Annual report from the Commission to the europeanParliament and the council on Member States' efforts during 2008 to achieve a sustainable balance between fishing capacity and fishing opportunities [SEC(2010)146] [SEC(2010)147]
Date: 2010-02-25
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: EU Member State, fishery management, fishing fleet, fishing industry, fishing regulations, report, sustainable development

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EUROPEAN COMMISSION 

Brussels, 25.2.2010 
COM(2010)60 final  

ANNUAL REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN 
PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL 

on Member States' efforts during 2008 to achieve a sustainable balance between fishing 
capacity and fishing opportunities 

[SEC(2010)146] 
 [SEC(2010)147] 

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TABLE OF CONTENTS 

ANNUAL REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT 
AND THE COUNCIL on Member States' efforts during 2008 to achieve a sustainable balance 
between fishing capacity and fishing opportunities 

1. 

2. 

3. 

3.1. 

3.2. 

4. 

Introduction .................................................................................................................. 3 

Summary of Member States' annual reports ................................................................ 3 

Compliance with fishing capacity management rules; overall results ......................... 8 

Results for the mainland fleet except for vessels registered in the outermost regions 8 

Results for the fleets registered in the outermost regions ............................................ 9 

The Commission's conclusions .................................................................................... 9 

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1. 

INTRODUCTION 

Member States are required1 to submit to the Commission, before 1 May each year, a report 
on  their  efforts  during  the  previous  year  to  achieve  a  sustainable  balance  between  fleet 
capacity and available fishing opportunities. The Member States’ reports are available on the 
Europa website2. On the basis of these reports and the data in the EU fishing fleet register, the 
Commission produced a summary for 2008, and presented it to the Scientific, Technical and 
Economic  Committee  for  Fisheries  (STECF)  and  to  the  Committee  for  Fisheries  and 
Aquaculture.  This  report  from  the  Commission  now  presents  that  summary  of  the  Member 
States’  reports,  plus  a  technical  annex  (SEC(2010)  146)  and  the  opinions  of  the  above-
mentioned  committees  (SEC(2010)  147)  to  the  Council  and  the  European  Parliament.  The 
technical  annex  provides  detailed  comments  on  capacity  management3,  together  with  tables 
and graphs showing the overall trends in the EU fishing fleet and Member States’ compliance 
with the entry/exit scheme. In addition, the following information is available in English on 
the Europa website: 

–  detailed results as regards compliance by individual Member States; 

–  results in each of the outermost regions of the Union; 

–  Member States’ reports. 

2. 

SUMMARY OF MEMBER STATES' ANNUAL REPORTS  

This year,  only nine  Member  States submitted  their reports on time,  while  the other  reports 
were between one and twelve weeks late. Despite these delays, the Commission presented the 
summary report to the above-mentioned committees by 31 July 2009. It should be added that, 
although many Member States followed the outline laid down for the report in Article 13 of 
Regulation 1438/2003, the quality of the information provided was not always sufficient for 
the purposes of this report. 

This  report  sums  up  Member  States’  descriptions  of  their  fishing  fleets,  the  impact  of  the 
existing schemes to reduce fishing effort and Member States’ compliance with the entry/exit 
scheme.  

With a view to helping the Member States to conduct a harmonised and well-founded analysis 
of the balance between their fleet and the available fishing opportunities, the Commission - in 
cooperation  with  the  STECF  -  produced  guidelines  for  an  improved  analysis  of  the  balance 
between fishing capacity and fishing opportunities. For the 2007 report, only a few Member 
States  made  use  of  these  guidelines.  For  the  2008  annual  report,  the  application  of  the 
guidelines  has  improved,  in  that  12  countries  were  able  to  present  calculations  and  an 
interpretation  of  all  or  some  of  the  recommended  indicators.  In  a  number  of  cases  the 
calculations  provided  point  to  a  considerable  degree  of  overcapacity.  A  more  detailed 

1 
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3 

In accordance with Article 14 of Regulation 2371/2002 and Article 12 of Regulation 1438/2003 
http://ec.europa.eu/fisheries/fleet/index.cfm?method=FM_Reporting.AnnualReport. 
In accordance with the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) adopted in December 2002, fishing fleets are 
managed  in  line  with  the  general  rule  that  new  capacity,  expressed  in  terms  of  tonnage  and  power, 
added to a fleet cannot be higher than the capacity withdrawn from it. 

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explanation  of  the  use  of  the  guidelines  and  a  summary  of  the  indicators  provided  can  be 
found in Commission Staff Working Document. 

Belgium:  The  guidelines  were  applied  in  the  Belgian  report  to  the  beam  trawler  segment, 
which is the most important in the Belgian fleet. Low utilisation of  capacity and a negative 
return on investment are indicated for the 12-24m segment, which is indicative of a degree of 
overcapacity; the 24-40m segment, on the other hand, shows higher capacity utilisation and a 
positive  return  on  investment.  There  was  a  slight  reduction  in  tonnage  during  2008  without 
public  aid.  In  accordance  with  the  EFF  Operational  programme  for  2007-2013,  Belgium 
wishes to draw up a fleet adaptation scheme during the period 2009-2010 for the large fleet 
segment (above 221 kW) fishing with beam trawls. The 24-40m beam trawl fleet segment had 
a high quota utilisation for plaice and sole in all areas, except in area VIIa. According to the 
report,  the  low  capacity  utilisation  in  this  area  was  due  to  other  factors  (increased  national 
quota due to the exchanges, high fuel costs and scrapping of vessels in 2006).  

Bulgaria: 96% of the Bulgarian fleet consists of small vessels. Out of a total of 2 547 vessels, 
1  820  vessels  were  reported  as  inactive  in  2008.  Two  vessels  entered  the  fleet  based  on  an 
administrative decision taken before accession. The guidelines were applied in the Bulgarian 
report. The technical indicator shows low capacity utilisation for all fleet segments. Vessels 
under 6 m in length have the most negative assessment, and Bulgaria intends to take steps to 
improve  the  state  of  this  segment.  No  fishing  effort  adjustment  scheme  is  applied  to  the 
Bulgarian  fleet.  Bulgaria  applies  a  quota  regime  for  only  the  two  main  species:  turbot  and 
sprat. 

Denmark: The guidelines were applied in the Danish report for 11 fleet segments categorised 
in accordance with the Data Collection Regulation4. The calculated indicators show a balance 
between fish stocks and the size of the active fleet. Overcapacity is attributed to vessels below 
12m  in  length.  Many  of  the  segments  are  performing  well  in  economic  terms.  During  the 
period 2003-2008, the capacity of the Danish fishing fleet was reduced by 23 % in GT, 22 % 
in  kW  and  22  %  in  terms  of  the  number  of  vessels.  The  main  reduction  was  seen  in  the 
segment of vessels between 12 and 24m. During 2008, 901 vessels with a total tonnage of 11 
594  GT  and  44  238  kW  were  reported  inactive.  The  Danish  fleet  is  subject  to  Annex  II 
measures, as part of the cod recovery plan and, as a consequence, the total number of fishing 
days was reduced by 48% and the number of vessels was reduced by 41% compared to the 
2003 levels.  

Germany:  The  guidelines  were  not  applied  in  the  German  report.  Instead,  a  qualitative 
biological  approach  was  used  to  examine  the  balance  between  fishing  capacity  and  fishing 
opportunities  by  fleet  segment.  The  report  assessed  whether  the  capacity  trend  in  each  fleet 
segment was in line with the trend in the abundance and level of fishing of the main stocks 
concerned. Thirty vessels were withdrawn from the small scale coastal fisheries segment, nine 
vessels from the beam trawlers (list I+II) segment and nine from the segment fishing mussels 
and non-quota species. However, due to the entries of vessels fishing with passive gear under 
12  m  and  entries  in  the  trawlers  and  beam  trawlers  segments,  overall  capacity  showed  a 
marginal increase (+0.1% GT, + 0.26% kW). According to the report, fishing effort reduction 
schemes had a limited impact on the reduction of the fleet, which was not quantified. 

4 

Commission Regulation (EC) No 1639/2001 (OJ L 222 of 17 August 2001, pp. 53-115) 

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Estonia:  The  guidelines  were  applied  in  part  in  the  Estonian  report.  The  technical  indicator 
shows distinct overcapacity within the segment of trawler vessels over 12m. In the reporting 
period, seven vessels entered and seven vessels left the fleet, none of them with public aid. In 
2008, no new multiannual management and recovery plans were introduced in the Baltic Sea 
or in the NAFO and NEAFC regulatory area. The Estonian fleet in the Baltic was subject to 
the recovery measures adopted for Baltic cod. However, no assessment of the effect of these 
measures is provided in the report.  

Greece:  The  Greek  report  included  the  calculation  of  some  indicators  proposed  in  the 
guidelines.  In  geographical  sub  area  (GSA)  22-23,  utilisation  of  boat  seines  (12-24m) 
decreased substantially in 2008, while utilisation of coastal vessels (12-24m) improved. The 
purse seiners (12-24m) segment has been underused in GSA 20 in the past few years. Public 
the 
aid  continued 
decommissioning of 1 807 GT and 6 769 KW.  

in  capacity  during  2008,  resulting 

to  finance  a  reduction 

in 

Spain: The guidelines were not applied in the Spanish report, which contained no assessment 
of  fleet  capacity  in  relation  to  fishing  opportunities.  1  736  vessels  or  12  803  GT  were 
decommissioned  in  2008,  although  only  25  vessels  or  2  408  GT  were  withdrawn  from  the 
fleet  with  public  funds.  141  vessels  with  2  958  GT  entered  the  fleet  in  2008.  Due  to  the 
Greenland  halibut  recovery  plan  in  NAFO  area,  the  number  of  days  spent  fishing  by  the 
Spanish fleet on this fishery was reduced by 84% in 2008, compared with 2003. As a result of 
the  recovery  plan  for  Southern  hake  and  Nephrops,  the  fleet  in  question  reduced  its  fishing 
effort by 10% annually, from 260 days in 2005 to a maximum of 194 fishing days in 2008.  

France: The guidelines were not applied in the French report. The report provides a summary 
of  the  national,  international  and  EU  management  measures,  such  as  TAC  and  quotas  that 
apply  to  the  French  fleet  in  various  fisheries.  However,  no  assessment  was  provided  of  the 
balance between the size of the fleet and fishing opportunities allocated to it. As a result of 
decommissioning schemes launched since November 2007, 169 vessels with a tonnage of 10 
175 GT and a power of 40 779 kW have been scrapped. A decommissioning scheme launched 
in 2008 is underway and concerns a further 220 vessels. 

Ireland: The guidelines were not applied in the Irish report and no assessment of the balance 
between  fleet  capacity  and  fishing  opportunities  was  included.  However,  it  is  reported  that 
many  of  the  targeted  stocks  are  outside  safe  biological  limits.  The  decommissioning 
programme for the whitefish fleet was completed in 2008, and 6 900 GT and 19 000 kW were 
withdrawn from the fleet as a result. The Irish fleet is subject to the fishing effort reduction 
scheme adopted under Annex II to the TAC and quota Regulation and to the Western Waters 
regime. Fisheries falling within the scope of stock recovery plans (ICES areas VIa and VIIa) 
are  of  a  highly  mixed  nature.  As  a  result,  the  Irish  administration  has  found  it  difficult  to 
gauge the impact of effort reduction schemes. 

Italy:  The  guidelines  were  applied  in  the  Italian  report.  Indicators  are  presented  first  at 
national level. The technical indicator shows high capacity utilisation figures for trawlers and 
beam  trawlers,  while  low  figures  were  recorded  for  mid-water  trawlers,  purse-seiners  and 
dredgers. In addition, a regional analysis of the indicator is conducted and presented using a 
'traffic  light  system'  for  the  different  geographical  areas.  The  EFF  programme  contains  a 
number of plans for the gradual restoration of the equilibrium of fish stocks, which are linked 
to management plans  adopted  at  national level in the context of EU  conservation measures. 
These plans should bring reductions of between 3% and 30% in fishing effort. 13% of current 
capacity or 27 300 GT are expected to be withdrawn from the fleet in the period 2007-2015. 

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A total of 11 008 GT and 47 716 kW were withdrawn from the fleet with public aid in 2007 
and 2008. 

Cyprus:  The  report  does  not  provide  an  assessment  of  the  balance  between  capacity  and 
fishing opportunities, and the proposed guidelines were not applied. There were no exits from 
the  fleet  in  2008,  except  for  one  vessel,  which  was  reported  destroyed.  No  fishing  effort 
reduction scheme applied to fisheries in Cyprus.  

Latvia:  The  guidelines  were  not  applied  in  the  Latvian  report.  However,  for  the  high-seas 
segment, the capacity of the fleet is said to be in balance with the available quotas. There are 
plans  to  decommission  70  vessels  in  the  Baltic  segment  and  110  vessels  in  the  small-scale 
segment  and  reductions  in  other  segments  are  due  in  the  period  2007-2013.  The  number  of 
vessels  scrapped  in  2008  is  not  specified.  Since  1  May  2004,  139  vessels  have  been 
withdrawn from the fleet, of which 110 were scrapped with public aid. The Latvian fleet was 
subject  to  the  recovery  measures  adopted  for  the  Baltic,  and  the  majority  of  the  vessels 
withdrawn  had  targeted  cod.  Owing  to  the  poor  state  of  cod  stocks,  ageing  vessels  and 
increasing  fuel  costs,  vessel  owners  have  been  prompted  to  apply  for  decommissioning 
premiums. 

Lithuania:  The  guidelines  were  applied  in  the  Lithuanian  report  for  the segments  exploiting 
cod stocks. They are presented in the form of a "traffic lights" system which shows that the 
cod fishing fleet is not in balance with cod stocks. According to the report, the capacity of the 
fleet fishing on pelagic stocks and salmon is in balance with fishing opportunities. A balance 
between the fishing effort and fishing opportunities is due to be achieved by implementing the 
Lithuanian fishing effort plan for 2008-2009, with the main actions involving the regulating 
of fishing capacities in the Baltic Sea costal area and NAFO and NEAFC regulatory areas for 
demersal trawlers. Lithuania intends to reduce the capacity of the high sea fishing vessels by 
1.2% and the capacity of coastal fishing vessels by 44% using the EFF. 

Malta: The guidelines were applied in the Maltese report. The technical indicator shows low 
utilisation  of  the  fleet,  with  a  decreasing  trend  for  active  gears  (trawlers)  and  a  relatively 
stable capacity utilization of the passive vessels. According to the report, the capacity of the 
fleet is commensurate with  the  available resources and no reductions are planned. The fleet 
consists of full-time and part-time vessels. Small-scale vessels of less than 12 m account for 
99% of the part-time vessels and 78% of the full-time commercial vessels. No fishing effort 
adjustment scheme was applied to the Maltese fleet. 

The Netherlands: The guidelines were applied to the beam trawl segment in the report for the 
Netherlands.  The  fishing  mortality  of  plaice,  sole  and  cod  stocks  has  fallen  substantially. 
Economic and social indicators also improved in relation to 2007, in particular as a result of 
the  good  price  for  shrimps  in  2008.  In  2008,  the  Dutch  cutter  fleet  shrank  considerably  in 
size(by  about  15%)  and  also  in  terms  of  fishing  effort  (-23.1%).  This  was  due  to  the 
implementation  of  management  plans,  the  rationalisation  of  the  cutter  fleet  in  2008,  fishing 
with smaller vessels and the temporary voluntary cessation of (mainly) the large beam trawl 
cutters  in  summer  2008  due  to  the  high  price  of  oil.  The  fleet  is  subject  to  the  'days  at  sea' 
limitation  in  the  North  Sea  (Annex  II  regime).  The  Netherlands  is  considering  curbing  the 
capacity of fixed net fishing, which has been growing steadily for some years now. In 2008, a 
substantial number of fishermen switched from beam trawl fishing to fishing with traditional 
trawls,  mainly  because  of  the  lower  fuel  consumption.  The  capacity  of  the  pelagic  fleet 
decreased by one vessel. The report considers that the size of the remaining fleet is justified in 
terms of the current size and situation of fish stocks.  

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Poland:  The  guidelines  were  not  applied  in  the  Polish  report  and  no  assessment  of  fleet 
capacity in relation to fishing opportunities was included. In 2008, 34 vessels were withdrawn 
from the Baltic fleet with public support. In the deep sea segment, one vessel was withdrawn, 
but two entered the fleet, increasing the fleet capacity by 15 570 GT and 11 216 kW. There 
was  a  slight  increase  in  the  overall  capacity  of  the  Polish  fleet  which  was  due  to  the 
replacement of one vessel and modernisation of another, based on an administrative decision 
taken  prior  to  accession.  According  to  the  Polish  report,  as  a  result  of  the  fishing  effort 
reduction programme, the number of days spent fishing by the Baltic fleet in 2008 was 36.1% 
down on the level in 2004. Between 2004 and 2008 the number of fishing days for cod fell by 
as much as 38%. 

Portugal: The guidelines were not applied in the Portuguese report and no assessment of fleet 
capacity  in  relation  to  fishing  opportunities  was  included.  However,  socio-economic  data 
were provided for the period 2003-2007. Only one vessel was scrapped with public aid during 
2008. The recovery plan for hake and nephrops continued to apply in 2008, but no resulting 
capacity reductions were reported. However, fishing effort fell by 30% compared to the 2007 
level. An adjustment plan for vessels licensed to use dredges to fish clams in the South region 
was  adopted  in  2008,  with  the  aim  of  reducing  the  size  of  Southern  area  fleet.  Five 
applications  were  received  in  2008,  but  no  decision  was  taken.  Vessels  operating  in  NAFO 
area are covered by the Greenland halibut recovery plan. Time spent fishing by those vessels 
fell by 50% in comparison with 2003 levels. National measures limiting fishing effort apply to 
deep sea species. 

Romania: The guidelines were not applied in the Romanian report, although it claims that the 
fleet is operating in a sustainable manner and that the fish species are available in sufficient 
quantities.  Overall,  the  fleet  is  old  and  in  poor  technical  condition.  There  are  plans  for 
scrapping  in  the  2007-2013  EFF  programming  period,  but  no  figure  has  been  put  on  the 
amount  of  capacity  affected.  There  were  six  new  entries  to  the  fleet  in  2008  based  on  an 
administrative  decision  taken  before  accession,  and  seven  vessels  were  withdrawn  from  the 
fleet without public aid. 

Slovenia:  Slovenia  applied  the  guidelines.  The  technical  indicator  shows  low  utilisation  of 
most vessels. In 2008, one vessel entered the segment of vessels under 12m. The fleet suffers 
from structural problems, in particular old vessels and obsolete gear. Scrapping is foreseen for 
the  2007-2013  EFF  programming  period,  but  the  amount  of  capacity  affected  is  not 
quantified. No fishing effort reduction scheme applies to the Slovenian fleet.  

Finland:  The  guidelines  were  not  applied  in  the  Finnish  report  and  an  assessment  of  fleet 
capacity in relation to fishing opportunities was not included. During the period 2003-2008, 
capacity has fallen by 19% in GT and by 10% in kW. Despite this reduction in capacity, the 
total  fishing  effort  of  the  Finnish  fleet  has  shown  an  upward  trend  since  2005  and  only 
stabilized  in  2008.  The  pelagic  fisheries  segment  recorded  the  highest  increase  in  fishing 
effort, whereas the segment of static gears targeting cod reduced its effort gradually, and in 
the  last  two  years  there  was  no  fishing  activity  in  this  segment  due  to  the  driftnet  ban.  No 
fishing effort reduction schemes applied to the Finnish fleet during 2008. There are plans for a 
new  capacity  reduction  scheme  in  2009-2010,  which  will  be  directed  at  the  segment  of 
passive gear vessels owing to the poor profitability of the offshore salmon fisheries. 

Sweden:  The  guidelines  were  applied  in  the  Swedish  report  with  indicators  based  on  data 
from 2007. Segmentation  of  the  fleet is not consistent throughout the report.  The biological 
indicator shows that three segments are operating unsustainably. The economic performance 

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in 2007 was better than in the previous year, owing to higher fish prices and good catches, but 
it is expected to be lower in 2008 because of increased fuel prices and lower fish prices. The 
technical  indicator  shows  overcapacity  for  all  segments.  As  part  of  the  multi-annual 
management and recovery plans which were introduced for a number of stocks in the North 
Sea, Skagerrak, Kattegat and the Baltic Sea, the fishing effort has been gradually reduced. In 
2008,  Sweden  submitted  its  plan  for  adaptation  of  cod  fishing  in  the  Baltic  to  the 
Commission. This part of the fleet was targeted by a special scrapping campaign as part of the 
EFF granting scrapping premiums to six trawlers.  

United Kingdom: The report also covers the year 2007, since it was not submitted earlier. The 
guidelines  were  not  applied,  although  some  other  technical,  biological  and  socio-economic 
data were provided. No assessment of the balance between fleet and fishing opportunities was 
included  in  the  report.  As  a  result  of  the  cod  recovery  regime,  a  43%  reduction  in  effort  in 
terms  of  kW  days  was  achieved  for  vessels  over  10m  during  the  period  2000-2008.  The 
decommissioning scheme in 2007 was linked to the recovery regime in place for sole stocks 
in  the  Western  Channel.  Effort  in  terms  of  kW  days  for  vessels  over  10m  involved  in  this 
fishery  was  reduced  by  13%  during  the  period  2004-2008.  The  fleet  is  also  covered  by  the 
Western Waters and Deep-sea species effort regime. The main reductions in fishing effort in 
kW days were in the demersal trawl and seine segments (-45%), which derive from the cod 
recovery  regime,  and  in  the  beam  trawl  segment  (-61%)  due  to  the  decline  in  fishing 
opportunities, the decommissioning scheme in 2007 and higher fuel costs. All fleet segments, 
with the exception of those using pots and traps, reduced their capacity over the period 2000-
2008. 

3. 

3.1. 

COMPLIANCE WITH FISHING CAPACITY MANAGEMENT RULES. OVERALL RESULTS 

Results  for  the  mainland  fleet  except  for  vessels  registered  in  the  outermost 
regions 

According to the CFR, the overall capacity of the EU fleet was reduced by approximately 331 
000  GT  and  1  123  000  kW  during  the  six-year  period  from  2003  to  2008,  and  despite  two 
successive enlargements, leading to a net reduction of approximately 16% in terms of tonnage 
and  15%  in  terms  of  power.  The  total  number  of  vessels  was  reduced  by  approximately  12 
400, i.e. 13.3%. 

During the period 2003-2008, the capacity of the 'EU-15 fleet' was reduced by 260 486 GT 
and 989 984 kW, and the capacity of the 'EU-10 fleet'5 was reduced by 70 354 GT and 132 
980 kW in relation to its capacity on accession (1 May 2004). In relative terms, the reduction 
of the 'EU-10 fleet' since the date of accession has been greater than the reduction of the 'EU-
15  fleet'  over  the  period  2003-2008  (24%  compared  with  14%,  in  terms  of  engine  power). 
Romania and Bulgaria have withdrawn around 5% of capacity in terms of GT and less than 
1% in kW terms.  

During the six-year period from 2003 to 2008, approximately 224 590 GT and 733 119 kW 
were  withdrawn  from  the  EU  fleet  (except  for  the  outermost  regions)  with  public  aid,  of 
which 25 657 GT and 89 024 kW were withdrawn in 2008.  

5 

Member States that acceded to the Union on 1 May 2004. 

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Generally speaking, the net reductions in the EU fleet still appear insufficient, considering the 
steady technological improvements that neutralise the effects of capacity reduction and given 
the poor state of most EU fisheries. 

Tables 1 and 2 in the Commission Staff Working Document annexed to this report summarise 
the compliance by Member States with the entry/exit scheme and the reference levels on 31 
December 2008. All Member States have complied with these rules. 

More detailed data (tables and graphs) on trends in the capacity of Member States’ fleets are 
available on Europa6.  

3.2. 

Results for the fleets registered in the outermost regions 

The capacity of the fleets registered in the outermost regions and the variation in that capacity 
between  1 January  2003  and  31  December  2008  are  shown  in  Table  4  of  the  Commission 
Staff Working Document annexed to this report. The results show that the fleet registered in 
the outermost regions of Spain and Portugal has been significantly reduced, in terms of both 
tonnage  and  power.  In  the  same  period  the  capacity  of  the  fleet  in  the  French  overseas 
departments has increased, with 343 new vessels entering the fleet. 

At the end of 2008, the reference levels in the case of demersal and pelagic segments under 
12m were very slightly exceeded in Réunion and in French Guyana.  

4. 

THE COMMISSION'S CONCLUSIONS 

The quality of Member States’ reports in 2008 showed an improvement relative to those for 
2007.  However,  the  majority  of  the  reports  did  not  describe  the  Member  States'  fleets  in 
relation to fisheries in a manner that enabled the Commission to analyse the efforts made to 
achieve  a  balance  between  the  capacity  of  the  fishing  fleet  and  the  available  fishing 
opportunities, as stipulated by Article 14 of Regulation (EC) No 2371/2002. Instead, Member 
States emphasized the national fleet management systems implemented and the trends in fleet 
capacity in relation to the entry/exit scheme. 

In order to prepare the national reports, 12 Member States made some use of the guidelines 
for  the  assessment  of  the  balance  between  fishing  capacity  and  fishing  opportunities.  In  a 
number  of  cases,  the  indicators  show  that  there  is  an  excess  of  fishing  capacity.  The 
Commission  acknowledges  the  problems  regarding  the  availability  of  certain  data  and  will 
seek  to  address  them  and  to  improve  the  guidelines  in  cooperation  with  STECF.  Further 
reports of this kind are likely to be more conclusive about the Member States' endeavours to 
strike a better balance between fleet capacity and fishing opportunities if all Member States 
make use of the indicators proposed in the guidelines.  

From  the  information  contained  in  most  of  the  reports  it  is  hard  to  establish  clear  links 
between  effort  management  measures  and  fleet  capacity  adjustments,  or  to  obtain  a  critical 
analysis  of  the  trends  in  terms  of  real  effort  deployed.  Generally  speaking,  the  impact  of 
fishing effort adjustment measures on fleet capacity seems to be limited. As in previous years, 
the  main  driver  of  fleet  capacity  reduction  appears  to  be  a  combination  of  poor  economic 
performance of the fleet and the availability of EU or national funds. This may be due, in part, 

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to  the  absence  of  effort  management  systems  for  several  fisheries,  but  also  to  the  limited 
effect of the existing schemes (Annex II, Western Waters, deep-water fisheries, some national 
schemes,  etc.).  It  appears  that  the  use  of  individual  transferable  rights  has  contributed  to 
reducing capacity in some countries.  

In response to the fuel crisis of 2008, the Council adopted temporary and specific measures 
for  the  restructuring  of  the  EU  fishing  fleet  in  July  2008,  thus  providing  an  opportunity  to 
achieve the necessary restructuring of the fleet. The effect of those measures has so far been 
very  limited,  since  -  at  the  time  of  drafting  of  this  report  -  the  Fleet  Adjustment  Plans  laid 
down  in  the  Regulation  had  not  yet  been  implemented.  Exits  from  the  fleet  with  public 
support in 2008 were below those of 2007.  

During  2008  the  fishing  capacity  of  the  EU  fleet  fell  at  an  average  annual  rate  of  2.6%  in 
terms of tonnage and 2.3% in terms of power. Figures 3 to 5 in Commission Staff Working 
Document  show  that  this  has  been  the  overall  trend  for  the  last  17  years,  although  when 
looking at individual Member States the trend does not seem quite so uniform. 

The  scientific  assessment  tells  us  that  30%  of  the  stocks  for  which  data  are  available  are 
fished  outside  safe  biological  limits,  and  80%  are  fished  at  levels  above  the  Maximum 
Sustainable Yield. At the same time, for large parts of the fleet, capacity is under-utilised, i.e. 
the  number  of  fishing  days  is  less  than  the  maximum  possible.  In  the  light  of  these 
considerations,  the  capacity  reductions  achieved  appear  to  be  insufficient  to  strike  a 
sustainable balance between capacity and fishing opportunities in the short term, especially if 
technological progress, which is deemed to be of the same order of magnitude as the observed 
capacity reductions, is taken into account.  

As the Green Paper on the Reform of the CFP points out, fleet overcapacity remains one of 
the  fundamental  problems  of  the  CFP.  European  fleets  continue  to  be  too  large  for  the 
resources  available  and  this  imbalance  is  at  the  root  of  many  problems  related  to  poor 
economic performance, weak enforcement and overexploited resources. 

EN 

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   EN