The Committee on Fisheries adopted the report by Marco AFFRONTE (Greens/EFA, IT) on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on a multiannual recovery plan for Mediterranean swordfish and amending Regulations (EC) No 1967/2006 and (EU) 2017/2107.
The committee recommended that the European Parliament's position adopted at first reading under the ordinary legislative procedure should amend the Commission's proposal as follows.
Subject matter: the proposed Regulation seeks to lay down general rules for the implementation by the Union of the multiannual recovery plan for Mediterranean swordfish (Xiphias gladius) adopted by the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), starting from 2017 and continuing through 2031 ('the recovery plan').
Allocation of fishing opportunities: national quotas shall be distributed fairly among the various fleet segments, ensuring in particular that quotas are allocated to traditional and artisanal fishing. Member States shall provide incentives to Union fishing vessels deploying selective fishing gear or using fishing techniques with reduced environmental impact.
Member States shall endeavour to allocate any increase in fishing opportunities, resulting from the successful implementation of this Regulation, to fishing vessels to which no swordfish quota has previously been allocated and that fulfil the criteria for the allocation of fishing opportunities set out in Regulation (EU) No 1380/2013, in order to contribute to the objective of an equal and fair distribution of quotas among the different fleet segments.
Fishing gear: Members proposed that additional 2 500 replacement hooks be allowed on board fishing vessels for trips longer than 2 days. A second set of rigged hooks may be allowed on board for trips longer than 2 days, provided that it is duly lashed and stowed in lower decks so that it cannot readily be used. Members States shall encourage the use of circle hooks.
National observer programmes in pelagic longline vessels: until three years after the date of entry into force of this Regulation, each Member State concerned shall ensure that national scientific observers are deployed on at least 10 % of pelagic longline vessels targeting Mediterranean swordfish. After that date, the Member State concerned may reduce the observer coverage to at least 5 %. The percentage coverage will be measured in fishing days, number of sets or trips.
Management measures: the amended text stated that in recreational fisheries, it shall be prohibited to catch, retain on board, tranship or land more than one swordfish per vessel per month (as opposed to per day as proposed by the Commission).