The PECH Committee approves update of control measures in the ICCAT area and of the multiannual management plan for bluefin tuna
The Fisheries Committee approved an update of control measures in the ICCAT area and of the multiannual management plan for bluefin tuna in the Atlantic and Mediterranean.
With 23 votes in favour, none against and 1 abstention, MEPs in the Fisheries Committee agreed to integrate into EU law the recommendations of the regional fisheries organisation International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tuna (ICCAT) for this area, covering high seas and exclusive economic zones of those countries that signed the convention. The legislation has already been informally agreed with EU governments.
The main changes concern:
- Definitions of fish aggregating devices (FADs), floating objects, operational buoy and support vessels;
- Capacity limitations for tropical tuna – Each EU country should have its annual plan by 31 January, managing their longline and purse seine fleet capacity and taking into consideration the limits to catch tropical tuna. The amount of tropical tuna caught has to be communicated every three months, by 15 April, 15 July and 15 October of each year and by 15 of January of the following year. The date of the entire catch limit for tropical tuna should also be reported by EU countries to the Commission, who will convey it to the ICCAT secretariat.
- Fishers using purse seines cannot discard tropical tunas once the net is completely closed and when more than half of the net has been retrieved. If there is a technical problem with the closing or retrieval, the masters or the crew should make every effort to release the tuna into the water as quickly as possible. Among a few other exceptions, tropical tuna may be discarded if they are meshed or crushed in the purse seine net or if there is not enough storage capacity. The master of the vessel should report all discards to their flag countries.
- All catches of Southern Atlantic albacore have to be reported to EU countries. Then, member states will convey and validate the catch to the ICCAT secretariat. Large-scale vessels should have specific authorisation from EU countries to fish albacore and swordfish in the North and South Atlantic. Vessels not mentioned in ICCAT records are not allowed to fish, retain on board, tranship, transport, transfer, process or land North and Southern Atlantic albacore or swordfish.
- Unused or excess of quotas/catch limits of North and Southern Atlantic albacore, swordfish and bigeye tuna may be added or deducted from the respective quota/catch limit during or before the adjustment year.
- To support the stock assessment process, EU countries have to collect data on catches of sailfish, including live and dead discards, and report annually to support the stock assessment process.
- Member states will also need to create data collection programmes to ensure accurate reporting of billfish and shark catch, effort, size and discard data to ICCAT. The check sheets are to be sent to the Commission, including information on the actions taken at national level on monitoring catches, conservation and management of these species. Furthermore, the failure to report data, including dead discards, for blue marlin and white marlin/round-scale spearfish will result in a ban on retention of these species.
- Shortfin mako sharks should be released considering the safety of the crew members and of the animal. EU countries will also need to report to the Commission any of their permissible landings of South Atlantic shortfin mako, every month, within 15 days of the end of the calendar month in which the catches were made. In addition, EU countries have to report to the Commission every year their dead discards, live releases and total catches.
- Fishers should ensure that interactions with sea turtles are reduced. Purse seine vessels should avoid encircling sea turtles, release encircled or entangled sea turtles, and follow time‐area fishing restrictions and closures in instances where there is a higher risk of interaction with sea turtles. The legislation also includes an Annex with guidelines for safe handling and release practices for sea turtles.
Next steps
The text will have to be approved by the whole Parliament in one of the February plenary sessions, as well as by the Council, to become law.
Background
The European Union has been a contracting party to the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) since November 1997. This is a regional organisation for the cooperation among countries to adopt conservation and management measures regarding tunas and tuna-like species in the Atlantic Ocean.
ICCAT can adopt decisions (recommendations) that are binding for the contracting parties, and become effective six months after the date of the notification. As such, the EU must implement ICCAT fisheries management recommendations into EU law. ICCAT recommendations are mainly addressed to its contracting parties, but also contain obligations for private operators (e.g. vessel masters).
Source: Press Release
