Today, the Commission published its proposal for new conservation measures for European fisheries. This marks the beginning of a co-process to decentralise technical measures to regional and local levels, and delegate detailed decision-making away from Brussels.
Commissioner Vella said that the aim or the regulation is still “to keep our fish stocks healthy, to protect small fish, and to minimise the effects of fishing on the ecosystem.” Yet, the EU will now focus on setting the targets, objectives and standards of fisheries policy. National and regional authorities will then decide how best to meet these at the more local level.
Regional bodies such as the Schevningen group and BALTFISH will likely play a more important role, along with the Advisory Councils. It is expected that less micromanagement will be delivered from Brussels, on issues such as gear regulation, catch composition and ways to deal with accidental catches.
The aim of the regulation will be to guide the development of delegated acts, and according to the Commission it “decentralises and simplifies technical conservation measures”, with the aim of making our seas healthy and fish stocks managed in a sustainable manner.
The proposal also includes measures for the protection of the marine ecosystem and marine habitats and for avoiding by-catches of non-commercial and sensitive species, such as seabirds and mammals.