MARIFISH COLLABORATIVE PROGRAMME THE IMPORTANCE OF TACKLING DISCARDS: A FISHERY MANAGER’S VIEW Concepción Sánchez Trujillano General Subdirector of Fishery Communitarian Affairs General Secretary of Sea. Spain Madrid, 5th October 2009

The importance of tackling discards: Fishery manager’s view Steps done since 2007 at EU level –Council Fisheries WG. April 2007 –RAC consultations, May 2007 –Council and EP Conclusions, June 2007 –Adoption of new long management plans, including discards: cod, hake…. Next future steps: –Policy statement 2010 –Council Regulation concerning the conservation of fisheries resources through technical measures in the Atlantic and North Sea. –Council Regulation establishing a Community control system for ensuring compliance with the rules of the Common Fisheries Policy. –Green Paper on reform FCP

Council Fisheries WG. April 2007 Reducing by-catches and eliminating discards What is discards? … part of the catch returned to sea as a result of economic, legal or other considerations… How much? –No quantitative estimates for EU overall, FAO 2005: t in North Sea alone STECF: –Beam trawls 40-60% –Single trawls 20-40% –Longline, gillnets <20%

Why discarding? Caused by the existing regulation: –TACs and quotas, Quota exhaustion Closure of fisheries Landings in mixed fisheries –Minimum landing size

Why discarding? Caused by economical considerations: –No market value, non demanded by consumers. –Low value –High-grading Partly also related to management considerations

Some instruments to reduce unwanted by-catches –Regulations on TAC and quotas –More selective fishing gears –Closed areas –Better information of the impact of by-catch at sea

Some instruments to reduce unwanted by-catches Better monitoring and control Real-time closures –Mixed fisheries By-catches counted against quotas, but … … if quota is O (relative stability) Handling landed by-catches Identification of fisheries (geographical areas, fishing gears, “metier”..

Two different approaches in the world Regulate the technology and what it is allowed to keep on board and land (CFP approach) Regulate what it is allowed to catch (approach followed in several other countries or in some or their fisheries: Norway, New Zealand, …

Council concerns on a policy to reduce unwanted by-catches and eliminate discards in European fisheries : –Commission, Member States, EP, ACFA, RACs …, –Unwanted by-catch of living aquatic resources and their discarding is a waste of resources –Urgent exam of ways of progressively reducing unwanted by-catches and eliminating discards, –Better regulate what is caught rather than what is landed –Importance of effective collect of data –Technical measures should be adopted on the basis of an analysis based on best available advice and of environmental, economic and social impacts,

Council conclusions on a policy to reduce unwanted by-catches and eliminate discards in European fisheries Motivate the industry to improve the selectivity of the fishing gear and to develop more targeted fishing practices Enhance research efforts in gear design, fishing methods and fishing practices Select fisheries to the first implementation of reduction of discards

Council conclusions on a policy to reduce unwanted by-catches and eliminate discards in European fisheries But it also recalls that still there are many open questions, such as Management aspects: –the implications for relative stability, –The use of TACs (deep sea species, lack of quotas, closure of fisheries, MSY in mixed fisheries while avoiding discards? –Cost benefit analysis Control and enforcement policy: –Simple and controllable regulations which are economically viable in order to reach long-term compliance by the industry Which need to be evaluated before adopting new regulations on this matter

Steps already taken Observers programs in several areas of the marine ecosystem: birds, turtles, dolphins, etc New long term management of fisheries according to this new approach, Long-term plan for cod stocks –Minimising cod discards, –Encourage fishermen to engage in cod-avoidance programmes –Rules for setting TACs, calculated by deducting a quantity of fishing equivalent to the expected discards of cod from the stock concerned –Fishing effort reduced to a reference level. Skates and rays, not retained on board, promptly released unharmed, develop and use techniques and equipment to facilitate the rapid and safe release of the species Other steps taken in 2009: –High-grading ban put in place in the North Sea and Skagerrak –Pilot studies on how to reduce discards Similar approach in the Commission proposal for a long-term plan for Northern hake

Policy statement 2010 Discarding of marine organisms (some of it of marketable fish) is a mayor problem in European waters Achieving this objective requires changes in Community legislation as well as changes in fishermen’s behaviour

New steps in 2010 A general highgrading ban. The prohibition to discard any marine organism that is caught in a fishing operation and brought on board a fishing vessel that can be legally landed, Pilot studies, such as survival of discarded species, improving gear selectivity, economic impact of a discard ban, possible uses of unwanted organisms, –A level paying field between studies –A common approach between geographical areas –Common rules for discard pilot studies. Fishing permits, given only to vessels with an allocation of fishing opportunities

Common rules for discard pilot project All catches of regulated species are counted against quotas Positive incentives for the vessels engaged in the pilot study at Member State level, within the quota and fishing effort allocated to it On board observers/Electronic Monitoring in at least 50% of fishing trips engaged in the pilot study Possible revision of technical measures Results scientifically analysed Reporting obligation to the Commission in a scientific report for inclusion in the website, open to the general public.

New EC regulations ( Sill under exam) –Council Regulation concerning the conservation of fisheries resources through technical measures in the Atlantic and North Sea. –Council Regulation establishing a Community control system for ensuring compliance with the rules of the Common Fisheries Policy. –Green Paper on reform FCP

Council Regulation concerning the conservation of fisheries resources through technical measures in the Atlantic and North Sea. Chapter related to measures to reduce discards –Prohibition of high-grading, –Real time moving to another area when a trigger catch level of a particular species or group of species or of spawning fish or juvenile has been reached, the area concerned shall be temporarily closed to the relevant fishery –Real time closure determined by Member States or the Commission –Restrictions on the use of automatic grading equipment

Council Regulation establishing a Community control system for ensuring compliance with the rules of the Common Fisheries Policy. Logbook requirements: –The master of a Community fishing vessel shall also recor in their logbook. All estimated discards above 15 kg for species subject to multiannual plans, All estimated discards above 50 kg for other species –Provisions for control of real time closure of fisheries, based in a trigger catch level calculated on the basis of a sampling methodology adopted by the Commission

Green Paper Reform of the Common Fisheries Policy European Fisheries by 2020 Developing a culture of compliance Management based on fishing effort alone should be sufficient to achieve the objectives of the CFP ? How could the MSY commitment be implemented in mixed fisheries while avoiding discards? What measures should be taken to further eliminate discards in EU fisheries? How data collection systems be improved to ensure coherent information for enforcement purposes?

Conclusions Since 2007, several steps have been done, specially some management measures have been adopted at EU level to reduce unwanted by-catches Unwanted by-catches is not desired by anyone (scientists, stakeholders, national administrations). There are different fisheries (geographical areas, fishing gears, small scale, etc). There is no a single solution. The best solution should be applied in each case. Not extend rules without having an accurate impact in each of the CFP objectives. Discards is a very complex subject which needs an deep and quiet exam for those which are involved in it.

Many thanks