PECH has voted in favour of two significant changes to the management plan, to allow gillnet fishing during the summer and also to drastically lower the fishing mortality target for the western cod stocks to F=0.25.
The Commission had earlier this year presented a proposal to the Council and the Parliament with the aim of aligning the legal text with the current EU treaty. In Parliament, under the Polish rapporteur Wałęsa (EPP, PL), several new elements were introduced that are not currently part of the plan.
Key amendments, now supported by the Committee as a draft report for plenary, were a significant lowering of the maximum fishing mortality for the western cod stocks (ICES areas 22-24) to F= 0.25 instead of the current 0.6. This will bring the fishing mortality in line with the scientific advice provided by ICES.
Moreover, the Committee also supported a new derogation from the summer ban for fishermen using static gear close to the coast. Catching cod with static gear should now be allowed also during summer with the limitation that it is done within 10 nautical miles from the baseline, according to PECH.
The Committee also supported the Commission’s proposal to include in the plan wording to enshrine the target of reaching MSY, however, the Committee also changed this to underline that mortality levels should not be higher than the plan stipulates instead of using the words “no lower than”.