EU announces emergency measures to protect Sea Bass
The EU Commission issued the following Press Release, dated 26th January 2015: “The European Commission has announced measures to avert the collapse of the declining sea bass stock. Immediately effective emergency measures will place a ban on targeting the fish stock by trawling while it is reproducing, during the spawning season, which runs until the end of April. This will be complemented by further measures to ensure that all those who fish sea bass make a balanced and fair contribution to saving the stock.
European Commissioner for Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Karmenu Vella, said: “The impact of this stock collapsing would be catastrophic for the livelihoods of so many fishermen and coastal communities. This is about saving sea bass and saving jobs in the commercial and recreational fishing sector. I am proud of our quick reaction to what is an immediate danger to the stock”.
The pelagicpelagic The ecological area consisting of the open sea away from the coast and the ocean bottom. The pelagic zone contains organisms such as surface seaweeds, many species of fish and sharks and some mammals, such as whales and dolphins. Pelagic animals may remain solely in the pelagic zone or may move among zones. trawling ban is a critical first step in this package of measures. This ban will protect the stock from being targeted when at its most vulnerable — when the fish is coming together in shoalsshoal A sandbank or sandbar that makes the water shallow during the spawning season to reproduce.
The spawning season is already underway and will last until end of April. Pelagic trawling on is a major source of mortality and reduces the spawning stock as it makes up 25% of the impact on the stock. With a reduced spawning stock further actions and any rebuilding of the stock would be endangered. The measure will therefore come into force immediately and last until 30th April 2015. It will apply to the Channel, Celtic Sea, Irish Sea and southern North Sea.
Commercial and recreational fishing
In order to help the stock of sea bass recover, more action is needed to address the impact of all other commercial and recreational fishing activities.
Therefore the Commission is currently making a renewed and urgent effort in order to help Council and Member States put in place a package of measures to manage commercial and recreational fisheries on sea bass more effectively.
For recreational fishing which accounts for 25% of sea bass catches, this would include a limit of three fish per day per angler. Member States would also need to set a minimum size of 42 cm so that fish are not caught, or are released, before they have reproduced.
For other commercial fisheries than pelagic trawling, this would also include limiting catches. The Commission is working with the Member States involved to prepare a proposal to the Council of Ministers as soon as possible.
Background
Sea bass is one of the most valuable fish on which many fishermen, especially small fishing enterprises, depend. Recent scientific analyses have reinforced previous concerns of unsustainable fishing advising urgently a substantial reduction in fishing mortality. We are witnessing a rapid decline of sea bass that risks leading to a collapse if no action is taken. International scientific bodies have called for an 80% reduction in catches to turn the situation around.
Around 100 fishermen depend to a higher degree for part of the year on pelagic trawling of sea bass, while during the rest of year their income is made up also from other fisheries. There are however several hundred small scale fishermen that depend solely on sea bass for their income and for whom finding another source of income is much more difficult. With over 1.3m recreational anglers in France and another 800 000 in the UK, many thousands of jobs also depend on recreational fishing.
Following a lack of agreement between Member States since 2012 on coordinated and effective measures to protect this important stock and another lack of agreement of EU ministers in December’s Fisheries Council, on 19th December 2014 the UK made a formal request to the Commission to take emergency measures. The Commission then consulted the Member States involved and analysed the scientific evidence available. On the basis of discussions with all Member States and based on the scientific evidence the Commission has taken its own decision.
The Commission has previously taken such emergency measures to protect vulnerable stocks, most recently with anchovy in the Bay of Biscay.
Source: EU Commission Press Release, 26th January 2015. For further details, see http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/newsroom/cf/mare/itemlongdetail.cfm?item_id=20186&subweb=343&lang=en
Additional Information: see: www.parlament.gv.at/PAKT/EU/XXV/EU/05/41/EU_54117/imfname_10526448.pdf
Marinet observes: This action is long overdue. As can be seen from the “additional information” report, the EU Member countries involved in this fishery have not been able to come to a unanimous recommendation, with the result that the Commission has had to “impose a solution”. The present measures have been imposed by the Commission for a period of 1 year only.
It is also to be noted that these measures, as welcome as they are, place a reduction on the catch level of 25% when ICES has been recommending a reduction of 80% in catch levels if the spawning stock is not to be further damaged. Also, no agreement or instruction has yet been implemented for the minimum landing size. ICES is recommending 42 cm. The present size is 36cm. This means that fish are and will still be caught and landed before they are sexually mature.
Marinet believes there is still a very long way to go before this stock will be restored to a safe condition.
It is also evident that fishermen, of themselves, are incapable of showing restraint in their behaviour, despite claims by their representatives that they are “responsible” in the way they fish and exploit stocks.
It is also evident that the Common Fisheries Policy remains seriously flawed, with Ministers of Member countries being unable to agree amongst themselves about the nature of safe fishing practices, and unwilling to observe even the most basic of legal requirements, such as the precautionary principle (Article 2.2 of the new CFP).
