The proposed discard ban in the Skagerrak, a body of water between the North and Baltic seas, will lead to vessels being obliged to land all fish caught and count these against quotas. These measures will apply to 35 species , will be controlled by a mandatory automated CCTV system, and will apply to vessels of any national flag operating in these waters. The ban will be phased in from 2014-2016.
MEPs have substantially strengthened the initial Commission proposals, in particular by calling on minimum conservation reference sizes (MCRS) to “be in line with the size at maturity of the species concerned….(and to) establish joint MCRS with Norway in order to create a more level playing field”. The initial proposals would have meant that EU fishermen could sell juveniles for several species for human consumption.
Moreover, by improving proposals on gear modifications, including increases of general mesh requirements, as well as on the need to minimise catches of unwanted species, the European Parliament (EP) has put in place measures that will allow improvements in selectivity to be at the forefront of the discard ban. A landing obligation which leads to the continuation of large quantities of juveniles being caught, as well as the bycatch of non-target species, would fail to benefit the conservation of stocks.
One area for concern however is the proposed automatic quota increases, which are seen as compensation for compliance with the discard ban. Such increases would seek to match the current quantity of fish that is discarded, thereby allowing fishing mortality to remain constant. According to the EP, “there is no reliable information on how much fish is actually discarded, but it is clear that the raise of the TACs should be substantial”. Niels Wichmann of the North Sea RAC and Danish Fishermen’s Federation has however called for increases to be as high as 50%.
It is our opinion that while this proposal makes sense for stocks which are managed in line with the MSY objective, there must be a clear scientific basis underpinning changes to TACs. Moreover, mandatory quota increases for all stocks, regardless of their conservation status, is not in line with the objectives of the Common Fisheries Policy.
The Council will now take up the Skagerrak file, likely before the end of the Irish Presidency, and either agree to the EP proposals or make further amendments and conclude the process in trilogue negotiations.