moocher
Well-known member
Our Ref: FH/JF
28 May 2009
Dear Mr Armstrong
Re: Article 47 of the Control Regulation
Thank you for your email about Article 47 of the Control Regulation. I share your concerns over this.
My Liberal Democrat colleague Graham Watson MEP has received a letter from Joe Borg, the EU Commissioner for fishing regarding Article 47. It states that Article 47 would not cover either shore anglers, including those who wade in the sea, or anglers fishing from a pier or from a canoe.
However, it would cover the recreational anglers who fish from a vessel in the open sea and catch species covered by the multi annual recovery plans. Some of these recreational anglers are responsible for catching substantial amounts of fish. For example, it is estimated that in Italy (2007), 800 tonnes of blue fin tuna were caught by recreational fishers whilst the national quota is around 4,300 tonnes. On my reading, too, the Article is intended to prevent commercial fishing under the guise of recreational fishing.
That said, Article 47 sets a precedent of which we should be very wary. My Liberal Democrat colleague Elspeth Attwooll sits on the Fisheries Committee in the European Parliament. She assures me that this point has already been raised with some force in the course of deliberations in the committee. Elspeth says it is clear that there will be amendments from committee members asking for the Article to be deleted from the proposal or, failing that, amended very substantially indeed.
I should add, though, that under the current procedures, the Parliament can only give an opinion and the final decision is taken by the Council of Fisheries Ministers. This will include the UK government’s Fisheries Minister, Huw Irranca-Davies MP. I have therefore written to the Minister for clarification of his position.
With regards to the current fisheries policy of the EU, I am in support of measures to reform it. I am in regular contact with local fishermen and fishing organisations and am very aware of the problems that they currently face with regards to quotas and no-take zones. The big problem in the EU is of unwanted by-catches and discards and this urgently needs to be addressed. At a time of rising food prices and declining fish stocks, it is more important than ever to find a solution to this problem.
There are two main reasons for discarding. One is high-grading, where fish are discarded in the hope of obtaining a catch of higher value. This practice is diminishing as a result of limited days at sea and high fuel prices. The other results from the quota system, where fish over and above the entitlement are caught. The rules do not currently allow such fish to be landed. There is a particular problem in mixed fisheries, where non or over quota fish may be caught by way of by-catch along with the species actually targeted.
A simple solution would be a ban on discarding, but the issue is complex, depending on the species and the waters being fished. Also, there would be considerable problems with the enforcement of such a ban. A recent resolution in the European Parliament focused on reducing unwanted by-catches and eliminating discards rather than on an outright ban.
The European Commission has recently begun a reform of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP), due for completion in 2012. It will focus on resource conservation and fleet reform and the Fisheries Commissioner, Joe Borg, has promised action on the matter of discards as part of that reform.
One idea supported by members of the European Parliament Fisheries Committee is based on the Conservation Credits Scheme which is currently being piloted by the Scottish Government. The Scheme rewards fishermen who help conserve cod stocks. It introduces strict conservation measures such as the voluntary closure of areas (Real Time Closures) when juvenile or spawning cod are encountered by boats and controls on net sizes. This means that fishermen are less likely to catch fish that are too small or the wrong species and that there is less discarding in return. For complying with the measures the fishermen are given more days at sea.
However, as I said before, fisheries are a matter on which the European Parliament does not at present have co-decision power. This will change if the Lisbon Treaty is ratified by all Member States. It is the responsibility of the Council of Ministers (Member States’ Fisheries Ministers) to agree on a solution to the problem of discards and depleted stocks and the European Parliament's role is for the time being purely consultative.
Thank you once again for your email.
Yours sincerely
Fiona Hall MEP
28 May 2009
Dear Mr Armstrong
Re: Article 47 of the Control Regulation
Thank you for your email about Article 47 of the Control Regulation. I share your concerns over this.
My Liberal Democrat colleague Graham Watson MEP has received a letter from Joe Borg, the EU Commissioner for fishing regarding Article 47. It states that Article 47 would not cover either shore anglers, including those who wade in the sea, or anglers fishing from a pier or from a canoe.
However, it would cover the recreational anglers who fish from a vessel in the open sea and catch species covered by the multi annual recovery plans. Some of these recreational anglers are responsible for catching substantial amounts of fish. For example, it is estimated that in Italy (2007), 800 tonnes of blue fin tuna were caught by recreational fishers whilst the national quota is around 4,300 tonnes. On my reading, too, the Article is intended to prevent commercial fishing under the guise of recreational fishing.
That said, Article 47 sets a precedent of which we should be very wary. My Liberal Democrat colleague Elspeth Attwooll sits on the Fisheries Committee in the European Parliament. She assures me that this point has already been raised with some force in the course of deliberations in the committee. Elspeth says it is clear that there will be amendments from committee members asking for the Article to be deleted from the proposal or, failing that, amended very substantially indeed.
I should add, though, that under the current procedures, the Parliament can only give an opinion and the final decision is taken by the Council of Fisheries Ministers. This will include the UK government’s Fisheries Minister, Huw Irranca-Davies MP. I have therefore written to the Minister for clarification of his position.
With regards to the current fisheries policy of the EU, I am in support of measures to reform it. I am in regular contact with local fishermen and fishing organisations and am very aware of the problems that they currently face with regards to quotas and no-take zones. The big problem in the EU is of unwanted by-catches and discards and this urgently needs to be addressed. At a time of rising food prices and declining fish stocks, it is more important than ever to find a solution to this problem.
There are two main reasons for discarding. One is high-grading, where fish are discarded in the hope of obtaining a catch of higher value. This practice is diminishing as a result of limited days at sea and high fuel prices. The other results from the quota system, where fish over and above the entitlement are caught. The rules do not currently allow such fish to be landed. There is a particular problem in mixed fisheries, where non or over quota fish may be caught by way of by-catch along with the species actually targeted.
A simple solution would be a ban on discarding, but the issue is complex, depending on the species and the waters being fished. Also, there would be considerable problems with the enforcement of such a ban. A recent resolution in the European Parliament focused on reducing unwanted by-catches and eliminating discards rather than on an outright ban.
The European Commission has recently begun a reform of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP), due for completion in 2012. It will focus on resource conservation and fleet reform and the Fisheries Commissioner, Joe Borg, has promised action on the matter of discards as part of that reform.
One idea supported by members of the European Parliament Fisheries Committee is based on the Conservation Credits Scheme which is currently being piloted by the Scottish Government. The Scheme rewards fishermen who help conserve cod stocks. It introduces strict conservation measures such as the voluntary closure of areas (Real Time Closures) when juvenile or spawning cod are encountered by boats and controls on net sizes. This means that fishermen are less likely to catch fish that are too small or the wrong species and that there is less discarding in return. For complying with the measures the fishermen are given more days at sea.
However, as I said before, fisheries are a matter on which the European Parliament does not at present have co-decision power. This will change if the Lisbon Treaty is ratified by all Member States. It is the responsibility of the Council of Ministers (Member States’ Fisheries Ministers) to agree on a solution to the problem of discards and depleted stocks and the European Parliament's role is for the time being purely consultative.
Thank you once again for your email.
Yours sincerely
Fiona Hall MEP
