Opinion of the Economic and Social Committee on the 'Proposal for a Council Regulation (EC) amending for the second time Regulation (EC) No 850/98 of 30 March 1998 for the conservation of fishery resources through technical measures for the protection of juveniles of marine organisms'
Date: 1999-03-24
Institutions: European Economic and Social Committee
Subjects: breeding animal, conservation of fish stocks, fishery resources, fishing regulations

18.5.1999

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 138/23

Opinion of the Economic and Social Committee on the ‘Proposal for a Council Regulation (EC)
amending for the second time Regulation (EC) No 850/98 of 30 March 1998 for the conservation
of fishery resources through technical measures for the protection of juveniles of marine
organisms’ (1)

(1999/C 138/08)

On 23 March 1999 the Council decided to consult the Economic and Social Committee, under Articles
43 and 198 of the Treaty establishing the European Community, on the above-mentioned proposal.

The Economic and Social Committee decided to appoint Mr Chagas as rapporteur-general for its opinion.

At its 362nd plenary session (meeting of 24 March 1999), the Economic and Social Committee adopted
the following opinion by 60 votes to four, with 10 abstentions.

1.

Introduction

1.1. With Regulation (EC) 850/98, the Council adopted
technical measures for the protection of
juvenile marine
organisms.

1.2.
Provision was made in that regulation for complemen-
tary measures to be adopted by 4 May 1999 at the latest on
rules for the use of mesh-size combinations.

1.3.
The present proposal for a regulation amends Regu-
lation 850/98 in the aforementioned respects; it introduces
new provisions to facilitate controls, by making use of the
logbook mandatory to note application of these rules and also
any transboundary fishing.

2. General comments

The ESC approves the present proposal for a Regu-

2.1.
lation.

The Committee stresses that the resource conservation
2.2.
policy is necessary to ensure that fisheries develop smoothly
as a profitable, competitive sector.

(1) OJ C 11, 15.1.1999, p. 9.

Brussels, 24 March 1999.

For technical conservation measures to be effective,
if

2.3.
they must be simple, workable and enforceable, and,
possible, tested inter alia by professionals in the sector.

2.4.
The Committee has also recommended that the techni-
cal conservation measures must be supported by scientific and
technological developments; for this reason it has advocated
further research into fishing techniques, not just to find out
more about the performance of current methods, but also —
and above all — to allow more selective fishing gear to be
introduced which prevents fish being discarded or juveniles
being caught.

2.5.
It is also clear that there is no point to the conservation
and resource-management policy, or the series of instruments
which comprise it, unless the rules are complied with.
Dialogue to this effect with Member States’ governments and
professionals in the fisheries sector is therefore essential.
Against this background, control has a key role to play: it must
be effective and uniformly applied throughout the EU.

2.6.
The Committee therefore has misgivings about how
feasible it is for professionals, while fishing is actually being
carried out, to implement the provisions set out in the new
Article 4(4)(b). The ESC also has doubts about the feasibility of
monitoring these new provisions.

The President

of the Economic and Social Committee

Beatrice RANGONI MACHIAVELLI