On 28 March, the European Commission adopted a communication on reducing unwanted catches and eliminating discards in European fisheries.
The proposed approach involves the adoption of a discard ban and the setting of standards for maximum acceptable by-catch. The idea is that this will provide an incentive for fishers to harvest only what can be marketed. The discussions on how to achieve these aims will continue until the end of 2007 and the first regulations for specific fisheries could be proposed in 2008.
The commission believes that a management system based on outcomes, defined in terms of maximum acceptable by-catch, rather than a system based on technical legislation such as net mesh size, will be simpler to implement and enforce. Additional measures includes encouragements to improve the selectivity of fishing gear, area closures and obligations to switch fishing grounds when there are aggregations of young fish.
“Discarding is wrong because it represents a waste of precious marine resources. Therefore, it makes no ecological, economic or ethical sense. The sooner we bring this wasteful practice to an end, the better for fish stocks, the marine environment and the fishing industry.” Says European Commissioner for Fisheries and Maritime Affairs, Joe Borg.
From an environmental perspective, the proposal is welcomed considering that over 80% of European fish stocks are overexploited, and as much as 50% of the catches are discarded in some areas. Fish are thrown back into the sea for different reasons such as being too small, have little value on the market, or because quotas do not allow fishermen to land these catches. Since discarding is currently a legal activity, adding to loss of marine diversity, It is quite evident that a different management system is needed. However, the effectiveness of a discard ban issued by the EU, will still be dependent on the member states willingness to implement and enforce such a legislation.
A ban on discard is not a new phenomenon, in some countries discard has been considered an illegal activity for a long time. In Norway, a discard ban on most commercial species has been implemented since the late 1980:s. A trial ban within the EU should therefore draw knowledge from existing experience in countries already having a discard ban in place.