WRITTEN QUESTION E-0504/98 by Dominique Souchet (I-EDN) to the Council (27 February 1998)

Subject: Prohibition on the use of driftnets

According to the Commission's latest proposals, the use of driftnets would be prohibited on the high seas in the Atlantic and still be authorised in coastal waters.

In these circumstances, driftnets would be prohibited for French fishermen fishing for deep-sea albacove tuna (Azorean area) and solely authorised for Spanish fishermen, since one of the migration routes of this species passes along the Spanish Cantabrian coast (Iberian area).

In other words, driftnets would be regarded as 'good' fishing gear (in other words selective not harmful to shipping or the natural migration routes of tuna, etc.) within the twelve-mile limit and 'bad' fishing gear beyond that limit in the international zones situated more than 500 km offshore.

Can the Commission explain the scientific, ecological or technical arguments justifying these different rules so that French fishermen are not under the impression that the latter favour Spain and Portugal to their detriment?

Joint answer to Written Questions E-0502/98, E-0504/98, E-0506/98, E-0508/98 and E-0510/98 (6 July 1998)

At its meeting on 8 June 1998, the Council adopted the Regulation prohibiting the use of driftnets as from 1 January 2002. For a transitional period, fishing vessels will be able to keep on board or use for fishing, driftnets having a maximum length of 2.5 km if authorised to do so by the flag Member State.

With the exception of the waters of the Baltic Sea, Belts and Oresund, this Regulation applies in all waters coming under the sovereignty or jurisdiction of the Member States and, outside those waters, to every Community fishing vessel.

As the Honourable Member is aware, Resolution No 44/225 adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations on 22 December 1989, as confirmed by successive Resolutions, most recently General Assembly Resolution No 51/36 of 9 December 1996, calls for full implementation of a global moratorium on all large-scale pelagic driftnet fishing on the high seas.

In the Baltic Sea, drift-netting for salmon is governed by the fishery rules of the relevant regional organisation, the International Baltic Sea Fishery Commission, as implemented in Community law by Council Regulation No 88/98 ((OJ L 9, 15.1.1998. )).

The Council would furthermore draw the attention of the Honourable Member to the European Parliament's Resolutions of 28 July 1994 ((PE 182.123/9. )) and 12 July 1995 ((PE 192.559/67-68. )).

The Council and the Commission are anxious about the unfavourable economic and social repercussions in the short term for a number of fishing fleets and have agreed on the need to introduce in the Community an appropriate range of actions and special supporting measures for fishermen serving on board and the owners of fishing vessels. The measures concerned will have to be exceptional in character, however, and in any event be met from the budget for the affected Member States' existing structural programmes.

To that end the Commission will present to the Council at the earliest opportunity a proposal for an ad hoc decision, based on Article 43 of the Treaty, introducing a series of accompanying measures. The measures may include alterations to fishing vessels making it possible for them to convert to techniques that are more reliable and more selective, in particular for taking the same species and avoiding those that are being over-exploited; compensation enabling fishermen serving on board and the owners of vessels to face the economic consequences of having to give up driftnet fishing activities; schemes to retrain fishermen for jobs in areas other than fishing or to provide them with new skills; and decommissioning of vessels involved in driftnet fishing.