News
January 29, 2015
Provisional political agreement on the omnibus regulation reached
The Council and the European Parliament reached a provisional political agreement today on the implementation of the landing obligation and the so called omnibus regulation. The agreement was made during the second informal trilogue meeting held on the issue.
January 26, 2015
Baltic Sea mutiannual plan discussed at Council
The proposed multiannual plan for the Baltic Sea was discussed in a public exchange of view at yesterday’s Council meeting. During the meeting the Commission also took the time to brief the Council. The proposed multiannual plan includes stocks of cod, herring and sprat
January 26, 2015
Fisheries priorities under Latvian EU presidency
Last week the Fisheries Committee exchanged views with Jānis Dūklavs , Latvian Minister of Agriculture, on the priorities during the Latvian Presidency for the first half of 2015.
December 18, 2014
Motion to reject Baltic discard ban plan failed
A move to reject the Baltic discard ban plan because of a reduction of the minimum landing size of Baltic cod failed to gain enough support in the European Parliament.
December 17, 2014
Fishing opportunities for 2015 – still along way to go to end overfishing
Fisheries Ministers yesterday evening agreed on fishing opportunities for 2015 for the main commercial species in the Northeast Atlantic. An agreement that did not follow scientific advice or end overfishing in all cases.
December 15, 2014
Could bottom trawling be one of the factors behind the skinny Baltic cod?
A new study correlates smaller sized fish to bottom trawling in heavily trawled areas. Scientists have previously presumed that fish that who escaped and did not get caught in the trawler became skinny due to hunger, this new study indicates that this is not the case instead the study points towards altered food sources to be the cause.
December 15, 2014
Omnibus delay likely after negotiations break down
The first attempt to reach agreement on the omnibus regulation failed, as Council and Parliament could not agree on a number of issues. It is highly unlikely that the regulation will be adopted before the introduction of the discard ban begins on 1 January 2015.
December 5, 2014
Snapshots from Marine Centre seminar
Marine Centre in Simrishamn invited to a one-day conference to discuss current issues facing the Baltic Sea ecosystem. With focus on marine litter, ecosystem services in coastal areas and the problems associated with pharmaceuticals reaching the sea.
December 3, 2014
Fisheries committee on the move to scrap CFP achievement
The European Parliament’s Fisheries Committee have voted to seriously weaken central provisions of the Common Fisheries Policy. Deciding to re-introduce a 50 kg minimum threshold of catch for reporting purposes and to provide a two year window for not complying with the landing obligation as well as limit the application of this regulation to 2015 only.
November 28, 2014
Uncertainties on how to implement the landing obligation in the Baltic Sea remains
Many practical issues still remains to be solved to implement the discard ban in the Baltic Sea next year. These include how to handle unwanted fish on-board and in ports and how to control that undersized and unwanted fish is reported not being used for human consumption. Additionally, control and reporting systems is not yet adapted to the shift of regulation. To enable the fishing industry to adjust to the new legislation, there is a responsibility of the Baltic Member States to deliver clear instructions on how and where to act