Responding to the EU Commission’s latest cod recovery plan, debated in the Council earlier in November, the European Parliament chose to emphasise the issue of discards.
MEPs called for all cod caught to be landed, rather than discarded, so as to enable proper scientific evaluation of stocks. They also agreed to the inclusion of the Celtic Sea (south of the Irish Sea) in the cod recovery plan. In a second vote, on fishing in outermost regions of the EU, the Parliament proposed extending until 2011 the deadline for fishing vessels receiving national state aid to enter the fishing fleet.
Commissioner Borg said that he would shortly be following up with a proposal for a European regulation on reducing discards.
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