The EU Commission must ensure that fisheries and aquaculture products from non-EU countries comply with EU conservation, management standards and hygiene requirements. MEPs voted overwhelmingly with 590 votes to 52 with 41 abstentions for control measures to be applied more efficiently, with imported products subject to the same standards as EU produce.
The European Commission is proposing improvements to modernise and simplify the way in which fishing rules are monitored and complied with in the EU, stating that effective control is key to ensuring that the EU's fisheries are sustainably managed, in turn guaranteeing the long-term viability of EU fisheries.
The recent Misery at Sea report published by Greenpeace focuses closely on Taiwan’s distant water fleet, and paints a grim portrait of the country’s shortcomings in this field. The Taiwanese Fisheries Agency (FA) has responded to the Greenpeace allegations, stating that since the Act for Distant Water Fisheries came into law on January 20th, 2017, the management of Taiwanese distant water fishing fleets under this legal framework has received wide and positive recognition.
The NFFO’s East Anglian Committee has highlighted the need for a concerted effort to protect fishing opportunities and the viability of the fleets in the region. Fishermen in the region are rapidly running out of options, according to the NFFO.
Provisional figures published by the Scottish government indicate that the Scottish fleet last year landed fish and shellfish worth £559 million, and a volume of 464,000 tonnes. This represents a 10,600 tonne (2%) increase in catches landed by 2068 active Scottish fishing vessels in 2017. The final statistics for 2017 will be published in September this year.
Based on the latest science for jack mackerel (west), the Australian Fisheries Management Authority (AFMA) has increased the commercial TAC from 920 tonnes to 4190 tonnes.
The certification renewal by the Marine Stewardship Council of Atlanto-Scandian herring has been confirmed.
The decline of much of the UK under 10m fleet has escaped much attention in the furore of claim and counter-claim around Britain’s departure from the European Union, according to Jerry Percy of the Coastal PO and director of coastal fishing organisation LIFE Platform.
Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM), has unveiled its new Statement of Strategy Enabling Sustainable Growth for the 2018-2020 period, aiming to boost competitiveness amidst market uncertainties, which is intended to deliver on the development objectives of Food Wise 2025 and the sustainability objectives of the Common Fisheries Policy.
According to Johnny Berfjord of Norwegian vessel owners’ federation Fiskebåt, there is potential to make the Norwegian quota system both simpler and easier to work with. His comments have been made on the association’s website just as the Norwegian authorities are working on a Parliamentary report on the quota system. Johnny Berfjord commented that there is a need to ensure calm and stability around the structure of the fishing fleet.