COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE COUNCIL AND THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT - Small-Scale coastal fishing (Budget heading B2-521)
Date: 1996-03-15
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: common fisheries policy, inshore fishing, less-favoured region, modernisation aid, vocational training

COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN  COMMUNITIES 

Brussels,  15.03.1996 
COM(96)102  final 

COMMUNICATION  FROM THE COMMISSION 
TO THE COUNCIL AND THE EUROPEAN  PARLIAMENT 

SMALL-SCALE COASTAL FISHING 

(BUDGET  HEADING  B2-521) 

SMALL-SCALE  COASTAL FISHING  (BUDGET  HEADING  B2-521) 
(Commission Communication to the Council and  Parliament) 

1. 

INTRODUCTION 

The purpose of this Commission communication is to inform the Council and Parliament  about the  initiatives 
taken  by the Council in 1995 to. implement  budget heading  B2-521. It follows  on from the undertaking made 
by the Commission  on 10 July  1995 with regard to "small-scale  coastal fishing". 

The  new  budget  heading  B2-521,  introduced  by  Parliament,  allocated  ECU  3  million  in  commitment 
appropriations  in  1995 for  "small-scale  coastal  fishing", "the  economic  and social  importance"  of which  "... 
justifies  the  creation  of  this  line  in  the  context  of  structural  operations  for  this  sector  under  the  common 
fisheries  policy  ...". 

The remarks contained in the budget referred to a Parliament Resolution0'. The "non-significant" nature of the 
operation - within the meaning of the second paragraph of Article 22(1)  of the Financial Regulation - means 

that there is no need for the prior adoption of a basic instrument, and hence it is up to the Commission to lay 

down itself the rules governing the use of the available appropriations, subject to Parliament's resolution of 20 

January  1989 referred to above. 

2. 

METHODOLOGY 

Actions plans 

The  Commission  rejected  from the  first the  part-financing  of individual  products, the  management  of which 
would have been inefficient  and over-rigid. After  fixing a level for the Community  contribution  (see below), it 
was decided to ask the  Member  States to submit whole  programmes  of a  limited  scope,  known  as  "action 
plans for small-scale  coastal fishing", drawn  up in accordance with simple  rules, with stress  on subsidiarity. 
After examination, each plan would be approved by a Commission decision and allocated a single commitment 
paid  in two  instalments  (an  advance  on  approval  of the  plan with the  balance  being  paid  after  completion 
following submission of a report to the Commission and verification  of expenditure). 

Resolution  of  the  European  Parliament  of  20.1.1989  on  small-scale  fisheries  (Doc.  A2-271/88,  OJ  C  47,  27.2.1989,  p.  173) 

1 

Scope 

Neither the budget heading or the accompanying  remarks provide a definition  of "small-scale coastal fishing'. 
The  following  definition  was  adopted:  "  'small-scale  coastal  fishing'  means  fishing  by  professional  fishing 
vessels  of  an  overall  length  of  less  than  9  metres,  or  12  metres  for  vessels  equipped  for  trawling".  The 
potential beneficiaries  of the plans are owners, skippers and crew of small-scale  coastal fishing vessels. 

Aims of the plans -  type of interventions 

In order to remain faithful to Parliament's intentions as expressed in the remarks in the budget, a measure will 
have to focus on the modernisation of small-scale coastal fishing. Some Community  fleets  are made up of a 
very small, undecked boats, lacking safety equipment and mechanisation, which are underpowered and without 
equipment  on board for the conservation  of catches. Care  had nevertheless  to  be taken to avoid  interfering 
with the  multiannual guidance  programmes  for  fishing fleets  (MGPs)(2) and, in particular,  to  provide  for very 
strict guidelines  on aid towards  new engines for vessels, which could increase fishing  effort. 

A measure has to be distinguishable, however, from the traditional structural operations undertaken with FIFG 
assistance^. In view of the  modest  level of resources  available, a measure  of such limited  scope would be 
politically  meaningful and visible only if it is innovative and quality-enhancing for the fishery and can trigger a 
multiplier effect by being exemplary and serving as a model, conditions  requiring  more than the simple grant 
of aid for investments in vessels. It has therefore been decided to give priority to projects which combine such 
investments  with  training  courses  for  users  of  the  modernised  vessels  that  are  directly  related  to  the 
investment. 

(2> 

(S) 

According  to  Article  5(1)  of  Council  Regulation  (EC)  No  3699/93  of  21  December  1993  laying  down  the  criteria  and 
arrangements  regarding  Community  structural  assistance  in  the  fisheries  and  aquaculture  sector  and  the  processing  and 
marketing  of its products  (OJ  L 346,  31.12.1993, p.  1), a  MGP  is "a series of objectives  accompanied  by a set of measures for 
their  realisation,  allowing  for  management  of  fishing  effort  on  a  consistent,  longer-term  basis" 

The  conditions  governing  FIFG  assistance  are  laid  down  by  Regulation  (EC)  No  3699/93,  referred  to  above. 

2 

Rate of financing 

The following  rates of financing  have been set  (as a percentage  of eligible  expenditure): 

Type of 

expenditure 

Community  aid 

Member  State's public 
contribution (national, 
regional, etc.) 

Beneficiaries' 

contribution 

Investment on board 
vessels 

£ 75% 

£5% 

> 20% 

Training 

£ 75% 

;>  25% 

Duration of plans 

The measures are to be completed at the latest twelve months after the Commission has taken the decision 
approving a plan. 

3. 

IMPLEMENTATION 

A letter was sent to the Member States on 8 August 1995 inviting them to submit an action plan for small-scale 

coastal fishing by 1 October 1995. 

The Commission's  invitation was taken  up by seven Member States  (Greece, Spain, Finland, Ireland, Italy, 
Portugal and Sweden). During finalisation of the programming document, the Commission took care to ensure 
that  all the plans actually  combined investments  for the modernisation  of small-scale  coastal fishing vessels 
and training courses for the fishermen concerned. 

The available appropriations were allocated according to the importance  of small-scale  coastal fishing in the 
Member States concerned in terms of both the number of vessels and tonnage. The final allocations were as 
follows: 

Member State 

Total budget 

National contribution 

GR 

E 

FIN 

IRL 

I 

P 

S 

1.124.000 

1.174.276 

193.333 

133.333 

536.000 

689.000 

228.000 

Public 

101.160 

183.179 

13.182 

20.000 

54.000 

58.000 

22.800 

TOTAUX 

4.077.942 

452.321 

Private 

179.840 

169.097 

35.151 

13.333 

80.000 

114.000 

34.200 

625.621 

(ecu) 

Community 
assistance 

843.000 

822.000 

145.000 

100.000 

402.000 

517.000 

171.000 

3.000.000 

The programmes, which were approved by Commission decision of 18 December  1995, will run until the end 

of 1996 and implementation  reports will be submitted during the first  half of 1997. 

Annex  : descriptif summary  of "small-scale  coastal fishing" programs 

GREECE 

The  small  scale  coastal  fishing  fleet  in  Greece  concerns  some  16  000  boats  and  it  is  considered  that  it 
occupies some 21000 fishermen. This fleet presents problems which in particular  become more important for 
the  fleets  of  remote  regions  characterized  by  geographical,  economic  and social isolation. Some  of these 
islands (Tilos, Agathonissi, Lipsi, Anafi, etc.) live from fishing only which is of particular local importance. The 
fishing activities  are limited both by the age of the boats and by the open seas which encircle these islands, 
and they  do not  enable the fishermen to  have  a sufficient  income to  modernize  their  boats. Moreover,  the 
specific  training  activities  relating to  environmental  protection, to  coastal  resource  management,  to  product 
quality, to on board safety and to navigation  have until now not sufficiently  covered if at all, the fishermen of 
these insular  and  remote  regions as well as of other  regions  located in the Aegean and Ionian seas. 

The action plan for small scale coastal fishing in Greece  aims to have two  kinds of interventions: 

The modernization  of the boats mainly  for  the islands Tilos / Agathonissi /  Lipsi / Anafi, etc by: 

the replacement  of existing engines  by new ones having the same  power 
the supply  of pots  ensuring the conservation  and the quality  of the fish 
the supply  of  equipment  aiming at safety  on board 

Training  by seminars in the regions of the Aegean and Ionian  seas on the : 

management  of coastal resources 
awareness  of marine environmental  protection 
quality  of the products / hygiene rules 
safety  rules on board and navigation  requirements 

It is envisaged that these actions, focused on small scale coastal fishing, will improve  the life of the fishermen 

of these insular and most remote regions. 

SPAIN 

The  significance  of  small-scale  coastal fishing  in  Spain  should  be appreciated  from  the  point  of view  of its 
impact on regions rather than its specific importance to the fisheries sector  as a whole. Moreover, despite its 
minor importance in terms of added value it is a significant creator of jobs and income in the national economy. 
The Spanish fishing fleet currently comprises some 19 000 vessels, 13 000 of which are part of the small-scale 
coastal sub-sector.  The  action  plan is targeted  at that  part  of the  fleet  segment  which  is  based  in  a small 
number of ports (28) which have a significant number of those vessels (at least 1 350) and which are generally 
located in coastal areas highly dependent on the fisheries sector. They cover all parts of the Spanish coastline 
and the Balearic Islands. 

The action plan proposes  a series  of measures grouped in two fields  of assistance: 

Investments  in fishing vessels 

Installation  of facilities to improve safety  on board. 

Design of a highly standardised refrigerator model for fishery products and of small containers 
to  facilitate  product  handling  and  transport  and  to  contribute  to  improving  fishery  product 
hygiene and quality. 
Technical studies  aimed at identifying the best type of engine for the fishery  zones normally 
used by the vessels  concerned by the plan and at improving  maintenance. 

It is envisaged that a total of 472 vessels of the small-scale coastal fishing fleet will be eligible for aid. 
Training for fishermen 

Organisation of training days covering safety standards on board and ways of avoiding hazard 
situations  in coastal navigation. 
Organisation  of courses on survival at sea. 

Organisation  of  courses  on  selective  fishing  methods  and  on  improving  work  hygiene  on 

board. 

In all, 28 training courses will be organised on site and beneficiaries  of the aids  mentioned in point 1 

will have priority. 

The innovatory  aspect of the assistance, in a fleet segment  often  overlooked  but having a rate of accidents 
at sea higher than other segments, forms the basis for the  plan. The proposed  measures take account  both 
of increased safety  on board and of an increase in the effectiveness  of the emergency  services  created for 
fishermen  by the local authorities. 

Administration  of the plan is decentralised  and the various  regional authorities  competent  for the  envisaged 
measures will be responsible  for their  implementation.  However,  Spain's  central government  will coordinate 
the plan. 

IRELAND 

The plan submitted by Ireland concentrates primarily in the training of owners, skippers and crewmen of small 

fishing vessels. Provision has also been made for assisting owners to invest in safety  equipment. 

The Irish fishing fleet is predominantly  made up of smaller vessels. There are 907 vessels  under  12 metres 
in registered length, representing 65 % of all vessels in the fleet. Of the 907 vessels under 12 metres, 433 are 
under nine metres in length (approx. 31 % of the total number of vessels  in the fleet). 
Ireland has long recognised the contribution which these small fishing vessels make to many  remote coastal 
communities where few alternative  employment  opportunities  exist. 

The major  problems facing the small-scale  coastal fishery  in Ireland are: 

a lack of awareness of correct safety procedures and of the limitations of small open boats particularly 

in terms of stability  and the attendant danger of overloaded vessels capsizing; 

the  effects  of  prolonged  periods  of  rough weather,  especially  on the  South, West  and  North-West 

coasts which are exposed to Atlantic storms; 

overdependance  in some areas on a limited range of target species. 

A training programme aimed exclusively at the owners/crew of small vessels will be undertaken at fishing ports 
around  the  coast.  The  programme  will  include  seminars,  workshops  and  demonstration  focusing  on  the 
following areas: 

safety; 
maintenance and equipment; 

fish quality; 
resource conservation; 
alternative  resources; 
book-keeping  and financial control. 

The training  programme will be supplemented  by a  series of educational posters  and leaflets. 

One of the  problems with small fishing vessels  is that  they  are often  poorly  maintained  and  lack  even the 

basic life saving and firefighting equipment. The plan provides assistance  for this type  of equipment. 

ITALY 

The Italian fleet concerned is composed as follows : 7398 vessels under 9 metres overall lenght, 1271 vessels 

(trawlers)  under  12 metres overall lenght. 

Problems concerning this segment  of the Italian fleet : 
general obsolescence  of the vessels; 
growing conflict with other segments of the fleet in the exploitation  of coastal resources. 

Italian Authorities  have identified 20 ports and 330 vessels that will benefit from this action. 

Total EU contribution will be divided equally  between each of the two measures. 

Type of intervention envisaged 

On board investment 

Safety on board : it is envisaged that all vessels will be fitted with a navigation device (GPS type), to 
establish the location of vessels in case of necessity, since vessels now tend  to fish farther from the 
coast. 
Vessel Efficiency  : vessels will be supplied with a net-winding winch for use in deeper waters. 
Quality preservation of the fish : the installation of fibreglass containers to improve quality is envisaged. 

Vocational training : the vocational training courses envisaged are related to the actions considered under the 
investments on board, in order to provide the technical knowledge for using this  new equipment  (navigation 
device, net-winding winch, fish handling techniques  on board). 

Linkage of the two types of investment and role of the Producer Associations  : vocational training courses will 
be directed  only  at those  who  have  participated  in the investment  on  board. These  training  courses  will be 
organised only when the first phase of the investment on board has been carried out. Italian Authorities have 
assured the Commission that training courses will be available to each investor and that a promotion campaign 
for this initiative will be launched. 

The  Italian Authorities have nominated the Producer Organisations as the responsible bodies for the execution 
of  the  plan.  They  will  be  invited  to  introduce  detailed  operational  programmes  and  to  assume  the  direct 
responsibility  for their execution. 

PORTUGAL 

On board investment 

Improve on board safety  - to meet the needs of the sector (the means of rescue and of safety 

are often insufficient  since the sheltered areas and the harbours in the North of Portugal are 
dangerous). 
Quality improvement of fish products. Use or even the existence of means for preserving fish 

products is not widespread 

Training 

Promotion  of fishermen's training  by  raising the  awareness  about the  means  of  rescue and 
improvement  of the  product quality. 

Scope: Coastal fishing vessels  of length overall less than 9 or  12 metres for the trawlers  located on 
North and the Centre  of Portugal. 
Objectives of the plan - type of intervention. The acquisition of rescue and safety equipment envisaged 
in the Portuguese  action plan (signals and buoys, life-jackets,  rafts,  extinguishers)  is in line with the 
type of eligible actions envisaged in the action plan established by DG XIV. 

FINLAND 

Each year, there are about 100-150 fishermen in the Finnish archipelago who use "fyke" nets to catch herring 
and to a lesser extent perch, pike-perch and pike. A fyke net is a net which is fixed in shallow water with poles 
and has a cone shaped end to  catch the  fish.  The fishermen operate from small vessels  around the  many 
islands  and small inlets.  Catching herring and other species with fyke  nets is a traditional but  laborious way 
of fishing in these  remote  areas where there  are few harbours  and landing facilities. 

In the south west coast of Finland, the fishermen's Association is proposing that the Association, the national 

authorities  and the Commission together jointly finance two  measures  as follows: 

To  finance  the  construction  of  a  new  and specialised  fishing  boat which  would  serve  the  fyke  net 
fishermen and be equipped with a pumping system to extract fish from the fyke nets. The equipment 
would  include a sorting machine and machinery for boxing and chilling fish. This would be a pilot type 
project  which, if  successful, would  enable  the  development  of the  fyke  netting  of  perch  and  other 
species. 
To finance the training of fishermen to operate this  proposed  new boat  and equipment. 

The potential benefits of this investment are; 

it will help reduce the decline in this traditional fishery, 
if very  successful other fishermen will use the same technique, 
it will enable the development  of fyke fishing for  other species, 
maintain the quality  of the fish. 

SWEDEN 

The Swedish  plan, submitted on 29.09.95, includes the following 4 measures: 

Investments  on  board  vessels:  this  measure  concerns  the  introduction  and  development  of  more 
selective  gear  in  coastal  fisheries,  i.e.  purchase  and  installation  of  exit  windows/square  meshes  in 

Norway lobster trawlers, selective prawn and vendace trawls,  and finally development and introduction 

of more selective fyke  nets in the eel fisheries and in creels for shellfish fisheries. Compensation for 

loss of income during trial periods is envisaged  (max.  10 % of public  expenditures). 
Improvement of safety and working conditions on board small scale fishing vessels i.e. development, 

purchase and installation of safety equipment, investments aimed at noise reduction and facilities for 
safer  handling  of gear and catches. 
Improvement  of  product  quality  and 
refrigeration/chilling/catch  handling. 
Training  in theory  and  practice  in  using selective  gear,  safety  training  (4-day  course  offered  to 500 
fishermen), training in procedures for hygiene conditions  and quality control. 

in  equipment 

investments 

freshness, 

i.e. 

for 

The innovative  character  of the measures  is stressed in the sense that the  investments  in  new gear will be 

tested in actual professional fisheries. The training will ensure the efficient  use  of new gear,  equipment and 

methods. 

The National Board of Fisheries  (Fiskeriverket)  will be responsible  for the execution  of the  programme. 

Investments on board fishing vessels and training account for resp. 80% and 20% of the envisaged total costs 

of the plan. 

During bilateral consultations, in particular on the budgetary aspects, the Swedish authorities have expressed 
a preference forthe first two measures concerning selective fishing methods and improvement of safety and 
working conditions. 

Considering the allocation of the funds available for the interested Member States and  the Swedish preference 
for the first two measures, it is proposed that only these measures and training shall be eligible for Community 
assistance  under the action plan for small-scale  coastal fishing in Sweden. 

The allocation between the eligible  measures  of the funds available for Sweden will be as follows: 

-  selective fishing gear 

-  safety  and working conditions 

- 

training 

50% 

30% 

20% 

10 

ISSN 0254-1475 

COM(96) 102  final 

DOCUMENTS 

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Catalogue number  : CB-CO-96-110-EN-C 

ISBN 92-78-01413-3 

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