocks.
MEPs in Strasbourg voted to change in the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) which sets out strong measures to tackle overfishing and return profitability to fishing communities.
The plans includes an end to the practice of “discards”, throwing dead fish back into the sea, because of strict rules on the size of landed catches.
From 2015 EU member states will no longer be able to set quotas that are too high to be sustainable. The reforms will mean a need for multi-annual fish stock management plans.
"We have shown today that the European Parliament is anything but toothless. We have used our power as a co-legislator, for the first time in fisheries policy, to put a stop to overfishing,” fisheries reform rapporteur and MEP Ulrike Rodust said today
“Fish stocks should recover by 2020, enabling us to take 15 million tonnes more fish, and create 37,000 new jobs", she said.
Her report was adopted by 502 votes to 137, with 27 abstentions.
The MEP vote triggers three-way final negotiations between the Commission, MEPs and EU fisheries ministers before a final agreement is forged.
European Commission figures suggest that 80 per cent of Mediterranean stocks and 47 per cent of Atlantic fish stocks are overfished.
The European Commission welcomed support for its proposal. Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Maria Damanaki said the parliament had supported an “ambition reform” of the policy.
She was particularly pleased with the support for a policy “based on exploiting fisheries resources sustainably”, one that “introduces a discard ban with clear dates to put an end to wasteful practices that we can no longer afford”, she sadi.
The commission said fisheries management should “allow all stocks to be rebuilt to healthy levels that will maximise catches for fishermen”. The “wasteful practice” of discarding “perfectly edible fish” must gradually be stopped with “clear obligations and deadlines” and giving the fishermen “time to adapt” it said.
“Decisions on fisheries management must be taken with the involvement of fishermen and stakeholders, and must take into account the specificities of the sea basins,” the commission added.
Additional reporting PA
