The European Parliament voted to adopt a collection of rules, the so-called Omnibus Regulation, on April 28 to implement the landing obligation. This vote maintains a critical loophole integrated during trialogue with the Council which allows damaged fish to be discarded. The Council of Ministers is soon expected to support the agreement, after which the new rules will be implemented in stages between 2015 and 2019.
FISH previously detailed concerns about the landing obligation in a joint NGO letter to BALTFISH in May 2014 and an online article in late November 2014. In the letter we detail concerns about possible abuses to the derogation to allow discarding of seal- and bird-damaged fish. This derogation is now officially part of the landing obligation and leaves significant room for misreporting of actual catches, as there are no reporting requirements for any fish captured and discarded under this derogation.
In addition, Parliament passed a logbook exemption for catches and other discards not covered by the landing obligation, allowing any catches and discards for under 50kg per species to go unreported.
Originally posted on the Greens website, Swedish Member of the European Parliament, Linnéa Engström, is quoted concerning the landing obligation.
“The new rules voted today would totally undercut the ban on discards and essential give unscrupulous fishermen a carte blanche to continue with the wasteful practice. The ink is hardly dry on the EU’s much-lauded reform of the Common Fisheries Policy but one of the crucial achievements is already being unpicked. This is a major setback for efforts to make our fishing industry more sustainable.”
Many other challenges lie ahead to effectively implement, control, and monitor the landing obligation at the Member State level. Coupled with the Baltic Multiannual Plan presently working its way toward trialogue, FISH will continue to engage with these issues for the best possible implementation in the Baltic.