ARCHIVESHISTORIQUES
DELACOMMISSION
COLLECTION RELIEEDES
DOCUMENTS "COM"
COM(77)164
Vol.1977/0069

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COMMISSION OFTHEEUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
I !
COM(77)164final.
Brussels.12May1977*
COMMUNICATION FROMTHECOMMISSION TOTHECOUNCIL
/ "
concerningthefuturefisheriespolicy
\.
«r
C<M(77)164final.

COICTCTTICATIOIT OPTII5CC?H'1SST0:T TOTHECOUNCIL
concerr.ir.rthefuturefisheriespolicy
CincetheCommissionsubmittedinOctober1976i"tsproposals
foraCommunitysystemfortheconservation andmanagmentoffisheries
resources(doc.COM(76)535final),thediscussionsintheCommunity
haveessentiallybeenaboutadhocmeasuresintendedtotakecareof
anumberofurgentproblems.Thesediscussions havedemonstrated ,
however,thatrealprogresscannotbemadeunlesscertainfundamental
problemsareexaminedbytheCommunityinstitutions .
ThepurposeofthepresentCommunication istopickout
someproblemsofmajorinterestwhichcouldbethesubjectofthefuture
debatewhichtheCouncilhasagreedtohaveonthecommonfisheries
policy.InpreparingthisCommunication theCommissionhastakeninto
accountthediscussionswhichhavetakenplacemeantimeconcerninginternal
aspectsoftheCommunityfisheriespolicyaswellasnegotiations with
thirdcountries.
Inthelightofthefundamental changeswhichthecreationof
200milefisherieslimitshasbroughtaboutinrelationtothepossibilities
fortheexploitation offisheriesresources,theCommunitymustseek
appropriate solutionstotheseriousanddelicateeconomicandsocial
problemswhichaffectthefisheriessector.
Inaccordancewithitsresponsibilities theCommission ,forits
part,willpursueitseffortstofindadequateconcretesolutionsforall
aspectsoftheCommunityfisheriespolicywhichxverethesubjectofits
proposalsofOctober1976.
ThefirstpartofthepresentCommunication dealswithsome
importantaspectsofconservation andmanagementpolicy.Inregardto
structuralproblems,theCommissionwillshortlyproposeCommunityaction
basedontheconsiderations containedinitsproposalsofOctober1976.
ThesecondpartoftheCommunication dealswithacertainnumberof
questionsconcerningrelationswiththirdcountriesandrelationswith
international conventions .

-2-
I.l)Conservation andnana~er^ent "policy
1.1Basiccor.sidcrations
!£ostNorthSeaandITcrthAtlanticstocksextendoverthewhole
surfaceofthecontinentalshelf,meetof-/.'hiehissor.tr.incd
withinthecoastalStates*200-milezones.
Duringcertainperiodsoftheirdevelopmentcycle,semeofthese
stocksmayshowin-shorecharacteristics ,butingeneral "bythe
timetheyarecaughttheyhavemigratedthroughoutavastmaritime
area.
Stockconservation measurescannotthereforehedrawnupby
referencetopoliticalfrontierswhichareirrelevanttoliving
resources;theymustrefertoprecise "biologicalcontextscharac­
teristicofthelivinganddevelopment conditionsofthevarious
species.
Conservation alsorequiresthatallstagesinthedevelopment of
aspecieshecoveredateverypointwhereitlivesorwhichit
reaches "bynaturalmigration ;theabsenceofconservation measures
atagivenmomentinitslifecyclewouldbeboundtoimpairthe
effectiveness ofmeasuresadoptedinrespectofotherstagesin
thatcycle.
Conservation ofthelivingresourcescirculatingwithinthe200-mile
zonesubjecttothesovereignty orjurisdiction ofmemberStates
mustthereforebebasedonaCommunitypolicy.Thatpolicymust
makedueallowanceforthebiologicalcharacteristics peculiarto
eachstockandalsocompriseinternalandexternalaspectswhich
togethermustensurethatCommunitypolicyiscompatiblewiththe
policiesoftheothercoastalStatesconcernedwiththesamestocks
whichalsocirculateintheirareasofjurisdiction .
Tothatend,inaccordancewiththeCouncildirectives,theCommission
hasnegotiatedoutlineagreements onfisherieswithnon-member
countries,andtheagreementswhichhavejustbeensignedbetween
theCommunityandcertainnon-niembercoastalcountriesofthe
ForthSeaandtheNorthAtlanticlaydownappropriate provisions
forcooperation inthisfield.

1.2 Objectives and implications
Living resources must beprotected from the risks ofover­
fishing andthose already affected byover-fishing must bo
reconstituted soastobring stocks asawhole totheir
optimum level .
Inview oftheinterdependence ofstocks andthe complex
effects oneach ofthem ofexploitation techniques specific
toothers ,seeking toachieve theoptimum level for stocks
asawhole will notnecessarily coincide with achieving the
optimum level for each individual stock .
Itwould therefore seem that the aim ofarational conservation
policy cannot betheautomatically systematic search forthe
biological optimum foreach stock taken separately ;onthe
contrary ,theadoption ofconservation measures which were not
developed inamore general context would lead tocontra­
dictions andruncounter tothe general objectives ofsuch a
policy .
The conservation policy must therefore beaccompanied bya
policy ofrational management ofresources ,with the aim of
reconciling inrespect ofCommunity resources asawhole biological
constraints andeconomic constraints resulting from the diversity
oftechnical and social structures andthemultiplicity of
market requirements tobemet .
1.3 Measures
TheCommission recalls ,inaccordance with itsprevious proposals ,
that thedevelopment ofapolicy forthe conservation andrational
management ofstocks inthegeneral context outlined above calls
fortheimplementation ofthree distinct andinterrelated categories
ofmeasures comprising :
-general measures applicable toall ofone ormore stocks ;
-specific measures oflimited scope toallow for localized
biological conditions and certain disquieting socio-economic
orsocio-structural situations ,while atthe same time not
distorting thegeneral effect ofmeasures inthepreceding
category ;

-4-
-control measures toensure that the measures referred toin
the above two indents comply with and guarantee theeffectiveness
ofthepolicy adopted .
A. General measures
i)Quantitative measures
These consist primarily indetermining annually aTAC inrespect
ofeach stock ,toapply tothewhole ofthestock concerned .
Inthe case ofmixed stocks ,fixing theTACnecessarily involves
coordination with anynon-member coastal State concerned ;.for
this special category ,theTACmust inprinciple "bsaccompanied
bythe fixing oftheanticipated quota fortotal
"batches inthe Community zone onthe basis ofthe distribution
ofstock bctweenthat zone and the zone ofthe non–member coastal
State orStates concerned .
These measures also relate tothe allocation ofquotas among
member States and certain non-member countries onthe basis of
the fishery agreements negotiated .
ii)Selective measures
These measures principally include the following :-
-rules governing theuseandtechnical specifications of
certain types offishing gear (mesh ,type ofnetetc.),and
minimum fish sizes ,soastoachieve abetter balance inthe
age structure ofover-fished stocks ;
-rules onaccess tocertain fishing grounds forlimited periods
sothat continued fishing does not lead tothe destruction of
excessive numbers ofyoung fish orinextreme cases thetotal
disappearance ofparticularly over-fished stocks .
Such rules must bebased onexisting provisions ,improved or
supplemented inthe light ofexperience gained andthemost recent
work done inthe scientific field .

Thepurposeofsomeoftheseselectivemeasuresmayalsobe
toensureprotectionofin-shorestocks,conservation ofwhich
mustdependprimarilyonhighlylocalizedbiological
conditions .
B.Specificmeasures
Thesemeasuresareintendedtopermitthetemporaryor
•permanenteconomicadjustments madenecessarybytheintroduction
ofanoverallconservation policyinthenewsituationarising
fromthegeneralintroduction of200–milefishingzones.
Inthisconnection ,inconformitywiththeCouncilresolution
of2ITovember1976(l),accountmustbetakenwithintheframe­
workoftheapplication ofthecommonfisheriespolicy,ofthe
vitalneedsoflocalpopulationsparticularly dependenton
fishingandassociatedindustries.Thisconsideration mustbe
consolidated byensuringthatthestandardoflivingofsuch
populationsismaintained ,asfarasiscompatiblewiththe
implementation ofmeasureswhichareimperativefortheconservation of
stocks(2). (
TheCommissionconsidersthatthismustbedonebyguaranteeing
priorityofaccess.Suchaguaranteecouldbequantifiedbya
referencetotheaverageoverallvolumeofcatchesoverareference
periodbythefishermenconcerned,inthemaritimezonewhich
theyhavetraditionally fished.Thesurestwayto.achievethis
Communityobjectiveistoguaranteethefishermenconcerned
accesstothestockswhichtheyexploitirrespective oftheloca­
tioncfthosestocks.
Inrespectofallthelocalpopulations concernedwithinthe
meaningofAnnexVtotheCouncilResolutionof3November1976,
suchaguaranteerequirestheadoptionofthefollowingmeasures:
-determination ,onthebasisoftheTACandthatpartofit
relatingtotheCommunityzone,oftheabove-mentioned priority
allocation ;
-introductionftasystemfortheeffectivecontroloffishing
activitytoensurethattheprioritiesallocatedareobserved.
(l)ContainedinAnnexVII"ofthetextsadoptedonthatdatebythe
Council.
,(2)Asanexample,inthecaseofIreland,thesemeasuresmustensurethatthe
fishingindustryofthatcountrydevelopscontinuously andprogressively on
thebasisofthenationaldevelopmentplan.
Γ

-6-
Inaddition,thevolumeoffishingforindustrialpurpc~'~v:ill
haveto"beassessedinthelightoftheeffectofsuchfishing
onthe"balance "betweenspeciesintendedforhumanconsumption .
Inthisconnection,reducingthecatchpossibilities forthis
typeoffishingcouldgiverisetocompensation .
Lastly,theproximityoffishinggroundsortheexistenceofa
largefleetoronesuitablefordevelopment ,particularly inareas
whichrecentdevelopments haveeconomically disfavoured ,mustintime
"bring-aboutsomereorganization offishingactivitybothasbetween-member
Statesandasbetweenthevarioustypesoffishingconcerned.
*
* *
Iftheaboveconsiderations areacceptedbytheCouncil,the
Commissionispreparedtore-examinethefiguresinvolved,such
asthosecontainedinDocumentR/3086,inthelightofthe
following:–
-resultsoftheworkundertakeninrecentmonthsbyinternational
scientificorganizations ;
-thenewdataavailableconcerningthedistribution ofcertain
mixedstocks;
-theresultsalreadyrecordedorforeseeableinthenegotiations
withnon-member countries.
C.Controlmeasures
Theimplementation oftheCommunitysystemfortheconservation
andmanagementofresourcesmustbeaccompanied bytheintroduction
ofaneffectiveandcrediblesystemofcontrol,organizedona
Communitybasis.Thatsystemmustensurethatfishingactivity
iscarriedoutinconformitywiththeCommunityrulesinforce.
Itmustincludeasystemoflicencesorfishingplans,strict
supervision oflandingsandinspection onthefishinggrounds.
Theextensionoffishingzonesto200milesmeansthatprotection
andsurveillance measuresmustbeexpanded.Thismustnotinvolve
amemberState,becauseoftheextentofitszone,inexpenditure
outofproportionwiththevolumeofCommunityfisheryresources
whichfishermenofthatmemberStatemayexploitinthatzone.
TheCommissionwillproposeCommunityactioninvolvingafinancial
commitmentconsistingoftwotypesofmeasures:
-thefirst,regardingthematerialactionwhichshouldbetaken
inthemediumterm;
-thesecond,regardingtheexpenditureresultingfromthe
'leasing"ofthemeansofcontrolandsurveillance andthecosts
connectedwiththeiroperationtoensuretheshort–termprotection
andadequatesurveillance ofcertainCommunityfishingzonesr

7-
II.Relation ?with non-member countries and the dogition with
regard tothe international fisheries convent ionz
a)Regulation ofthefishing activities ofccrtnin non-member
countries inCommunity v.'aters
The Commission intends very shortly topresent 'tothe
Council proposals forRegulations extending until 30September
1977 "theinterim measures governing the fishing activities
ofcertain non-member countries inCommunity waters .
The Commission will also submit assoon aspossible aproposal
foraRegulation introducing asystem oflicences applicable
tothe vessels ofsome ofthose countries .
b)Position oftheCommunity inrespect ofmultilateral cooperation
onfisheries
Inthenearfuture therewillbemeetings of±bj^ :^^na'bional
Commission fortheNorthwest Atlantic Fishf . of
theNorth-East Atlantic Fisheries Commis-^' ^(NEAFC ;(1).These
meetings aretodeal essentially with;?'-' 0sets ofproblems :
first ,theconservation andmanagerr,-' "*o:ffish stocks in1978
and ,secondly ,thefuture ofther ~organizations in'view ofthe
creation of200-mile fishing zr-es .
Within afewdays theCommission will present proposals onthe
above points totheCouncil .
c)Moreover ,inaddition totheimmediate action mentioned above ,
theCommission willcontinue toworktowards increasing Joshing
opportunities fortheCommunity inhabitants through negotiations
with third countries ,especially intheSouth Atlantic .
(l)ICNAF :31May-14June
Ottawa .
I-TEAPC :4July -12July
London .

&</w-/ 6y
COMMUNICATION TOTHE COMMISSION
Subject :Conrnunity system fortheconservation andmanagement of
fishery resources . :
1. Following themeetings oftheCouncil on15and 25March and
5April ,itappears that only "byrediscussing thebasic questions not
yetsettled contained intheproposal foraCommunity system forthe
1
conservation andmanagement offishery resources submitted last October "
isprogress likely tobemade inthis field .
This Communication should serve tomaintain the momentum inthis
matter andfacilitate theresumption oftalks .Itisessentially based on
theabovementioned proposal foraCommunity system .Thereactions tothe
proposal inquestion arealso taken into account ,asistheoutcome of
recent talks oninterim conservation measures for 1977 «
These talks brought tolight basic disparities intheMember
States' approach tothe following matters ofprinciple :
-therespons ability forconservation andmanagement inacoastu-1 i:one ,
-the need for anexclusive coastal zone .
2. TheCommunication first ofallexplains what istobegained from
aCommunity conservation policy covering thetotality ofeach Member States'
fishing zone .
Itstresses notonly theunderlying need forsuch apolicy but
also warns against thedanger ofcompart imenting thecoherent whole which
constitutes theCommunity zone .Italso outlines theobjectives and
instruments oftheconservation policy which istobefollowed inorder
toachieve ,asapriority ,thereconstitution ofstocks andtherational
exploitation ofresources .
/
Doc.COM (76)535final of6October 1976 .

Itthengoesontoestablishalink"betweentheconservation
policywhichistobefollowedandtheneedforprovisiontobemadefor
thespecificeconomicandsocialneedsofcertaincategoriesoffishermen
bothasregardsthefishingpossibilities andthefinancingoftheinspection
worktosecureobservanceoftheregulations ineachzone.
TheCommissionproposesthattheconceptoftheforwardfishing
programmesbeusedssameansofcontrollingfishingactivitysothatthe
prioritiesgrantedtocertaincategoriesoffishermenmaybemaclceffective.
Thisconceptconstitutes aCommunityanswertotherequestsfor
theestablishment ofnationalcoastalzones.
TheCommunication alsomentionsthatcommonmeasureswillshortly
besubmittedwithregardtostructures ,relatingtothepoliciesputforward
intheproposalforaCommunitysystemfortheconservation andmanagement
offisheryresources.
ItisproposedthattheCommissionapprovetheattachedCommunication
concerningtheCommunitysystemfortheconservation andmanagementoffishery
resourcesandtransmititforthwithtotheCouncil.

DRAFTCCMMUNICATIONPROMTHECO'H'ISSICIT TOTHECCUITCIL
ontheCommunitysystemfortheconservation andmanagement
offisheryresources
SincetheCommissioninOctober1976presenteditsproposalsfora
Communitysystemfortheconservation andmanagementoffisheryresources
(Doc.COI«l(76)535final),discussionsintheCommunityhavemainlyconcentrated
onadhocmeasurestodealwithanumberofurgentproblems.Discussions have
howevershownthatnorealprogresscan"beachieveduntilcertainfundamental
problemsunderlyingthefinalsystemyettobeestablishedaresatisfactorily
solved.
Thepurposeofthiscommunication istohelpfocusattentiononthese
fundamental problems.Itcoversallthesubjectsto"bedealtwith,starting
withthebasicideassetoutintheCommissionproposalspresentedlastOctober,
andtakesaccountoftheresultofdiscussions sincethenontheinternalaspects
ofthecommonfisheriespolicy.
Nowthatfar-reaching changesinfishingpossibilities andconditions
havebeenbroughtaboutbythecreationbytheMemberStatesandnon-member
countriesoffishingzonesextendingasfaras200milesinwaterstraditionally
fishedintheNorthAtlantic,itisessentialtosetupoptimumconditionsfor
fishing.
Agradualreorganisation ofeconomicactivitiesinthefisheriessector
inrelationtothesizeofthepotentialannualcatch,willinevitablyrequire
sacrificesbytheMemberStatesifthefishingeffortistobeadjustedtothe
desirableoptimumcatchperspecies,sincesuchsacrificeswillfallequally
onallthoseconcerned.
Consequently ,onemustnotlookforbeneficialeffectsontheprofitabil*
ityoffleets,ontheincomeoffishermenparticularly dependentonthisactivity
oronconsumerprices,

unlesseffectiveconservation andmanagementmeasuresapplicabletothe
entireCommunityzoneareadopted "bytheCommunity.
Anyefforttosolvethesequestionsbynationalmeasureswould,
despiteafewtemporaryadvantages,leadtothedisorderlyexploitation
ofresourcesandthegradualdislocationofthefisherieseconomyof
eachMemberState. -
Onlythroughanapproachbasedontheevidentinterdependence of
resources,andtherecognition-intermsofCommunitysolidarity-of
specialsituationsforwhichasolutionmustbefoundthatgivespriority
tospecialneedswithinthecontextofthegeneralpolicyonmanagement
andconservation ofresources,willitbepossibletofindanewbalance
inthecommonfisheriespolicytobeestablished.
Theintroduction ofaconsistentsystemofconservation and
managementoffisheryresourcesinCommunitywatersisthusoneof
thepriorityobjectiveswhichtheCommunitymustsetitselfinthe
comingmonths.Withoutsuchasystem,itistobefearedthatthe
disturbingstateofmanyfishstockswillworsenfurther,makingit
allthemoredifficulttoformulateandoperatearationalCommunity
fisheriespolicylater.
Suchasituationwouldrenderillusoryanypossibility ofprogress
in"thenegotiations underwaywithnon–membercountriesandwoulddeprive
theoutlineagreementsalreadyconcludedoftheiroperational content.
Further,failuretoreachasatisfactory Communitysolutionin
thisarea,wouldhaverepercussimsfarbeyondthefisheriessectoritself.
TheCommissionthereforeurgesMemberStatestomakeaspecialeffortto
establishaCommunitysystemfortheconservation andmanagementoffishery
resourcesattheearliestpossibledate.

3.
1.General policy ofconservation ana management offishery resources ofthe
Community
1.1 .Need for aconservation policy embracing all fishing zones .
Itseems obvious that themedians separating national fishing .
zones constitute artificial limits that hardly ever correspond
tothedistribution offish stocks which naturally move from one
maritime region toanother ,andthedistribution ofwhich can
cover several zones atthe same time .
''Stocks ofthepelagic anddemersal (bottom -dwelling )species :
aredistributed throughout the .area ofthecontinental shelf ,
virtually allofwhich isincluded inthe0to200miles zones
offthe coasts ofMember States andneighbouring non-member
countries (inparticular Norway asregards theNorth Sea).
Although some stocks maycling tothe coast forpart oftheyear
(herring ,sprats )both theyoung andtheadult fish migrate tovast
regions that maybequite faraway from the coast .There areno
major bathymetric breaks inthecontinental shelf ,forexample
intheform ofnatural barriers ,that would make itpossible to
isolate stocks ,inparticular ofthedemersal species .
Inthese conditions ,aconservation policy based onthecompartmental­
ization ofnational fishing zones would restrict thescope ofthe
conservation measures that could beadopted .V.'ith respect tothe
Community ,itseems inconceivable toimplement aconservation policy
that does not cover allthefishing zones oftheMember States concerned
Such apolicy would ,moreover ,inevitably lead tocompetitive demand j
andthus tothegeneral over-exploitation ofresources . I
Ili
il

4
1.2.Objectivesofconservation and,managementofCommunityfishery
resources
ThefirstobjectiveofCommunityconservation policyshould "be
thereconstitution ofover-fished ,stocksandthemaintenance
ofotherstocksatthehighestlevels.
Thispolicycanonly"bemadeeffectivebytheadoptionofa
rationalsystemforthemanagementofresources# Thismeans
that,inlinewiththeaimsoftheTreaty,measuresforthe
conservation andmanagementofresourcesshouldbelaiddown
withaviewtomeetingthecombinedneedsofproducersand
consumers.
Thegeneralobjectiveofthismanagementpolicyshouldtherefore
betopromoteandmaintaintheoptimumuseineconomicandsocial
termsofavailableresources,whiletakingintoaccountnotonly
theovw-ridingbiologicalfactorsbutalsothemaineconomicand
socialrequirements ofthefishingindustryintheCommunityand
theinterstoftheconsumers.
Arealisticconservation andmanagementpolicymustholdan
overallbalancebetweenlawsofnature,requirements andinterests
ofdifferingsort.
Thus,whilegivingprioritytoanumberofelementswhichshould
betakenintoaccount,thisconceptalsoentailstheneednotto
obstructwithoutgoodreasonthefishingofcertainspeciesand
certaintypesoffishing.
Thesearchofabalancedexploitation ofresourcesintheMember
States'fishingzonescan,becauseoftheinterdependence ofthese
zones,onlybeundertakeninaCommunityframeworkwherethecommon
interestcanprevail,andwheretheeconomicandsocialconsequences
ofacommonpolicyfortheconservation andmanagementcfresources
canbealleviatedbycommonmeasures.
•A

5.
1.3.Measuresfortheconservation andmanagement ofresources
Inlinewiththeobjectivesdefinedaboveandinviewoftheneed
toworkoutacommonpolicyforalltheMemberStates'fishing
zones,thereisneedforageneralstatementoftheconservation
andmanagementmeasuresrequired.
Inthefirstplacetheremustbequantitative measuresdesigned
topreserveCommunityfisheryresources.Theyincludetheannual
fixingofthepermissiblecatchforallstocks.Detailedproposals
regardingthemethodsandproceduresfordeterminingthetotal
authorizedcatch(TAC)weresetoutinDocumentCOM(76)535of
6October197
TheTACwillbedividedintoquotasforeachMemberStateconcerned
accordingtothecriteriaunderlyingtheobjectives.
Intheproposallayingdowncertaininterimmeasuresforthe
conservationandmanagementoffisheryreso\irces\theCommission
proposedquotasfortheMemberStatesfor1977*Thesequotaswere
notadoptedbytheCouncilintimetobeimplemented from1January
1977*Inthelightofsubsequentdevelopments anddiscussionsin
theCouncil,theCommissionisatpresentreviewingthequotaswith
aviev;topresenting newproposalstotheCouncilinthenearfuture.
Thequantitative measuresmustbeaccompanied byasetofnon-
quantitative measures,complementary totheformeranddesigned
topreventtheexploitation cfcertainendangeredstocks.
Ity-Regulation (EEC)IIo350/77of18February,theCouncildefined
certaininterimmeasuresofthiskind.Theseinterimmeasures,
oflimitedduration,shouldbeextendedandintegratedintoa
coherentsetofconservation measuresapplicabletoCommunity
zonesoncethedefinitivesystemfortheconservation andmanagement
ofresourceshasbeenimplemented.Theyshouldinparticularprovide
for:
R/3086/i/7oAGRI831
RELEX50/

6
-regulating theminimum catch size offish ortheappropriate mesh
size which complies with theminimum catch size ofthe species or
species tobeprotected .Such rules would serve torestorate the
agegroup balance ofstocks ,whioh ,asaracnXt ofoverfishing ,are
atpresent mainly composed ofyoung fish ;
-thepossibility ofprohibiting certain types offishing inspecific
zones during aspecified period :either where fishing islikely to
lead tothe total disappearance ofthe species ,orwhere ahigh per­
centage ofby-catches areassociated with such fishing causing the
useless destruction ofyoung fish ofprotected species ;
-regulating theuse ofcertain gear .The rapid development ofcertain
types ofgear(purse seines orpelagic trawlers )incertain coastal re­
gions has led toamajor escalation ofthe fishing activity harmful
tothe future ofstocks ,and asituation ofconflict between traditio­
nal fishermen and those using the new gear .
With aview toestablishing Community rules onthese aspects ,the first
step is,inthelight ofthenew fishing situation ,toexamine and re­
consider the conservation measures already inforce inMember States that
were -introduced -either toimplement recommendations accepted earlier in
theframework oftheNorth East Atlantic Fisheries Commission (NEAFC ^
ICNAF ,etc.)ortodeal with specific problems that arose inthecoastal
zones ,and then towork outnewprovisions ,such asthose outlined above
tosupplement the earlier provisions .

Consideration of"thespecialneedsofcertainregionsoftheCommunity
andcertaincategoriesoffishermen
Takentogether,themeasuresadoptedfortheconservation ofmanagement
ofresourcesmustenabletheCommunitytoachievethegeneralobjectives
6fthecommonfisheriespolicy.Thisdoesnot,however,excludegiving
consideration asofnow,toprovide.guaranteeswhichtakeaccountofthe
specialneedsofcertainregionsoftheCommunityandcertaincategoriesof
fishermen.
ItisrecalledthatinconnectionwithitsproposalofOctober1976
seekingtoestablishaCommunitysystemfortheconservation ofmanagement
andfisheryresources,theCommissionhadalreadygivenspecialconsideration
tothequestionofinshorefishing,mindfulthattheinterestsofthis
categoryoffishermenmightbethreatenedintheprocessofadjustment
underway.
Inthelightofthisproposal,theCouncilinitsResolutionof3Novembtr
1976,declaredwithrespecttoIrelandthat*itintendedtoapplythe
commonpolicyinsuchawayastoensurethecontinuedandprogressive
developmentofthefishingindustryonthebasisoftheIrishGovernment's
fisheriesdevelopment programmeinrespectofinshorefishing.
Thisprogrammewill,therefore,constituteaspecificpointofreference
withregardtothedecisionstobetakenbytheCommunityinstitutions ,
notonlyasregardstheallotmentofcatchquotasbutalsoasregards
theconservation ofstocksinthefishingzonesoftheIrishfishermen.
BythesameResolution,theCounoilagreedtotakeaccountalsoofthe
vitalneedsofotherregionsoftheCommunitywherethelocalpopulation
inparticularly dependentonfishingandtherelatedindustries.
Theneedsoftheseregionscouldbesatisfiedbyapriorityquotainthe
allotmentofavailableresources.Aproposedpriorityquotashouldmake
itpossibletoensurethatsuchregionscanmaintainanadequatelevel
ofactivity,evenifstrictconservation measuresreducingthetotal
authorizedcatchareadopted.Thesizeofthesepriorityquotascould
bedeterminedinrelationtotheaverageoverallsizeofthecatchtaken
duringareferenceperiodbythefishermenconcernedinthewatersthey
traditionally benefitfromanimprovementinthestocksituationresulting
fromtheapplication ofCommunityconservation measures.

8.
Generally speaking ,with respect tonon-industrial fishing done bysmall
craft making short trips (forexample ,^8hours ),privileged access to
certain fishing grounds could beprovided for toallow this type of
fishermen toincrease their catch inneighbouring zones asdetermined
bythelimited range oftheir vessels .Inview ofthe importance of
coastal zones from thestandpoint ofconservation (spawning grounds ,
young fish grounds )limited access tothese zones should also have -a
beneficial effect onthe stock situation ingeneral .
Certain categories offishermen who have traditionally fished waters
new located within the 200-mile zones ofnon-member countries will ;have
tolimit orentirely cease their activity inthese zones .Incases
where these fishermen intend tocontinue tofish ,acompensating right
totake fish should beoffered them either within theCommunity zone or
inthe zones ofnon-member countries with whom theCommunity has conclu­
dedreciprocal agreements .Itwas tothis end that theproposal of
October 1976 suggested taking account ofpast catches bythese fishermen
when allowing total catch quotas .
Inconnection with the conservation policy ,fishing forindustrial pur­
poses should beassessed inthe light ofits effect onthebalance
between species suitable forhuman consumption .With this inmind ,a
reduction inthe catch potential for this type offishing could give
rise tocompensation interms ofcatches offish forhuman consumption .
• ί
3.Inspection ofobservance ofthe Community system for the conservation
and management ofresources
Implementation oftheCommunity system ofconservation andmanagement
ofresources must beaccompanied bytheinstitution ofanadequate in­
spection system organized onaCommunity basis .Such asystem should
ensure that fishing isbeing done inaccordance with therules inforce
without ,however ,imposing abattery ofprohibitions which could inter­
fere with thenormal exercise ofthis activity .
(

9.
This system should ,moreover ,not beexcessively costly and itshould
have sufficient credibility forallthefishermen concerned .Thepre­
sent inspection systems are mainly organized inanational framework .
They include control atthepoint oflanding ,mainly tocheck that the
quantitative conservation measures have been observed ,and inspection
onthefishing grounds toensure observance ofthenon-quantitative
measures .These systems donot entirely meet therequirements ofthe
new circumstances ,mainly because they have scarcely any deterrent effect .
This isafundamental failing since ,solong asthe very concept of
conservation andmanagement ofresources isdebatable ,there are agreat
many risks ofinfringement .Inthecircumstances ,arepressive inspection
system ,unless itisonavery large scale ,cannever bereally effective .
Consequently ,present methods ofcontrol should besupplemented bypro­
visions ofadeterrent nature .
Inrecent discussions ,theCommission announced the concept ofaforward
fishing programme .This concept eould begenerally applied tocheck
the fishing activities ofMember States fleets intheCommunity zone
asawhole .
This means that after theCouncil has adopted apolicy decision fixing
TACs and catch quotas onthebasis ofgeneral and specific objectives ,
Member States should draw upaforward fishing programme .Inthis pro­
gramme ,Member States will inparticular indicate theway inwhich they
mean toadjust thevolume offishing done bytheir fleets inthediffe­
rent zones tothequotas allocated tothem .
This canbeachieved indifferent ways *TheCommunity system tobeesta­
blished could include rules onthenumber ofvessels engaged infishing ,
thenumber offishing days pervessel ,orper fishing season .These
methods could also becombined ,depending oncustomary fishing patters ,
thesystem proposed being indicated separately foreach oftheICES di­
visions .

±υ .
Theprogramme should beapproved bytheCommission bytheManagement
Committee procedure .
Thepriority allocation ofquotas ,together with thepresentation offi­
shing programmes designed toregulate fishing asregards both quantity
and location "defacto "constitutes aprivileged access toresources and
enables the specific needs ofcertain categories offishermen tobemet .
Community action fa'r the protection and surveillance offishing zones
Application ofthe system offishing programmes does notpreclude the
need forinspection ofactivities onfishing grounds ,although inspection
will thereby befacilitated .Responsability for theapplication of
inspection measures will mainly devolve upon theMember States authori­
ties ,each responsible for the zones under its jurisdiction *
Ingeneral itwould seem that implementation ofaCommunity system ,for
the conservation andmanagement offishery resources inthe fishing zones
ofMember States extended to200 miles will call for improvement inthe
conditions inwhich protection and surveillance ofthese zones are
carried out .This will entail heavy charges ontheMember States ,some­
times out ofproportion tothevolume ofCommunity fishery resources
that canbeexploited bythe fishermen oftheMember States concerned
intheir zones .
TheCommission therefore proposes topresent totheCouncil inthenear
future aCommunity measure intwo parts :
-the first relating toinvestment inequipment inthemedium term and
applicable toallMember States who consider itnecessary that an
investment plan inthis field should.be prepared inagreement with
theCommission ,
-thesecond relating tothecharges resulting from theleasing ofmeans
ofcontrol and surveillance and costs relating totheoperation ofthese
means toensure short-term protection andadequate surveillance of
certain Community fishing zones ,inparticular those offIreland and
Greenland .
»
Based ona50%Community contribution toexpenditure arising from in­
vestments and short-term charges ,total Community aid should amount to
about 60million u.a .

11
5.Structural measures designed tofurther theadjustment ofproduction
capacities tothenew situation
Thecommon management ofMember States' fishing zones calls ,onthe
structural level ,forasearch foroverall equilibrium between production
capacities andtheavailability ofmarine resources ,inorder toattain the
general conservation andmanagement objectives stated earlier .
This equilibrium canbeachieved only byadopting structural measures
designed tomeet therequirement ofadjusting fishing activity tothe
newconditions created bythemeasures fortheconservation andmanagement
ofresources . s
Initsproposals ofSeptemberl976 ,theCommission proposed introducing a
financial scheme providing forspecial joint efforts bytheMember States
concerned andtheCommunity toalleviate theeconomic and social consequences
ofalasting ortemporary contraction oftheactivity ofcertain fleets in
certain zones .The situation will affect notonly fishing but also the
related land-based industries .
Although itisdifficult intheabsence ofaprecise picture offuture
Community fishing structures toestablish thepriority guidelines for
thecommon measures ,itwould seem best toconcentrate ondeep-sea fishing ,
which could bedefined asembraoing allthefleets ,.theland-baaed processing
industries andworkers whodepend directly ortoainly ontheexploitation of
marine resources with vessels ofaminimum of,say,24m.(1).
Thestructural measures fordeep-sea fishing should becovered bya
national system ofaid ,tobelargely financed (say,50%)bytheEAGGP .
Aproposal forcommon measures along these lines will soon besubmitted
totheCouncil .Itwill contain theessence fotheideas onthesubject
setoutintheproposal foraCommunity system fortheconservation and
management ofresources presented totheCouncil inOctober 1976 ,namely :
(1)With respect toinshore fishing ,theCommission hassubmitted aproposal
foraCouncil Regulation onaprogramme forrestructuring thenon-industrial
inshore fishing industry (OJNo.C6of10.1.1976 ).

12
measuresforthetemporaryorlastingadjustmentoffishing
activitytotheconditionsimposed "bytheneedforconservation ;
measurestopromotethere-orientation andconversionoffishing
activitiesandthesearchfornewspeciesthatarenotinjeopardy
whichcouldabsorbthefishingeffortthusreleasedandfurnish
rawmaterialforland-basedplantsworkingatbelowtheircapacity.