European Parliament Imposes New Fisheries Monitoring Rules
The European Parliament on Oct. 17 adopted new fisheries control rules requiring all EU fishing vessels to be monitored and their catches to be electronically reported. The measures are meant to establish "full traceability" under the EU's new fisheries control system and were adopted on a 438-146 vote, with 40 abstentions.
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Boats will be required to carry a tracking device allowing member states' authorities to locate and identify them "at regular intervals." Certain small vessels may be exempted from the regulations until 2030, while all small-scale fishing vessels will get up to four years to implement the rules. Also as part of the requirements, recreational boats will be required to declare catches.
Part of the rules also addresses the "current wide disparities between EU countries regarding sanctions," defining the minimum fine levels levied in cases of serious rule violations. "The margin of tolerance -- the difference between the estimate of the fish caught and the weight at the landing port -- will be set at 10% per species, with some exceptions for small-volume catches and for some particular species," the parliament said.
The regulation was sent to the European Council for formal adoption. Following this step, the regulation will take effect 20 days after its publication in the Official Journal.