WRITTEN QUESTION E-2283/03 by Elspeth Attwooll (ELDR) to the Commission. Development of cod nurseries.
Date: 2003-07-09
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: common fisheries policy, conservation of fish stocks, feasibility study, fish farming

C 65 E/126

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

13.3.2004

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(12 August 2003)

The Commission does not have the means of producing the information requested.

The Control Regulation (1) (EEC Council Regulation No 2847/93) sets for each Member State the obligation
to notify to the Commission the quantities of each stock or group of stocks landed during the preceding
month, when the concerned stocks are subject to total allowable catch (TAC) or quotas. For other stocks
(not subject to TAC or quotas and caught either in Community waters, in third countries’ waters or on the
high seas) Member States have the obligation to notify to the Commission the quantities landed of each
stock quarterly. This allows the Commission to monitor the level of fishing opportunities used by Member
States.

The notifications of landings received from Member States do not distinguish between catches made within
200 miles of one Member State’s coast and those made beyond, as they are based on the areas established
by the TAC and quota Regulation.

The fishing or catch areas defined by this Regulation correspond, in general, to entire International Council
for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) divisions or subdivisions or to fishing areas as defined by Food and
Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) for statistical purposes. They are not established
following the line of the 200 miles.

(1) Council Regulation (EEC) No 2847/93 of 12 October 1993 establishing a control system applicable to the common

fisheries policy, OJ L 261, 20.10.1993.

(2004/C 65 E/140)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2283/03

by Elspeth Attwooll (ELDR) to the Commission

(9 July 2003)

Subject: Development of cod nurseries

Has the Commission considered the possible benefits of rearing cod, produced from the spawn of wild
cod, in nurseries for release into the sea? What plans does the Commission have to promote research into
the feasibility and the implications, both positive and negative, of such a practice?

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(1 August 2003)

The rearing of cod in nurseries for release into the sea may have different objectives: sea ranching,
i.e. releasing cod into the sea in areas where there are none or very small natural cod resources, stock
enhancement, i.e. trying to improve existing cod populations, and stock recovery, i.e. helping depleted
stocks to recover.

Historically, interest has focused on stock enhancement and a few attempts have been made, mainly in
Norway. At the marine biological station near Arendal in southern Norway there is a 100 year long
history of releasing reared cod. The experience from this was summed up in an international symposium
in 1993 and it was concluded that there were no measurable benefits. A workshop organised by the
International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) in 1994 (‘Workshop to evaluate the potential of
stock enhancement as an approach to fisheries management’), partly funded by the Commission, concluded
that stock enhancement of cod in general was unlikely to be successful. This workshop also evaluated a
proposal from Canada to rear cod to restore the depleted Newfoundland stock, but the conclusions were
negative also in this respect.

13.3.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 65 E/127

The reasons for the lack of success in cod enhancement are not fully understood, but a number of factors
may be involved, e.g. problems of reared cod to adapt to natural conditions, competition with the natural
populations and limits to the capacity of the ecosystem. It should also be noted that even if stock
enhancement of cod should lead to some improvement, it would be virtually impossible to separate this
effect from natural stock fluctuations. Furthermore, cod rearing is expensive and the cost benefits of an
enhancement program are questionable even if it were successful.

Based on the available information on stock enhancement, as described above, the Commission has not
considered it a priority to promote research in this area.

(2004/C 65 E/141)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2288/03

by Ozan Ceyhun (PSE) to the Commission

(11 July 2003)

Subject: Treatment of third-country nationals in prisons in the EU Member States

The Turkish daily newspaper Hürriyet carried an article drawing attention to restrictions on the rights of
third-country nationals held in prisons in the EU.

Those restrictions concerned the right to visits, to make complaints and to day release.

To what extent is the Commission aware of these problems? What areas are affected by these restrictions?
What is the legal basis for their imposition? Are these restrictions being dealt with as part of the process of
approximating home affairs policies, or will they continue to differ from Member State to Member State?

Answer given by Mr Vitorino on behalf of the Commission

(18 September 2003)

The Commission does not have a copy of the article to which the Honourable Member refers and so it is
unable to reply in detail to the questions, which are based on information contained in that article. Matters
relating to the way in which penalties (including those affecting conditional release) are enforced will be
the subject of a Green Paper (on the approximation, recognition and enforcement of criminal penalties in
the Union) that will probably be adopted by the Commission in October. As things stand, the right of
appeal of detainees is not governed by any specific rules of Union legislation and is essentially covered by
the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, concluded under the
auspices of the Council of Europe (Article 6), and by the Member States’ national law.

(2004/C 65 E/142)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2295/03

by Christopher Huhne (ELDR) to the Commission

(11 July 2003)

Subject: EU funded projects

Will the Commission list the projects for which EU funds (including any EIB loans) were committed, and
for which funds were disbursed, during the last financial year in Hampshire/Kent/Surrey/west Sussex/east
Sussex/Isle of Wight/Oxfordshire/Berkshire/Buckinghamshire?