WRITTEN QUESTION No. 1641/96 by Clive NEEDLE to the Commission. Alternatives to over-fishing of small fry in the North Sea
Date: 1996-06-24
Institutions: European Parliament, NEEDLE
Subjects: North Sea, authorised catch, conservation of fish stocks, fishing area, fishing controls, fishing net, fishing regulations, fishing rights, sea fish













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91996E1641

WRITTEN QUESTION No. 1641/96 by Clive NEEDLE to the Commission. Alternatives to over-fishing of small fry in the North Sea  


Official Journal C 356 , 25/11/1996 P. 0072 





WRITTEN QUESTION E-1641/96 by Clive Needle (PSE) to the Commission (24 June 1996)Subject: Alternatives to over-fishing of small fry in the North SeaWhat steps are being taken by the Commission and EU Member States regarding over-fishing of small fry in the North Sea? In the light of evidence from Greenpeace and others that this is causing severe ecological damage and that alternatives are available for the processes in which such small fish are used, will the Commission give priority to conservation and act firmly to eradicate this practice?Answer given by Mrs Bonino on behalf of the Commission (12 July 1996)A number of legitimate fisheries can only be executed by using nets with very small mesh sizes. In the North sea these so-called small-mesh fisheries are targeted at sprat, Norway pout and sand eel. In practice it appears inevitable that in these fisheries, particularly for sprat and Norway pout, quantities of juvenile specimens of non-target species are caught. Both the Commission and the Member States have been aware of this state of affairs for a number of years. Handling this situation has proven to be refractory, but a number of partial solutions have been put into effect.Since 1986 there exists a so-called Norway pout box in the North sea. Within this area, which is quite large, it is not permitted to execute a directed Norway pout fishery. The aim of this measure is to specifically protect juvenile whiting and haddock, which are relatively more abundant within that area.Similarly, there exist in the North sea a number of areas where it is not permitted to execute a directed sprat fishery. Here the aim is to protect large concentrations of juvenile herring.For a number of years now, has Denmark operated a sampling scheme aimed at monitoring the bycatches of juvenile herring in the small-mesh fisheries. So far, the results of this sampling scheme are satisfactory. In the near future a similar sampling scheme will become operational in Sweden.Because of the current alarming state of the North sea herring stock, the Commission has taken measures to reduce significantly the 1996 catch quantities of herring, both adults caught in the directed herring fisheries and juveniles caught as bycatches in the small-mesh fisheries.The fact remains that if catches of juveniles were to be eradicated, all fisheries for sprat, Norway pout and sand eel would have to be terminated. The Commission does not intend to put a complete stop to these economically important fisheries, nor will this be necessary when these fisheries are adequately managed and controlled.