The European Commission recently published its proposal updating the rules on monitoring and control of fishing activities in EU waters. While the proposal makes promising suggestions for more effective control, the Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF) is concerned that ‘the process has been rushed, with insufficient consultation of stakeholders’.
EJF’s Executive Director Steve Trent, explains:
The EU is the largest seafood market in the world and it has the most ambitious legislation in place to fight illegal fishing globally. The EU can build on this success and deepen its vital leadership role, by providing its control agency with the mandate and further resources to assist non-EU countries in their efforts to improve monitoring and control measures against illegal fishing.
Namely, the Commission’s proposal includes:
- Measures to improve the enforcement of the Common Fisheries Policy, with a common list of criteria for what qualifies as a serious infringement and corresponding sanctions and strengthening of the existing point system for licenced vessels to work as the systems for traffic offences to motorists in most Member States;
- A more reliable and complete fisheries data system, including fully digitised reporting of catches, applicable to all EU fishing vessels (including vessels below 12 metres), an electronic tracking system for all vessels, new weighing procedures for fisheries products and reinforced catch registration rules for recreational fisheries;
- Enhanced traceability of EU and imported fishery and aquaculture products. Due to digitisation, controls will be made possible all along the supply chain for all fishery and aquaculture products whether imported or coming from the EU;
- Reinforced rules on fishing gear. Abandoned, lost or disposed fishing gear is a source of marine litter in European seas. The Commission is proposing to improve reporting on lost fishing gear, in line with the proposal to reduce the impact of certain plastic products in the environment in addition to producers helping cover the costs of waste management and clean-up of fishing gear;
- Revising the mandate of the European Fisheries Control Agency (EFCA) to fully align its objectives with the Common Fisheries Policy and upgrade its inspection powers.
In response, the EJF suggests that strengthening the EU’s policies on illegal, unregulated and unreported (IUU) fishing must be a clear priority towards the development of sustainable, legal and ethical fisheries.
In the global fight against illegal fishing, the EU has been uniquely successful in improving the governance of fisheries in non-EU countries. To reinforce this track record, EJF recommends that the European Fisheries Control Agency (EFCA) – which ensures fisheries rules are applied effectively in the EU – is given greater authority to support the global dimension of the EU’s fisheries policy.
In addition, EJF notes, the exchange of data and the sharing of information on fishing activities is paramount to ensure the EU fleet is the most transparent in the world. EJF therefore proposes that the Commission and EFCA have direct access through an EU-wide digital database to all data collected by member states on fishing and enforcement activities in their waters.
Finally, EJF is concerned that partially opening up the IUU Regulation may lead to weakening rather than reinforcing it.
While EJF strongly supports the proposed adoption of digital systems for catch certificates which accompany imported seafood products into the EU, we note that great care must be taken not to water down any provision of this important law.
EJF calls on the European Parliament and the Council of the EU to:
- increase the transparency of seafood caught in EU waters and internationally through a more prominent role for EFCA;
- safeguard the EU law combating IUU fishing;
- include the views of civil society in the upcoming legislative process.