REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL

on the implementation of Regulation (EC) No 1921/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 December 2006 on the submission of statistical data on landings of fishery products in Member States

1. INTRODUCTION (SCOPE, BACKGROUND, NATIONAL LEGISLATION)

Article 10 of Regulation (EC) No 1921/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the submission of statistical data on landings of fishery products in Member States (the Landings Regulation) establishes the following: ‘The Commission shall, by19 January 2010 and every three years thereafter, submit an assessment report to the European Parliament and the Council on the statistical data compiled pursuant to this Regulation and in particular on their relevance and quality. The report shall also analyse the cost-effectiveness of the system used for the collection and processing of statistical data and shall put forward best practices for reducing the workload for Member States and enhancing the usefulness and quality of the statistical data’.

This report documents the progress made by Member States and EFTA countries with respect to the provisions of the Landings Regulation, requiring each Member State to submit data annually on the weight, presentation, intended use and average price of fishery products landed on its territory by European and EFTA vessels.

The information collected under the Control Regulations[1] in compliance with the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) reveals that much of the administrative data is obtained through logbooks, landing declarations, sales notes and takeover declarations for quota monitoring and enforcement purposes, which are the main data source for the Member States.

2. COVERAGE AND CONTENT

2.1. Data collection and data sources

Logbooks, sales notes and landing declarations are the most important administrative sources of catch and landings data. Council Regulation (EC) No 1224/2009 and Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 404/2011 require the skippers of vessels over 10 m in overall length to keep a logbook of their operations and to submit the information recorded as soon as possible and within 24 hours even when there are no catches. Logbooks provide data recorded during these operations and must include an estimate of the live weight of the catch. They are particularly useful for apportioning catches to fishing areas, calculating fishing effort and cross-checking it. For vessels under 10 m in length, Member States must monitor fishing activity on the basis of sampling techniques.

Sales notes are submitted to the authorities responsible for the first marketing of fish (whether they are the vessel’s agent or registered auctions). They include information on the quantity of each species landed, the form in which they are presented, the value of each product and the vessel making the landing. In most cases, this information is limited to species subject to catch quota management. In the past, estimates of fishing activity were made exclusively on the basis of expert information.

2.2. Data collection systems in the Member States and EFTA countries

Belgium — Belgian vessels fish in the Northeast East Atlantic (area 27) only, mostly in the North Sea (IVb and IVc) and the Eastern Channel (VIId). Data sources are administrative (logbooks, landing declarations and sales notes). First sales must be through the three main auctions (Zeebrugge, Oostende and Nieuwpoort) except for small vessels which may sell to the public at Oostende. Sales notes are transmitted to the Sea Fisheries Service (Dienst Zeevisserj) on the day of landing.

Bulgaria — Bulgarian vessels fish in the Mediterranean and Black Sea (area 37), mainly sub-area 37.4.2. Data sources are administrative (logbooks, landing declarations and sales notes) supplied to the National Agency of Fisheries and Aquaculture (NAFA). NAFA requires sales notes from first sales to be submitted within 48 hours of landings.

Cyprus — Administrative data (logbooks) are collected by the Fisheries Inspectorate for vessels 10 m and over in overall length. The collection of fisheries data and compilation of reports is the responsibility of the Department of Fisheries and Marine Research of the Ministry of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environment.

Denmark — Data sources are administrative (logbooks, landing declarations and sales notes) and data are collected centrally by the Danish Directorate of Fisheries (DDF). First sale of fish by non-commercial fishermen is forbidden in Denmark, and all first-hand buyers must be registered with the DDF and submit sales notes to them in either electronic or paper form. Around 90 % of sales notes are received electronically.

Germany — German vessels fish in the Northeast Atlantic, Northwest Atlantic, Eastern Central Atlantic and Southeast Pacific (areas 27, 21, 34 and 87). Data sources are administrative (logbooks, landing declarations and sales notes). These are supplied to the Federal Agency for Agriculture and Food via producer organisations and Länder authorities.

Estonia — Estonian vessels fish in the Northwest Atlantic (area 21) Northeast Atlantic (27 - Baltic) and inland waters (05). Data sources are administrative (logbooks, landing declarations, sales notes, and transhipment and transport documents). Vessels less than 12 m in overall length fill in a ‘coastal fishing’ logbook in accordance with Estonian national legislation. Estonia requires paper copies of documentation twice a month for data submitted electronically. First buyers of fish are required to submit sales notes electronically to the authorities (Ministry of Agriculture for commercial fishing) and several private companies have also opted to do this.

Ireland — Irish vessels fish in the Northeast Atlantic (area 27). Data sources are administrative (logbooks, landing declarations, sales notes and shellfish gatherers’ documents). Data are collected at ports by the Irish Sea Fisheries Protection Authority. Ireland reports that significant changes to its collection systems to facilitate the electronic collection of data required by European Union legislation.

Greece — Greek vessels fish in the Northeast Atlantic, Eastern Central Atlantic and the Mediterranean (areas 27, 34 and 37) and record information by statistical surveys. A census survey is applied to ‘overseas’ fishery and a sample survey to area 37 ‘open sea’ and coastal fisheries. Surveys are carried out by the National Statistical Service of Greece. Greece operates a full census of Greek-flagged vessels for ‘overseas fishery’. Open sea and inshore fishery has a large non-response error (50 %) and a sampling technique is used to calculate the discrepancy.

Spain — Spain has a large and diverse fishing industry and various agencies are responsible for data supply and quality. Data collection is, in the first instance, carried out by the regional authorities and then collated centrally. There are seven distinct administrative data sources for compiling landings data including logbooks, sales notes, take-over declarations, landing declarations and information from fish producer organisations. The various sources are integrated into a database for both catches and landings.

France — Primary responsibility for data submission and data quality rests with the office of fishing and aquaculture (BSPA) which is part of the Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Energy. Data on important tropical tuna fishery are supplied by the Institute for Research and Development (DPMA). French vessels are predominantly active in the Northeast Atlantic, the Mediterranean and the Indian Ocean. Good coverage of fishing activity in the Atlantic is obtained from administrative sources (logbooks, landing declarations and sales notes). For areas where administrative data is less reliable, particularly the Mediterranean, these sources are supplemented with sample surveys. France has invested heavily in modernising and improving its fisheries data collection system.

Italy — Italy fishes in area 37. There are currently some difficulties in collecting data for areas 34 and 51. It operates a sample survey for area 37 (a census has been used for other areas). Logbooks are used to collect data on catches of red tuna only and these data are collected by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Forestry Policies (MIPAAF). Istituto nazionale di Statitistica (ISTAT) collects data for areas 34 and 51 and Istituto di Ricerche Economiche per la Pesca e l'Acquacoltura (IREPA) deals with area 37. ISTAT has responsibility for coordinating reporting to Eurostat. Italy has a large number of small vessels (less than 12 m in overall length). About 99 % of vessels operate in coastal waters around the Italian peninsula. Approximately two thirds of these are small-scale vessels operating passive gears. Data are collected by means of a multivariate sample survey with the population segmented by area, vessel size and fishing gear used. The survey methodology confines sampling errors to within a 3.5 % tolerance. Non-response errors are also recognised and addressed through sample selection. A small number of vessels (around 10) fishing in areas 34 and 51 complete a questionnaire, but in future years, due to a low response rate from them, the methodology of collecting data for these areas will be revised (use of administrative data). At the moment it is not possible to provide data for these areas.

Latvia — Latvian vessels are active in the Northwest Atlantic fishing areas 27 (subdivisions Ia, IIa, III a-d, XIVa-b, etc.), 21 (subdivisions 3L, 3M, 3K, 1F, etc.) and 34 (subdivisions 1.13, 1.31., 1.32., etc.). Primary responsibility for data transmission rests with the Department of Fisheries of the Ministry of Agriculture, but other institutions are responsible for data collection. These include the State Environment Service of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Regional Development, the Institute of Food Safety, Animal Health and Environment ‘BIOR’ (of the Ministry of Agriculture) and the Central Statistical Bureau (Ministry of Economics). Data sources are administrative — logbooks, sales notes and landing declarations. Latvia requires central registration and three years’ certification of fish buyers. Fish buyers are required to submit electronic sales notes (or paper copies) within 48 hours of completion of the sale.

Lithuania — Lithuania fishes in the Northeast and Northwest Atlantic, Eastern Central Atlantic and South Pacific. The Fisheries Department of the Ministry of Agriculture is responsible for data collection and processing. Primary data sources are logbooks and landing declarations. Lithuania reports an integrated automated system for processing and validating catches and landings data.

Malta — The Fisheries Control Directorate within the Ministry for Resources and Rural Affairs (MRRA) is responsible for the collection of data, which are transmitted to Eurostat by the National Statistical Office (Agricultural and Fisheries Statistics Unit). Maltese vessels are active in the Mediterranean (area 37, subarea 15). A census approach is applied to vessels over 10 m in length, by using data from logbooks and sales vouchers.

Netherlands — Dutch vessels are active in the Northeast and Eastern Central Atlantic and Southeast Pacific (areas 27, 34 and 87). Data sources are administrative (logbooks, landing declarations, transhipment and transport documents and sales notes). Data are collected by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and transmitted to Eurostat by the Office for Statistics. The Netherlands applies rules which govern the sale of fish through authorised outlets via producer organisations. Electronic sales notes are submitted within 48 hours of sale.

Poland — Logbooks and sales notes are reported to be the main source of information. Responsibility for data collection and transmission rests with the Fisheries Department of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

Portugal — The Portuguese Directorate General for Natural Resources, Security and Maritime Services is responsible for submitting statistical data to Eurostat. Portugal has a large and diverse national fleet which differs greatly between the zones fished. The fleet is dominated by small, open-topped, wooden artisanal fishing boats. The most important areas are the Northeast and Western Atlantic and Eastern Central Atlantic. There are also important longline fisheries in the Atlantic and Indian Ocean targeting swordfish (and also blue shark in the Indian Ocean). Data are mostly derived from logbooks, landing declarations and sales notes. Fresh or chilled fish needs to be sold through regulated markets and sales note information is completed for these. For fish processed at sea, average prices are obtained from the landing declarations.

Romania — Romania is active in the Exclusive Economic Zone of the Black Sea (area 37). Data sources are administrative — logbooks, sales and transport notes. Documents are collected by regional inspectors of the National Agency of Fisheries and Aquaculture (NAFA). NAFA collates these for reporting to Eurostat.

Slovenia — Responsibility for data collection and submission rests with the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, the Fisheries Research Institute of Slovenia and the Statistical Office of the Republic of Slovenia. The Slovenian fleet operates fishing grounds in the Northern Adriatic (area 37). Data sources are mostly administrative. All vessels are required to complete logbooks, so coverage of landings by the fleet is complete. Price information is covered through sales notes and survey questionnaires. With this method, information on the price obtained covered the majority of total landings by quantity, with the exception of landings of small amounts of fish (less than 50 kg) sold for personal consumption and which do not have to be recorded in sale notes.

Finland — Primary responsibility for fisheries data collection, submission and quality rests with the Finnish Game and Fisheries Research Institute. Registers are maintained by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry. Finnish vessels fish only in the Baltic Sea. Data sources include a variation of the EU logbook for the fleet over 10 m. First-hand sales of quota species are regulated, with compulsory notification within 48 hours of landing. Information on sales of non-quota species is supplemented with a survey of the largest fish wholesale companies.

Sweden — Responsibility for data collection and submission rests with the Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management. Data sources are administrative comprising logbooks, sales notes, landing declarations, and for the coastal fleet, monthly (or even daily) journals. Logbooks for fishing vessels longer than 12 m are submitted electronically via the ERS system and smaller vessels use a daily paper logbook. Sales notes are collected centrally either electronically or on paper and coastal fishermen have the option of submitting coastal journals electronically via a secure web interface.

United Kingdom — Catches from the Northeast Atlantic (area 27) are the most important for this country. There is a sizeable coastal fishery fleet which mainly targets non-quota species but takes a significant proportion of some quota stocks. The United Kingdom also operates a small distant water fleet which is UK registered but is based and operates abroad. The UK fisheries inspectorate’s component countries (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland) are responsible for data collection. This is collated and transmitted to Eurostat by the Marine Management Organisation, an executive non-departmental public body established and given powers under the Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009. Administrative data (logbooks, sales notes and landing declarations) are supplied for the fleet over 10 m.

Iceland — Icelandic vessels fish predominantly in the waters of the Northeast Atlantic but also to a lesser extent in the Northwest and Southern Atlantic. Methodologies for compiling catch and landings statistics do not differ fundamentally from those of EU Member States. Data are derived from logbooks. Iceland also tightly regulates first sales of fish and all landings must be made in designated ports and weighed on certified scales. Both buyers and processors of fish are required to submit reports. Responsibility for data collection transmission to Eurostat rests with the Icelandic Directorate of Fisheries and with Statistics Iceland. While the data sources are the same for both organisations, discrepancies may arise where the Directorate of Fisheries supplies data directly, as these are drawn from the live database which is subject to revision.

Norway — Norwegian vessels fish in the Northeast Atlantic (area 27), Northwest Atlantic (area 21) and in the Antarctic (areas 48 and 88). The Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries is responsible for the collection of fishery data. Data sources are administrative, comprising catch logbooks, landing declarations and sales notes. Electronic logbook data that are submitted daily to, and stored in, the Directorate of Fisheries include catch information from all fishing vessels of 15 m and above. Vessels of 12 to15 m in length, fishing in ICES IIIa, have submitted electronic logbooks since the beginning of January 2013. Data from landing and sales notes are collected through six different sales organisations and sent regularly as electronic documents to the Directorate of Fisheries. Under Norwegian law, fishermen’s sales organisations have sole rights to all first-hand sales by Norwegian and foreign fishermen. The sales note covers data on both domestic and foreign landings by Norwegian vessels and landings from foreign vessels in Norway. As required by Norwegian regulations, each sales note includes information on vessels, fishermen, buyers, species, type of product, fishing area, fishing gear, quantity and value. Additional information on landing place, date of start and ending of the trip, and date of the landing also has to be given in the sales note. Other information on preservation and intended use is provided for both statistical and administrative purposes. Norway provides information on landings by foreign fishermen in Norway to their flag state according to control agreements.

2.3. Data quality

Methodologies for collecting fishing information are fairly consistent throughout Europe. The reliability of statistics depends on:

· the accuracy of the documents provided by the fish sector to the national authorities;

· the quality controls by the Member States.

Many Member States already report the use of electronic methods for performing cross-checks from administrative sources. The different data sources, such as the vessel monitoring system (VMS) and on-board and port inspections, ensure the consistency of the information recorded in logbooks, landing and transhipment declarations, and sales notes. These data sources represent a census of the required information and there is no statistical sampling for vessels equal or larger than 10 m. Any gaps in the data coverage are compensated for through statistical surveys which may cover all or part of the fishing operations.

There are strict rules governing the deadlines for providing sales notes, logbooks and landing declarations, and these are respected in the majority of cases where the landings are made on the territory of the Member State concerned. In particular cases, where data are provided electronically, the data are updated on a daily basis.

Member States frequently report problems with delays in receiving sales notes on landings in another Member State or a third country. Delays in data submission can lead to discrepancies between supposedly identical information sent to Eurostat and to other Commission services (DG MARE) for quota monitoring purposes. This is mainly due to the fact that the information is continuously being updated by the Member States. Variations in reporting deadlines also contribute to these statistical differences.

While Member States try to have their records complete as close to the end of the fishing year as possible, databases are kept open for corrections, though in general, few significant updates are made six months after the reference year.

The introduction of computerised systems has eliminated many of the problems that had been experienced in recording fishery statistics. A high degree of reliability has been achieved, particularly in relation to quota-species. It should be noted that further improvement for non-quota species data collection on landings is still necessary.

Most of the MS are compliant concerning the coverage, reliability and timeliness of the data required by Council Regulation (ECC) 1382/91 of 21 May 1991[2] and Council Regulation (ECC) 2104/93 of 22 July 1993[3] on the quantity and average price of fishery products landed by the EU and EEA in their territory. This information is required within six months of the end of the reference year.

Some Member States such as Bulgaria, Denmark, Finland, Italy, Malta, Poland, Slovenia and Spain reported that when the price information is missing those prices are estimated based on average prices for the species. To prevent this situation in the future, Ireland has species guide prices to reduce input errors by fish buyers in its system. Estonia has addressed this matter by direct communication on a case by case basis. United Kingdom sales notes are supplemented by other sources of information when available (i.e. vessels involved in shellfish activity are required to complete activity diaries and submit them to authorities). These additional sources are employed in conjunction with the landings data to provide a full set of information on activity.

In the last Eurostat compliance assessment Greece was declared 'not compliant'. However, Greece has now stated that the current situation will be corrected by the beginning of 2014 at the latest. Germany was quite late in transmitting data and its landings data were not complete. Consequently, an official letter was sent by the Director of Sectorial and Regional Statistics requesting that these problems be avoided in the future.

Poland, Romania and Ireland though compliant with the Regulations do not reply on time to the validation checks conducted in Eurostat in order to monitor the quality of data.

3. CONCLUSIONS

The data supplied to Eurostat are for the most part collected under procedures introduced for control and enforcement purposes. Member States report no particular differences in the methodology for information supplied to Commission services. The use of administrative data for statistical purposes ensures that there is little additional cost burden on the fishing sector.

Further confidence in data quality is provided by cross-checks from surveillance activities. The increasing use of electronic methods of data collection has improved both the timeliness and accuracy of information. Work to implement systems in line with changing European requirements is ongoing in many Member States.

In the previous (2010) report, some Member States reported problems with the use of the conversion factors which varied from one Member State to another. This issue was resolved by Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 404/2011[4] which sets out, in Annexes XIII, XIV and XV, all the coefficients for converting stored or processed fish weight into live fish weight. Those conversion factors should apply to fisheries products on board or those transhipped or landed by EU fishing vessels. For the remaining species/presentations not covered by the Regulation, national conversion factors are applied.

To achieve cost-effectiveness, the following factors are relevant:

- minimising the burden on data suppliers by harmonising the formats and planning deadlines, and increasing data sharing and availability;

- coordinating data collection with other Commission services;

- coordinating developments of the data collection instruments, to facilitate the quality cross-checks amongst various sources and data bases.

The above will assist in making optimum use of all available administrative sources in the fishing sector, in particular those based on monitoring, control and surveillance, which are commonly used in all the Member States. These sources represent a complete census and no statistical sampling is employed. In addition to the above, any gaps in the data coverage could be resolved through ‘ad hoc’ statistical surveys such as employment figures.

Some difficulties have been noted in collecting detailed and accurate data for artisanal vessels due to the large number of vessels and landing places. This kind of fleet engages in activities that vary considerably by season. Also, the lack of a VMS or logbook makes it more difficult to control these landings.

The reduction in frequency of the quality reports reduces the workload for Member States. The data continue to be a valuable source of information for formulating policy and managing markets within the CFP framework.

Most of the Member States have built up their own systems of cross-checks and warnings which have helped to avoid errors in the information provided from the different sources, in accordance with the new requirements of the Control Regulations. In this regard, further cooperation is needed between DG MARE and Eurostat concerning the exchange of views and experience on data validations and data exchanges in order to reduce double reporting of Member States.

It should also be noted that there has been an improvement in the completeness and timeliness of the questionnaires produced compared with former reports. However, this report also indicates that further improvements are necessary to enhance the quality of the landing statistical data.

Eurostat plans to review its quality questionnaires report on landings statistics to gather more accurate information on the quality of the administrative sources used by the Member States. It is also envisaged that more technical support will be provided to those Member States which request it from Eurostat.

It should also be stressed that Eurostat does not have the competence to monitor the incoming information required by the Common Fisheries Policy. Concrete actions to achieve improved data will be considered to assist in minimising the response burden on Member States and avoid double reporting, thus optimising the use of Commission resources. The implementation of the above-mentioned actions may contribute to an improved ratio in the cost-effective use of statistical data and is in line with Regulation (EC) 223/2009[5] of the European Parliament and of the Council on European statistics.

[1] COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 1224/2009 of 20 November 2009 establishing a Community control system for ensuring compliance with the rules of the common fisheries policy, amending Regulations (EC) No 847/96, (EC) No 2371/2002, (EC) No 811/2004, (EC) No 768/2005, (EC) No 2115/2005, (EC) No 2166/2005, (EC) No 388/2006, (EC) No 509/2007, (EC) No 676/2007, (EC) No 1098/2007, (EC) No 1300/2008, (EC) No 1342/2008 and repealing Regulations (EEC) No 2847/93, (EC) No 1627/94 and (EC) No 1966/2006 (OJ L 343 p.1, 22.12.2009)

[2] COUNCIL REGULATION (EEC) No 1382/1991 of 21 May 1991 on the submission of data on landings of fishery products in Member State (OJ L 133. 28.5.1991)

[3] COUNCIL REGULATION (EEC) 2104/93 of 22 July 1993 amending Regulation (EEC) No 1382/91 on the submission of data landings (OJ L 191, 31.07.1993)

[4] COMMISSION IMPLEMENTING REGULATION (EU) No 404/2011 of 8 April 2011 laying down detailed rules for the implementation of Council Regulation (EC) No 1224/2009 establishing a Community control system for ensuring compliance with the rules of the Common Fisheries Policy (OJ L 112, 30.4.2011)

[5] REGULATION (EC) No 223/2009 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 11 March 200 on European statistics and repealing Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 1101/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the transmission of data subject to statistical confidentiality to the Statistical Office of the European Communities, Council Regulation (EC) No 322/97 on Community Statistics, and Council Decision 89/382/EEC, Euratom establishing a Committee on the Statistical Programmes of the European Communities (OJ L 87, .31.3.2009)