Fisheries priorities under Latvian EU presidency
Last week the Fisheries Committee exchanged views with Jānis Dūklavs , Latvian Minister of Agriculture, on the priorities during the Latvian Presidency for the first half of 2015.
Category: Article
Motion to reject Baltic discard ban plan failed
A move to reject the Baltic discard ban plan because of a reduction of the minimum landing size of Baltic cod failed to gain enough support in the European Parliament.
Fishing opportunities for 2015 – still along way to go to end overfishing
Fisheries Ministers yesterday evening agreed on fishing opportunities for 2015 for the main commercial species in the Northeast Atlantic. An agreement that did not follow scientific advice or end overfishing in all cases.
Could bottom trawling be one of the factors behind the skinny Baltic cod?
A new study correlates smaller sized fish to bottom trawling in heavily trawled areas. Scientists have previously presumed that fish that who escaped and did not get caught in the trawler became skinny due to hunger, this new study indicates that this is not the case instead the study points towards altered food sources to be the cause.
Omnibus delay likely after negotiations break down
The first attempt to reach agreement on the omnibus regulation failed, as Council and Parliament could not agree on a number of issues. It is highly unlikely that the regulation will be adopted before the introduction of the discard ban begins on 1 January 2015.
Snapshots from Marine Centre seminar
Marine Centre in Simrishamn invited to a one-day conference to discuss current issues facing the Baltic Sea ecosystem. With focus on marine litter, ecosystem services in coastal areas and the problems associated with pharmaceuticals reaching the sea.
Fisheries committee on the move to scrap CFP achievement
The European Parliament’s Fisheries Committee have voted to seriously weaken central provisions of the Common Fisheries Policy. Deciding to re-introduce a 50 kg minimum threshold of catch for reporting purposes and to provide a two year window for not complying with the landing obligation as well as limit the application of this regulation to 2015 only.
Uncertainties on how to implement the landing obligation in the Baltic Sea remains
Many practical issues still remains to be solved to implement the discard ban in the Baltic Sea next year. These include how to handle unwanted fish on-board and in ports and how to control that undersized and unwanted fish is reported not being used for human consumption. Additionally, control and reporting systems is not yet adapted to the shift of regulation. To enable the fishing industry to adjust to the new legislation, there is a responsibility of the Baltic Member States to deliver clear instructions on how and where to act
125 NGOs urge EU Ministers to end overfishing
Over 120 organisations across the European Union are encouraging EU fisheries ministers to end most overfishing in 2015 as required by the reformed Common Fisheries Policy (CFP).
New study aims to identify barriers to recovery of Baltic cod
Researchers from the Swedish University of Agricultural Science have developed a new method to get answers to why over-exploited fish populations, such as cod in the Baltic Sea, does not recover even though the fishery has declined. They do so by analyzing the pattern of growth during various life stages as a mean to see if low recovery rates may be due to lack of particular type of food.