It is now two years since the Commission released its proposal for a revised deep sea access regime (COM(2012)371) in July 2012, and progress on this file has been exceptionally slow. The European Parliament adopted its position 10 months ago and the Italian Presidency announced that it was to start drafting a proposal for a Council position over the summer.
The current Regulation for the management of EU deep-sea fisheries adopted in 2002 has failed to maintain most deep sea stocks inside safe biological limits, to restore some of the most depleted fish populations in the northeast Atlantic such as deep-sea sharks, and to protect vulnerable deep-sea ecosystems (VMEs) such as coral, sponge, and seamount ecosystems from adverse impacts of highly destructive fishing. The Commission’s proposal for a revised access regime is a step in the right direction.
It is essential that a new Regulation is soon adopted to achieve its two related aims: managing the fishing for deep-sea species for sustainability, for both target and non-target stocks and species; and protecting the deep-sea ecosystems associated with the seabed. By phasing-out some of the most destructive fishing practices including deep-sea bottom trawling, as proposed by the European Commission and similar to that already in place in the Mediterranean, the recovery of vulnerable deep-sea fish stocks and the protection of deep-sea ecosystems will be enhanced.
The proposal has been reviewed in Council Working Groups and it is a matter of urgency that Council adopts its position by December 2014 in order for the new regulation on EU deep-sea fisheries management to be adopted without any further delay. As it would help the EU comply with agreed UN resolutions, as well as protecting deep sea fish stocks and ecosystems from destructive fishing gear.
A coalition of NGOs have sent a joint letter to the Italian EU Presidency stressing the need to prioritise the deep sea access regime (COM(2012)371). And furthermore highlighting that a new EU regulation for the Northeast Atlantic would not only be a significant achievement for the conservation of the marine environment but also a lasting legacy for the Italian Presidency.