A4-0403/98

Resolution on the problem of fish discards

The European Parliament,

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

- having regard to the report of the Committee on Fisheries (A4-0403/98),

A. whereas fish is an extremely valuable global, natural food source,

B. whereas the world¨s living marine resources are seriously overexploited, and changing consumer preferences, increasing purchasing power and population growth continue to push up the global demand for fisheries products,

C. whereas the possibility of increasing the global fish supply by means of better stock management (which presupposes inter alia that fish are left to grow and to spawn before they are caught), and ensuring that catches are used to a maximum extent, must be fully exploited, and whereas aquaculture may in the future make an increasing contribution to global fish stocks and so relieve pressure on a number of caught species,

D. whereas the Food and Agricultural Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) has estimated that between 17.9 and 39.5 million tonnes of fish, corresponding to 20-40 % of the production of the world's marine capture fisheries, are discarded every year ((FAO Fisheries Technical Paper 339, Rome 1994.)), and whereas studies of various EC fisheries have arrived at discard rates of a similar order,

E. whereas the impact of discards on fish stocks varies depending on species and population sizes,

F. whereas, partly as a result of the catching and discarding of undersized fish at sea, some stocks have been depleted to critical levels,

G. whereas excessive fishing effort and insufficient selectivity of fishing gear and practices and the inflexibility of fishing policies and decision-making processes are important roots of the problem of undesirable catches, and whereas the pursuit of a reduction in fishing effort and of increased selectivity must continue and be reinforced,

H. whereas the Community pursues a reduction of the excess capacity of the Community fishing fleet through the 4th Multi-Annual Guidance Programme, tries to limit the amount of fish caught by means of Total Allowable Catches (TACs) and quotas, and has adopted Regulation (EC) 850/98 on technical measures for the protection of juveniles ((OJ L 125, 27.4.1998, p. 1.)), which will enter into force on 1 January 2000 and replace Regulation (EC) 894/97 ((OJ L 132, 23.5.1997, p. 1.)),

I. whereas implementation of technical measures, particularly increasing mesh sizes and making square mesh compulsory for all cod-ends, to ensure that small fish can escape, and regularly monitoring technological advances which enhance the efficiency of fishing gear and making regular adjustments to technical measures, could dramatically reduce the catch of immature fish,

J. whereas the continuous development and fine-tuning of the instruments in place may help to reduce discards, but are unlikely to be capable of producing a total solution and therefore need to be supported and complemented with other measures,

K. whereas restrictions on days at sea and closed seasons in certain fishing zones also play a part in reducing total catches, particularly juveniles and spawning fish,

L. whereas the cost to all fishermen, in the form of diminishing stock levels, of the catching of undersized fish is not reflected in any considerable and immediate cost to the individual fisherman who catches such fish, as long as that fish can freely be discarded, while the use of more selective gear and practices may well be associated with various sorts of drawbacks such as lower yields and more complicated handling; also the willingness of individual fishermen to fish selectively is undermined by lack of confidence in other fishermen's readiness to do so,

M. whereas rules on the design and use of gear can very often be circumvented, either legally or illegally, with little risk of detection, and therefore do not constitute a sufficient response to the relevant problems,

N. whereas, in consequence, new ways of providing fishermen with incentives and with understanding of the rationale for the provisions in force, of promoting mutual confidence between them, and of making regulations enforceable, must be sought, and better training to increase the understanding of fishermen of the need for a wide range of measures to preserve fish stocks is vital if they are to play their key role in managing fish resources for future generations,

O. whereas, since the composition of catches varies over the year and/or between different geographical areas, and also due to the fact that monitoring when and where vessels are fishing is normally much less difficult than checking how and what they are fishing, it would appear that temporary, seasonal or permanent area closures should be used more frequently, in particular to avoid the wasteful catching of many young fish,

P. whereas Article 16 of the existing regulation on technical measures and Article 45 of the new regulation provide each Member State with the possibility, under strict conditions, of taking conservation measures in respect of the waters under its jurisdiction, and whereas for practical as well as for procedural reasons, only they can react with the necessary speed to respond to the detection of major aggregations of juveniles in their waters, and should be encouraged to do so,

Q. whereas for various reasons, incidental catches will still be significant even if measures to reduce them prove successful, and whereas the ever diminishing acceptability of the waste of resources that discards represent has prompted a number of North Atlantic states to intervene still further against this practice, the Norwegian ban on discards of eleven species being the prime example,

R. whereas the difficulty of ensuring compliance with discard bans is real, and there is a strong need to supplement such bans with effective measures, to ensure that the obligation to retain on board and to land the whole catch, including undersized fish, is not used as a cover for deliberately taking catches of such fish to make a profit,

1. Considers that for European fisheries to remain a viable industry, and continue to be so in the medium and long term, action must be taken to restore and build up declining fish stocks;

2. Points out that discard levels at the present time are unacceptable, and will only start to fall if appropriate technical measures are introduced and controls are stepped up;

3. Recommends that research be undertaken on a European level to identify species most at risk from discarding, also fish behaviour in order to develop maximum selectivity of gear;

4. Urges that stocks of certain species must be protected through proper marine management and regulation, including, if necessary, an obligation to change fishing grounds where above 15% in numbers of any single catch includes undersized fish; this could lead to temporary closure of such fishing grounds;

5. Welcomes the European Union ban on driftnets as a measure which will make a significant contribution to a reduction in excessive bycatches but regrets that the European Union has not conducted a survey determining the selectivity of fishing gear, with a view to banning gears which generate excessive bycatches;

6. Recommends that the European Community continues to improve technical measures to reduce the catch of undersized/immature fish, including in particular, the wider introduction of the square mesh cod end to enable them to escape, and other selective gears;

7. Urges the Commission to investigate whether, within the context of the above measures, discarding of certain key species should be prohibited, as in Norway, banning discards of one or two species as a pilote project;

8. Considers that, within this context of non-discarding of particular species, quotas could be applied flexibly, so that fishermen can get a market price for up to 10% of good quality over-quota fish, set against the following year¨s quota, provided that there has not been deliberate over-fishing and considers that immediate action should be taken to implement the multiannual TACs covering different species already provided for in Community fisheries legislation;

9. Recommends that landed fish unsuitable for marketing for human consumption should wherever possible, be used for production of fishmeal and fish-oil, reducing dependence on industrial fishing,which itself is a contributory factor to the fall in stocks of fish for human consumption;

10. Recommends that designated species of fish should only be landed at designated ports with proper inspection facilities, to cut down the amount of "black¨, over-quota fish reaching the markets;

11. Urges the Commission to emphasise to Member State Governments their responsibility to ensure effective and efficient on-board inspections and port controls to make conservation measures work, and to impose appropriate penalties for abuses of the regulations;

12. Urges the Member States to commit themselves to close fishing grounds within their waters or jurisdiction when there is a clear conservation case to do so, and to refrain from misusing their right to take such measures;

13. Calls for support for research into increasing the scope of aquaculture as a further measure to relieve pressure on the most marketed and at-risk species of caught fish, also as an alternative source of jobs for fishing communities;

14. Urges better training for fishermen, particularly education in the need for conservation and the rationale behind the various conservation measures, as a means of maximising their participation in, and understanding of such measures;

15. Urges better support measures through structural funds and special grants allocated fairly to all coastal areas to reduce dependency on fishing where it is a major occupation, and assist individual fishermen and fishing companies to invest in the necessary equipment and cope with further restrictions on fishing when they are required;

16. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council and Commission.