A new independent study by the EU Commission finds that the landing obligation has not reached its full potential
An independent study published today by the European Commission concludes that the European Union’s landing obligation, fully implemented five years ago, “has not reached its full potential” in eliminating wasteful discards of fish catches.
Landing Obligation’s Aim to End Discards
Introduced in 2015 and fully in force by January 2019, the landing obligation was designed to end the practice of returning unwanted catches to the sea. Its primary goal was to encourage fishers to adopt more selective fishing methods and avoid unwanted catches.
However, despite “significant efforts” by the fisheries sector, national authorities, and scientific institutions to innovate in gear and practices, the study highlights persistent challenges in achieving the objective of gradually eliminating discards.
Key Factors Limiting Effectiveness Identified
The independent study, conducted by external experts through desk research, case studies, surveys, and interviews, points to several “potential limiting factors” hindering the landing obligation’s implementation:
- Insufficient incentives for fishers to comply: Fishermen often lack compelling reasons to adhere fully to the regulation.
- Ineffective monitoring and enforcement tools: Control mechanisms have proven inadequate to ensure compliance at sea.
- Conflicts with economic viability: The obligation can impact the profitability of fisheries, especially when increasing selectivity leads to the loss of commercially valuable catches.
- Challenges in improving species and gear selectivity: Despite advancements in gear technology, widespread adoption remains difficult.
- Numerous exemptions: The study found that “the large number of available exemptions to the landing obligation made it difficult to directly trace impacts within a fleet, fishery and sea basin.”
Limited Progress and Mixed Results
The study indicates that overall “discard rates have remained relatively unchanged, on average within fisheries, decreased by just under 2% since the implementation of the landing obligation.” There is, however, “significant variability across fisheries, regions and species.”
While the volume of EU landings for non-human consumption initially increased during the phasing-in period (2013-2017), it subsequently decreased until 2021. Stakeholders reported that the development of alternative uses for these catches has been “limited by insufficient infrastructure investment, high handling and processing costs, a lack of market demand, and regulatory barriers,” with some catches even ending in landfill in Spain and Portugal.
Quota swaps have emerged as a “crucial flexibility mechanism” for managing “choke species” (species that, if exhausted, force fishing operations to stop prematurely). Between 2014 and 2023, quota swaps increased by 200%, demonstrating a reliance on flexibility rather than a fundamental shift in fishing practices.
The study notes that the effectiveness of the landing obligation “varies regionally.” Some areas, like the North Sea, have shown progress in compliance and selectivity, while others, such as the Mediterranean Sea, face greater challenges due to socio-economic factors and infrastructural limitations. Pilot studies have shown that selective gear can reduce unwanted catches, but balancing ecological benefits with economic impacts remains a challenge for widespread voluntary adoption.
Future Evaluation and Stakeholder Engagement
The results of this study will contribute to the ongoing evaluation of the Common Fisheries Policy regulation. The European Commission plans to discuss these findings with stakeholders during an online event on 8 July from 14:00 to 16:30 (Brussels time) to gather further feedback.
Source: EU Commission