A4-0201/98

Resolution on industrial fisheries

The European Parliament,

- having regard to Rule 148 of its Rules of Procedure,

- having regard to the report of the Committee on Fisheries (A4-0201/98),

A. whereas industrial fisheries account for nearly 60% of the total catch in the North Sea, the Skagerrak and the Kattegat and thus represent a substantial proportion of the fishing activities of the EU fleet in this area,

B. whereas industrial fisheries are a persistently controversial issue owing to the use of very small-meshed nets and the absence of limits on catches in certain fisheries,

C. whereas industrial fisheries will attain greater acceptance only if their impact on the stocks exploited and on the entire marine ecosystem is scientifically monitored and is environmentally responsible,

D. whereas this condition can be fulfilled only if total allowable catches are also established for the target species of industrial fisheries, with precautionary aspects in mind, and if the by-catches of juveniles of protected species are kept as low as possible,

E. aware of the most recent measures to curb fisheries with heavy by-catches, such as the establishment of an absolute limit on herring by-catches in industrial fisheries, and the introduction of a comprehensive control and monitoring system by the Danish fisheries authorities,

F. whereas there has been little regulation to date of the sand eel fishery, in particular, although it brings in very large catches and despite the fact that the sand eel is an important source of food for certain species of fish used for human consumption, sea birds and marine mammals, and despite the fact that the current inadequate level of knowledge about biological interactions means that a negative impact by the sand eel fishery, at least locally, on the sand eel's natural predators cannot be ruled out,

G. whereas the permitted by-catch percentage of protected species in the Norway pout fishery is clearly too high in biological terms and whereas an effective restriction on by-catches, especially of haddock and whiting, is still not being considered,

H. whereas the objectives of the fourth Multiannual Guidance Programme (1997-2001) provide for a reduction in the catch capacity of the fleet engaged in fisheries for human consumption, and hence in the fishing mortality of certain stocks, of up to 30%,

1. Considers that industrial fisheries, in moderation, are justifiable in the North Sea, the Skagerrak and the Kattegat if they respect the principle of sustainability and if fisheries for human consumption take precedence in the event of conflicting interests;

2. Points out that if these conditions are to be met

- the impact of industrial fisheries on all species living in and from the sea must be accurately researched and monitored,

- catch and by-catch limits based on scientific evaluations must be respected,

- a rigorous control system must be established in ports of landing,

- in cases where the data are unclear, the precautionary approach must be followed unreservedly;

Controls and monitoring

3. Notes that in industrial fisheries in the past there was evidently a very serious problem regarding controls over and the monitoring of the application of Community law, which was reflected in excessive catches of certain target species and in some cases a massive overshooting of the permitted by-catch percentage of protected species;

4. Welcomes, therefore, the comprehensive monitoring system introduced by the Danish fisheries authority entailing frequent sampling, and also the first signs of a decisive reduction in by-catches;

5. Considers, however, that it will require several years to assess the effectiveness of this system and to be able to decide whether the measures taken are adequate;

The sand eel fishery

6. Considers that while the precautionary TAC for sand eel, introduced by the Council for the first time ever in its Regulation (EC) No 45/98 ((OJ L 12, 19.1.1998, p. 1.)) on total allowable catches and fishing conditions for 1998, is a first step in the right direction, it falls a long way short of what is needed;

7. Calls, therefore, for a management plan to be drawn up which will encompass management objectives with quantifiable factors such as fish mortality, biomass of the spawning stock and recruitment, as well as the establishment of early warning signs such as a decline in the geographical distribution of stocks, changes in the age structure of the spawning stock and a decline in the breeding success of sea birds;

8. Calls on the Commission to draw up a proposal for the introduction of protection zones in environmentally sensitive areas such as spawning grounds, the nursery areas of juveniles and feeding grounds for colonies of sea birds;

9. Calls on the Commission to propose legislation which would provide, in respect of the sand eel fishery, for the maximum permitted percentage of protected species, which is currently 10%, to be reduced to 2%;

The sprat fishery

10. Welcomes the total catch limit for herring taken in industrial fisheries, which was introduced in 1996, as the first really serious measure to bring under control the problem of the massive overshooting of permitted by-catches of herring, which occurs particularly in the sprat fishery;

11. Stresses, however, that the effectiveness of this measure stands and falls by rigorous controls in ports of landing, continuous monitoring and recording of the composition of catches and the prompt closure of the fishery once the by-catch limit is reached;

12. Considers, in view of the short time during which the total catch limit for herring taken in the sprat fishery has applied, that it is too early as yet to relax other conservation measures to offset this, as the Council intends to do by increasing the permitted by-catch percentage of herring taken in the sprat fishery in the North Sea from the current figure of 10% to 20%;

The Norway pout fishery

13. Regrets the fact that there has evidently been a lack of political will to date to curb effectively the heavy by-catches, particularly of whiting and haddock, in the Norway pout fishery;

14. Considers, however, that in view of the state of haddock and whiting stocks effective curbs on by-catches are urgently required, and therefore calls on the Council and the Commission, as a minimum measure, to take account of by-catches of protected species in the Norway pout fishery when total allowable catches are fixed annually and to include them in the catch quotas allocated to the various Member States;

15. Stresses in conclusion that, owing to existing environmental and socio-economic interactions, industrial fisheries cannot be dissociated in the long term from the trend in fisheries for human consumption, and that the possibility that the fishing mortality of the target species of industrial fisheries will also have to be reduced substantially in future should be kept in mind;

16. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Commission, the Council and the governments and parliaments of the Member States and of the other countries bordering the North Sea.