The European Parliament has voted yes to new Baltic salmon management plan, to ban shark finning and gave overwhelming support to the report from Isabella Lövin (Greens/EFA, Sweden) on the external dimension of the CFP.
An EP session in Strasbourg with important votes and debates related to fisheries was concluded on Wednesday 22nd. The Parliament supported, by a vast majority, to stop shark finning by closing loopholes in the current regulations. This decision marks an end to a long NGO campaign to stop this practice.
An important part of the CFP reform was also finalised in Parliament. The report from Isabella Lövin on the external dimension of the CFP was supported, by 450 votes to 11, giving a large body of support for strong measures for EU fishing operations acting outside EU waters to act more responsibly. The report specifically targets issues to prevent illegal fishing, reflagging and to include a human rights clause in fisheries partnership agreements. Even though this report is non- legislative, it is an important signal of the Parliament’s position on international elements of the CFP Basic Regulation, scheduled to be voted on in March 2013.
The Parliament also supported the PECH Committee report and final position on the new long term management plan for the Baltic salmon stocks. This means that a series of amendments to the Commissions original text were supported. For example, strengthening conservation targets, increasing control and improved management of recreational fisheries, setting up a number of clear guidelines for rearing and releasing reared salmon to the wild, adding wording about the need to phase out the open sea fishery and underlining the Polluter Pays Principle regarding the responsibility of power companies to restore and alleviate the problems caused by hydropower.