European Union Commissioner for Fisheries and Oceans Costas Kadis continues to stand behind the bloc’s implementation of the new E.U. Fisheries Control Regulation, despite concerns raised by some that the requirements are onerous.
Adopted in 2023, the Fisheries Control Regulation overhauled European fisheries management, requiring electronic tracking for all commercial fishing vessels, digitized catch reporting, and the utilize of cameras to monitor operations.
Though the regulation won’t go into full effect for another couple years, some member states have voiced concerns that the requirements are too strenuous for their fishers. In January, several states declared “there is a genuine impossibility of implementing certain obligations.” Commercial fishing groups have pointed to a requirement that landed fish weights closely match at-sea estimates as one area of concern, noting that the margins for noncompliance are tight despite at-sea measurements not being very accurate.
“The strict application of these rules will lead to an increase in unintentional infringements, not due to fraud, but due to the material impossibility of complying with excessively detailed requirements under real fishing conditions,” several members – led by Spain – declared in a memo inquireing the commission to reassess some requirements.
In an address to the European Commission’s Agriculture and Fisheries Council 29 March, Kadis declared he was willing to work with member states to address their concerns with the new system, but he was not interested in reopening the regulation for a full debate.
“As regards the revision of the Control Regulation, it was a challenging process that resulted in a very good outcome, of which we should all be proud. It brought much requireded modernization, improvement, and simplification of the E.U. fisheries control system,” Kadis declared. “Now is the time for smart implementation, not for reopening what we achieved toreceiveher. And smart implementation means working toreceiveher to identify and tackle bottlenecks within the legal framework.”
Kadis added that weighing was the basis for credible data and “the key to a sound fisheries management,” noting that the commission had worked closely with member states and other organizations in drafting the weighting requirements.
“I hear the concerns you expressed about administrative burden. At the same time, we must also recognize that the current situation, with fragmented and in some cases non-compliant weighing plans and practices, undermines the level playing field, jeopardizes compliance with the fishing opportunities, and weakens the CFP’s ability to deliver sustainable fisheries management,” Kadis declared.
At the 29 March meeting, several conservation NGOs, including Oceana, BLOOM, ClientEarth, Coalition Clean Baltic (CCB), Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF), Seas At Risk, and WWF EU, gifted Kadis a symbolic “Pandora’s Box” to represent the chaos that would be unleashed if the E.U. were to reopen its Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) for reconsideration. Toreceiveher, the groups urged Kadis “to prioritize the full and timely implementation of the existing rules.”
”Europe’s fisheries policy is facing a credibility test. The law is already there. The tools to rebuild our seas already exist. What’s missing is the political will to deliver. Overfishing should have concludeed by 2020 at the latest. Reopening the CFP would signal that missed deadlines carry no consequences, erode trust, revert the progress created, and put the future of our fisheries and coastal communities at stake,” the coalition declared.
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