EN Official Journal of the European Union CE 78/698

(2004/C 78 E/0747)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-0281/03

by Ulpu Iivari (PSE) to the Commission

(3 February 2003)

Subject: Reform of the common fisheries policy and restoration of wild salmon stocks

Baltic wild salmon are very important for recreational fishing and hence for tourism in the northern part of the Gulf of Bothnia and northern Finland. However, wild salmon are currently being overfished at sea and in estuaries, and they are often fished at the wrong times. As a result, salmon are being prevented from migrating to their spawning rivers, or at least their migration is being seriously disrupted.

The European Union's fisheries policy completely disregards the issue of restoring wild salmon stocks in the Baltic, although the EU's competence extends to the Member States' sea and river fishing. In the Baltic, the EU uses its authority over salmon fishing only as a member of the Baltic Sea Fishery Commission, and restrictions on fishing mainly take the form of fishing quotas for each species.

By joint ministerial decision, Sweden and Finland have restricted salmon fishing in the northern Gulf of Bothnia, particularly in the estuary of the River Tornio, but only Finland has enforced this agreement strictly. Sweden has granted exemptions to its own fishermen, more or less in accordance with the rules, and the Swedes' salmon catches from the river mouth have increased to a level which exceeds many times over the recreational catch from the whole of the River Tornio.

Does the Commission attach importance to restoring wild salmon stocks and promoting recreational fishing for wild salmon? How will the Commission take Baltic wild salmon into account in the current reform of the EU's fisheries policy?

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(3 March 2003)

As the Honourable Member rightly mentioned, Baltic salmon during its marine life stage is managed in the framework of the International Baltic Sea Fishery Commission (IBSFC), which in accordance with the Gdansk Convention of 1973 is the body responsible for the management of the living resources in the Baltic Sea.

This organisation adopted in 1997 a long term management plan on salmon, known as Salmon Action Plan. Its main objective is to improve the status of wild salmon stocks in the Baltic and to gradually increase the natural production of wild Baltic salmon in order to reach by 2010 at least 50 % of the best estimates of the potential capacity of each wild salmon river. Other objectives include the re-establishment of wild salmon populations in potential salmon rivers and the improvement of wild salmon habitats where possible.

Even if not all elements of the Salmon Action Plan fall within the responsibility of IBSFC, the latter closely monitors the implementation of the Action Plan in all its aspects. Contracting Parties are required to regularly report on the activities falling within their responsibility, like releases of reared salmon or restocking of wild salmon.

National regulatory measures in coastal areas aiming at reducing the fishing pressure on wild salmon and measures taken at IBSFC level go hand in hand. The most effective measure at IBSFC level was definitely the reduction of the salmon total allowable catch (TAC) based on the need of the wild salmon populations. In the late 1980's, the off-shore and coastal fishery captured not less than one million salmon annually. The TAC for year 2003 for the Main Basin and the Gulf of Bothnia is set at 460 000 fish.

These measures are already paying off. According to the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES), the status of the wild populations in the Main Basin and the Gulf of Bothnia improved in general over the last years, and the wild smolt production in 2000-2002 was very high. Good spawning runs are therefore expected for years 2003-2005. Further significant improvement of the status of wild salmon is expected through the implementation, from 2004, of an alternative harvesting strategy for Baltic salmon, which was adopted at last IBSFC Annual Session and which aims at shifting more from a mixed wild and reared population fishery to a selective harvesting of reared populations.

This might illustrate why the Commission is of the opinion that the conservation measures to protect wild salmon taken at both national and IBSFC level represent a success story for fisheries management in the Baltic. As long as this is the case, the Commission does not see a need for enhanced responsibilities regarding salmon. With regard to recreational fisheries, the Commission can inform the Honourable Member that the Community has no policy on Baltic wild salmon.