The European Parliament adopted by 564 votes to 81, with 9 abstentions, amendments to the proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Council Regulation (EC) No 850/98 concerning the conservation of fishery resources through technical measures for the protection of juveniles of marine organisms and repealing Council Regulation (EC) No 1288/2009.
The matter was referred back to the committee responsible for reconsideration. The vote has been postponed until a later session.
The main amendments adopted by Parliament concern the following points:
- Parliament wishes to clarify that the new proposed framework for technical conservation measures is drawn up pending the reform of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) which is under way. The unlikelihood that such a new framework will be in place by the end of 2012 justifies the extension of the application of those transitional technical measures.
- In order to ensure the continuation of proper conservation and management of marine biological resources in the Black Sea, Members propose that minimum landing and mesh sizes for the turbot fishery as previously established in Union law should be incorporated into Regulation (EC) No 850/98.
- An amendment also proposes that, on the basis of consultations held in 2009 between the Union, Norway and the Faroe Islands, with a view to reducing unwanted catches, a prohibition on the releasing or slipping of certain species as well as a requirement to move fishing grounds when 10 % of the catch contains undersized fish should be introduced.
- In the light of advice from the Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries (STECF), Parliament suggested, among other things:
· to maintain the restrictions on landing or retaining on board herring caught in ICES Division IIa;
· repeal of an area closure for the protection of spawning herring in ICES Division VIa;
· to maintain an area closure to protect juvenile haddock in ICES Division VIb;
· to maintain certain technical conservation measures in the waters west of Scotland (ICES Division VIa) to protect cod, haddock and whiting stocks should be maintained in order to contribute to the conservation of fish stocks;
· to allow the use of handlines and automated jigging equipment for saithe in ICES Division VIa;
· to allow the use of gillnets for lesser spotted dogfish in ICES Division VIa;
· to introduce an area closure to protect juvenile cod in ICES Division VIa;
· to maintain measures to protect cod stocks in the Celtic Sea (ICES Divisions VIIf, g);
· to allow the use of trammel nets in ICES Subarea IX in waters with a charted depth more than 200m but less than 600m.
Parliament also underlined the need:
· to periodically review, in the light of scientific advice, the appropriateness of the characteristics of gears in the derogation to fish with trawls, demersal seines or similar gears with a view to their amendment or repeal;
· to periodically review, in the light of scientific advice, the appropriateness of the prohibition on fishing for cod, haddock and whiting in ICES Subarea VI, with a view to its amendment or repeal;
· to clarify the interaction between the different regimes applicable to fishing with gillnets, especially in ICES Subarea VII. Parliament particularly wishes to clarify that the specific derogation for fishing with gillnets with a mesh size equal to or greater than 100mm in ICES Divisions IIIa, IVa, Vb, VIa, VIb, VIIb, c, j and k as well as the specific conditions related to that derogation, only applies in waters with a charted depth of more than 200 metres but less than 600 metres;
· to introduce an equivalent measure to the minimum landing size for anchovy in terms of the number of fish per kg.