MEPs Vote for Ambitious Reform on EU Overfishing

A major reform of the EU's Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) which aims to cut fishing to sustainable stock levels, end dumping at sea, and base long-term planning on sound scientific data, was approved by Parliament on Wednesday. Overfishing is widely seen as the worst failure of the current CFP, dating from 2002. The new one is to take effect in 2014.

7 Feb 2013 --- European Commission figures suggest that 80% of Mediterranean stocks and 47% of Atlantic ones are overfished. The reform voted in plenary sets out clear and strong measures to tackle this problem.

"We have shown today that the European Parliament is anything but toothless. We have used our power as a co-legislator, for the first time in fisheries policy, to put a stop to overfishing. Fish stocks should recover by 2020, enabling us to take 15 million tonnes more fish, and create 37,000 new jobs", said fisheries reform rapporteur Ulrike Rodust (S&D, DE). Her report was adopted by 502 votes to 137, with 27 abstentions.

Discards - fish thrown back, usually because they are of an unwanted species or size - account for almost a quarter of total EU catches. Most of the discarded species die. To end this wasteful practice, MEPs voted to oblige fishing vessels to land all catches in accordance with a schedule of specific dates for different fisheries, starting from 2014.

Landed catches of fish that are undersized, for example, would be restricted to uses other than human consumption. Member states must ensure that fishing vessels comply with the discard ban.

From 2015, EU member states will be prevented from setting quotas that are too high to be sustainable. Fishermen will have to respect the "maximum sustainable yield" (MSY), i.e. catch no more than a given stock can reproduce in a given year. In today's vote, MEPs sought to ensure that stocks recover by 2020 to above MSY levels and sustain them thereafter. Ultimately this should mean more fish, better catches and hence more jobs in the fishing industry.

The reform will rely on multi-annual fish stock management plans to ensure that fishing stays sustainable. Taking a longer term approach should improve market predictability, which in turn should help the industry to invest better and plan ahead. Multi-annual plans will be based on more reliable and accurate scientific data, which EU member states will be obliged to collect and make available.

Parliament will now start negotiations with the Council and the Commission on the reform plans before their second reading. The Irish Presidency of the Council has repeatedly said it hopes to achieve an agreement the end of June.

The WWF welcomed the European Parliament vote on sustainable fisheries, noting that all of the five WWF key asks for the CFP reform were voted through.

“Today something truly exceptional has happened – the European Parliament voted for a strong fisheries reform to let our oceans recover and ensure the sustainability of fisheries in the EU. This is a triumph especially in these times of crisis and despite strong opposition from certain politicians with unsustainable industry interests”, Roberto Ferrigno, Common Fisheries Policy Project Coordinator, WWF European Policy Office.

“Everyone wants a strong reform: citizens, industry and fishermen. Members of the European Parliament listened to their constituents and used their newly acquired powers to act and make a difference. Now it’s clear after this vote that it is a political priority to shape up EU fisheries and provide long-term stability to fishing communities, fishermen and businesses and the marine environment they depend on”.

“The oceans, fish and those who fish sustainably have won one half of the battle today. Next it is up to fisheries ministers to vote their position on this basic regulation. It will be a tough battle but we hope national governments will listen to the strong message issued by the Parliament, and will sweep away vested interests to ensure a long term sustainable future for our oceans and Europe’s fisheries economy”.