Activites

• 2014/05/29 Final act published in Official Journal
  • Regulation 2014/544
  • OJ L 163 29.05.2014, p. 0007
• 2014/05/15 Final act signed
• 2014/05/15 End of procedure in Parliament
• #3311
• 2014/05/08 Council Meeting
• 2014/05/08 Act adopted by Council after Parliament's 1st reading
• 2014/04/16 Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading
  • T7-0440/2014 summary

    The European Parliament adopted by 556 votes to 6, with 13 abstentions, a legislative resolution on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Council Regulation (EC) No 302/2009 concerning a multiannual recovery plan for Bluefin tuna in the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean. Parliament adopted its position at first reading following the ordinary legislative procedure. The amendments adopted in plenary are the result of an agreement reached between the European Parliament and the Council. They amended the proposal as follows: Fishing seasons: Parliament and the Council introduced an amendment which reflected the recommendation adopted at the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) in 2013. This recommendation allow modifications to the fishing seasons for baitboats and trolling boats in the eastern Atlantic that do not affect the protection of the Bluefin tuna spawning grounds in the Mediterranean. In this context, for the years 2014 and 2015, and since the protection of the spawning grounds is not affected, Member States may specify, in their annual national fishing plans, a different starting date for baitboats and trolling boats flying their flag and operating in the eastern Atlantic, provided that the total duration of the open season for those fisheries continues to comply with the Regulation. Use of stereoscopic cameras during caging operations: the colegislators introduced a new article providing for the use of stereoscopic camera systems in the context of caging operations shall comply with the following conditions. In particular: (i) the sampling intensity of live fish shall not be below 20% of the amount of fish being caged; (ii) samples should be made up of fish measured at a distance of between 2 and 8 m from the camera; (iii) the dimensions of the transfer gate connecting the donor cage and the receiving cage shall be set at a maximum width of 10 m and a maximum height of 10 m. The information as regards the results of the stereoscopical programme should indicate the margin of error inherent to the technical specifications of the stereoscopic camera system, which shall not exceed +/- 5.

• 2014/02/12 Committee report tabled for plenary, 1st reading/single reading
  • A7-0102/2014 summary

    The Committee on Fisheries adopted the report by Raül ROMEVA i RUEDA (Greens/EFA, ES) on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Council Regulation (EC) No 302/2009 concerning a multiannual recovery plan for Bluefin tuna in the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean. The parliamentary committee recommended that the position adopted by the European Parliament at first reading under the ordinary legislative procedure should amend the Commission’s proposal as follows: Fishing seasons: Members introduced an amendment which reflects the amendment adopted at the 2013 meeting of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT). This recommendation stated that the Contracting Parties and Cooperating non-Contracting Parties, Entities or Fishing Entities may specify a different starting date for the fishing seasons for their bait boats and trolling boats operating in the eastern Atlantic, while keeping the total duration of the open season for these fisheries. Furthermore, whilst the Commission proposed that fishing for Bluefin tuna by other gears than those mentioned in paragraphs 1 to 5 shall be permitted throughout the year, Members wished to specify that fishing for Bluefin tuna by traps, small longliners (< 24m) and handliners shall be permitted throughout the year. Use of stereoscopic cameras during caging operations: Members introduced a new article providing for the use of stereoscopic cameras during caging operations under certain conditions. In particular, the sampling intensity of live fish shall not be below 20% of the amount of fish being caged. The width and height of the transfer gate connecting the donor cage and the receiving cage shall be set at maximum of 10 meters. The information communicated on the results of the stereoscopical programme shall indicate the margin of error inherent to the technical specifications of the stereoscopic camera system, which shall not exceed +/-5%.

  • ENVI
  • PECH PECH/7/12629
• 2014/02/11 Vote in committee, 1st reading/single reading
  • ENVI
  • PECH PECH/7/12629
• 2013/05/21 Committee referral announced in Parliament, 1st reading/single reading
  • ENVI
  • PECH PECH/7/12629
• 2013/05/02 Legislative proposal published
  • COM(2013)0250 summary

    PURPOSE : to amend the provision concerning fishing seasons regarding bluefin tuna in Council Regulation (EC) No 302/2009. PROPOSED ACT : Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council. ROLE OF PARLIAMENT : the European Parliament decides in accordance with the ordinary legislative procedure and on an equal footing with the Council. BACKGROUND : the EU is a Party to the International Convention for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas ("the Convention"), which established the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas ("ICCAT").  At its 16th Special Meeting in 2008, ICCAT adopted Recommendation 08-05 to establish a new recovery plan for Bluefin tuna in the eastern Atlantic and in the Mediterranean, and Regulation (EC) No 302/20095 was adopted to implement those international conservation measures at Union level. This was later amended by Regulation (EU) No 500/2012. At its 18th Special Meeting in 2012, ICCAT adopted Recommendation 12-03, which provides for: ·        a modification of the fishing seasons; ·        defining fishing seasons as open seasons, as opposed to closed seasons indicated in the previous ICCAT Recommendations; ·        a modification of the actual dates when fishing is permitted by purse seiners, bait boats and trolling boats; ·        explicitly allowing all other gears the possibility of fishing all year round to avoid any uncertainty for those gears which are not subject to any specific rules on fishing seasons. Pending the entry into force of ICCAT Recommendation 12-03 and its comprehensive implementation, this proposal aims to modify the provisions on fishing seasons in Regulation (EC) No 302/2009 in order to ensure effective conservation of the bluefin tunastock. IMPACT ASSESSMENT : no impact assessment was undertaken. Member States concerned by this fishery (Cyprus, Spain, France, Greece, Italy, Malta and Portugal) were consulted on 11th December 2012 on the need to clarify the dates of the fishing season, and are agreed on the modifications to the dates of the fishing season. LEGAL BASIS : Article 43 (2) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union CONTENT : this proposal aims to amend Regulation (EC) No 302/2009 to reflect ICCAT Recommendation 12-03 regarding fishing seasons. Fishing seasons: bluefin tuna fishing will be permitted in the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean: ·        by large-scale pelagic long line catching vessels over 24 m during the period from 1 January to 31 May with the exception of the area delimited by West of 10◦W and North of 42◦N, where such fishing shall be permitted from 1 August to 31 January; ·        by purse seine fishing during the period from 26 May to 24 June; ·        by bait boats and trolling boats during the period from 1 July to 31 October; ·        by pelagic trawlers in the eastern Atlantic during the period from 16 June to 14 October ; ·        as recreational and sport fishing from 16 June to 14 October. Fishing for Bluefin tuna by other gears than those mentioned above will be permitted throughout the year. Date of application: this amendment will apply with retroactive effect from 1 January 2013. This will allow Member States properly to define their fishing capacity and inspection plans which are linked to the fishing seasons and ensure legal certainty. BUDGETARY IMPLICATION: this proposal has no impact on the EU budget.

  • DG {u'url': u'http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/maritimeaffairs_fisheries/', u'title': u'Maritime Affairs and Fisheries'}, DAMANAKI Maria

Documents

• Legislative proposal published: COM(2013)0250
• Committee report tabled for plenary, 1st reading/single reading: A7-0102/2014
• Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading: T7-0440/2014
• : Regulation 2014/544
• : OJ L 163 29.05.2014, p. 0007

Votes

A7-0102/2014 - Raül Romeva i Rueda - Résolution législative

Position	Total	ALDE	ECR	EFD	GUE/NGL	NI	PPE	S&D	Verts/ALE	correctional
For	556	60	41	15	30	11	203	146	50	0
Against	6	0	0	0	0	6	0	0	0	0
Abstain	13	0	0	5	0	8	0	0	0	0

Amendments

Dossier

10

2013/0133(COD) Multiannual recovery plan for bluefin tuna in the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean: fishing seasons 2013/10/14 PECH, PECH 1 amendments... Amendment 1 # Raül ROMEVA i RUEDA Proposal for a regulation Article 1 Regulation (EC) No 302/2009 Article 7 – paragraph 6 6. Fishing for Bluefin tuna by other gears than those mentioned in paragraphs 1 to 5 shall be permitted throughout the year. The proposal by the Commission concerns an amendment to the recovery plan that was first adopted for bluefin tuna in 2006. At that time, the species was widely recognized to be over- exploited and depleted, but the Contracting Parties to the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT - the regional management body responsible for the fishery) were loath to reduce catches and profits. Eventually, though, after years of political battles and a number of amendments to the recovery plan, the most recent scientific analysis of bluefin (2012) suggested that recent trends in several indicators indicate that stock recovery may have begun, although scientists are still extremely cautious and state that “in 2012, the Committee had too few information about the catch composition, effort and spatial distribution of the main Mediterranean fisheries to derive any conclusive statement.” In addition, no new assessment of bluefin has been conducted for 2013, and the scientific committee (SCRS) states that it cannot scientifically justify a substantial change in the TAC. More specifically, it states “Nonetheless, the Committee notes that maintaining catches at around recent TACs under the current management scheme will likely allow the stock to increase during that period and is consistent with the goal of achieving FMSY and BMSY through 2022 with at least 60% of probability, given the quantified uncertainties." Nonetheless, bluefin being such a profitable fishery, there will be pressure at the upcoming ICCAT meeting in Cape Town in November 2013 to increase the TAC. It is your rapporteur's firm belief that it would be foolish and economically counter- productive to increase the TAC. The stock is still well below levels capable of producing MSY and the SCRS continues to stress that significant uncertainties remain about the status of the stock. The new objective of fisheries management in the CFP requires stocks to be restored to and maintained at levels above MSY - so the EU's policy dictates that we must be cautious about this fishery. Economics point in the same way, since if the stock were allowed to increase, so as to ensure recovery to more abundant levels, catches and profits could both increase. The most economically productive stocks are those which are well above levels that can produce MSY, and bluefin is still a long way from there. Coming to the substance of the Commission's proposal, it is to amend one article of Regulation 301/2009, the current recovery plan. It is proposed, based on ICCAT Recommendation 12-03, to amend the fishing season. First, it changes from a closed season to an open season. It also changes the dates for purse seines, bait boats and trolling boats by a few days. Since these are from an ICCAT Recommendation, they must be transposed into EU law. However, there is a third provision, which adds a new sentence to the EU Regulation - "Fishing for bluefin tuna by other gears than those mentioned in paragraphs 1 to 5 shall be permitted throughout the year". Your rapporteur finds this too loose a phrase, even if it comes from ICCAT language. The Commission confirms that only three gears would be involved in the targeted fishery - traps, small longliners (< 24-m) and hand lines. So, given that management of this fishery has been problematic and complicated for many years, in order to avoid all possible confusion over which gears are able to fish all year round, it is proposed to specify that the year-round season applies to these gears only. It is true that this differs from the ICCAT language but it serves simply to clarify it, in order to ensure that there are no unintended consequences later.traps, small longliners (< 24-m) and hand lines shall be permitted throughout the year. Or. en EXPLANATORY STATEMENT source: PE-519.821 2013/11/11 PECH 4 amendments... Amendment 2 # Maria do Céu PATRÃO NEVES Proposal for a regulation Recital 4 a (new) (4a) In the outermost regions of the Azores, Madeira and the Canaries, where tuna fishing is carried out exclusively by bait boats using a highly sustainable and environmentally friendly type of gear, bluefin tuna are frequently found along their migratory route before or after the fishing season proposed in ICCAT recommendation 12-03 (1 July to 31 October), which means that local tuna fleets will be unable to take any catches of this species. Consequently, the bluefin tuna fishing season for bait boats in these outermost regions should be modified, without any change to its actual duration, so that the period would be from 1 May to 31 August. Amendment 3 # Sergio Paolo Francesco SILVESTRIS Proposal for a regulation Recital 5 (5) Pending the entry into force of ICCAT Recommendation 12-03 and its comprehensive implementation, which provides for a plan to monitor the phenomenon of incidental catches, possibly considering the use of observers on vessels; in order to ensure effective conservation of the bluefin tuna stock, to provide legal certainty as to the fishing seasons concerned and, finally, to allow Member States to properly define their fishing, capacity and inspection plans and other reporting obligations, it is necessary to modify the provisions on fishing seasons in Regulation (EC) No 302/2009 as soon as possible and to apply those modifications from the beginning of 2013. Amendment 4 # Sergio Paolo Francesco SILVESTRIS Proposal for a regulation Recital 5 a (new) (5a) Considering the possibility of providing for an increase in the quota for incidental catches of bluefin tuna and the exceeding of the quota for each year, in which any excess quantity should be deducted the following year, in addition to the development of an appropriate system for the marketing of any bluefin tuna caught accidentally. Amendment 5 # Maria do Céu PATRÃO NEVES Proposal for a regulation Article 1 – paragraph 1 Regulation (EC) No 302/2009 Article 7 – paragraph 3 3. Bluefin tuna fishing by bait boats and trolling boats shall be permitted in the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean during the period from 1 July to 31 October, except in the outermost regions of the Azores, Madeira and the Canaries, where bluefin tuna fishing by bait boats shall be permitted during the period from 1 May to 31 August. source: PE-521.829 2014/01/16 PECH 5 amendments... Amendment 2 # Maria do Céu PATRÃO NEVES, Nuno TEIXEIRA Proposal for a regulation Recital 4 a (new) (4a) At its 23rd Regular Meeting in November 2013, ICCAT adopted Recommendation 13-08 complementing Recommendation 12-03, in order to allow modifications of the fishing seasons in the eastern Atlantic that do not affect the protection of the bluefin tuna spawning grounds. This ICCAT recommendation states that the Contracting Parties and Cooperating non-Contracting Parties, Entities or Fishing Entities (CPCs) may specify a different starting date for the fishing seasons for their bait boats and trolling boats operating in the eastern Atlantic, while keeping the total duration of the open season for these fisheries. Amendment 3 # Sergio Paolo Francesco SILVESTRIS Proposal for a regulation Recital 5 (5) Pending the entry into force of ICCAT Recommendation 12-03 and its comprehensive implementation, which provides for a plan to monitor the phenomenon of incidental catches, possibly considering the use of observers on vessels; in order to ensure effective conservation of the bluefin tuna stock, to provide legal certainty as to the fishing seasons concerned and, finally, to allow Member States to properly define their fishing, capacity and inspection plans and other reporting obligations, it is necessary to modify the provisions on fishing seasons in Regulation (EC) No 302/2009 as soon as possible and to apply those modifications from the beginning of 2013. Amendment 4 # Sergio Paolo Francesco SILVESTRIS Proposal for a regulation Recital 5 a (new) (5a) Considering the possibility of providing for an increase in the quota for incidental catches of bluefin tuna and the exceeding of the quota for each year, in which any excess quantity should be deducted the following year, in addition to the development of an appropriate system for the marketing of any bluefin tuna caught accidentally. Amendment 5 # Raül ROMEVA i RUEDA, Carmen FRAGA ESTÉVEZ, Maria do Céu PATRÃO NEVES, Kriton ARSENIS Proposal for a regulation Article 1 – paragraph 1 Regulation 302/2009 Article 7 paragraph 3 Bluefin tuna fishing by bait boats and trolling boats shall be permitted in the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean during the period from 1 July to 31 October. Notwithstanding the previous sub- paragraph, for the years 2014 and 2015, and since it does not affect the protection of the spawning grounds, Member States may specify, in their annual national fishing plans, a different starting date for baitboats and trolling boats flying their flag and operating in the eastern Atlantic, while keeping the total duration of the open season for these fisheries in line with the provisions of the previous sub- paragraph. Amendment 6 # Raül ROMEVA i RUEDA, Carmen FRAGA ESTÉVEZ, Kriton ARSENIS Proposal for a regulation Article 1 – paragraph 1 a (new) Regulation (EC) No. 302/2009 Article 24 a (new) Use of stereoscopic cameras during caging operations The use of stereoscopic cameras systems in the context of caging operations shall be conducted in accordance with the following: 1. The sampling intensity of live fish shall not be below 20% of the amount of fish being caged. When technically possible, the sampling of live fish shall be sequential, by measuring one in every five specimens. Such a sample should be made up of fish measured at a distance between 2 and 8 meters from the camera. 2. The dimensions of the transfer gate connecting the donor cage and the receiving cage shall be set at maximum width of 10 meters and maximum height of 10 meters. 3. When the length measurements of the fish present a multi-modal distribution (two or more cohorts of distinct sizes), it shall be possible to use more than one conversion algorithm for the same caging operation. The most up to date algorithm(s) established by SCRS shall be used to convert fork lengths into total weights, according to the size category of the fish measured during the caging operation. 4. Validation of the stereoscopical length measurements shall be undertaken prior to each caging operation using a scale bar at a distance of 2 and 8 m. 5. When the results of the stereoscopical program are communicated, the information shall indicate the margin of error inherent to the technical specifications of the stereoscopic camera system, which shall not exceed +/- 5 percent. 6. All the technical specifications above, including the sampling intensity, the way of sampling, the distance from the camera, the dimensions of the transfer gate, algorithms (length-weight relationship) shall be reviewed by the SCRS at its 2014 meeting, and if necessary modified based on SCRS recommendations at the 2014 ICCAT Commission annual meeting.(1a) The following article shall be inserted: Article 24a source: PE-521.829

History

(these mark the time of scraping, not the official date of the change)