 Policy background of Monitoring and control of fisheries management 212.44 Kb
On January 1 2003, the revised European Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) entered into force. Its main objectives are that the CFP “shall ensure exploitation of living aquatic resources that provides sustainable economic, environmental and social conditions”¹. While a significant number of the basic goals of the re-vamped CFP may not appear to have changed greatly from the original version in 1983, there has been a complete change in implementation and emphasis to achieve those goals. Due to an overly-simplistic approach to fishery management, based largely on Total Allowable Catch (TAC) applied to a single species, most European fisheries are now under pressure to a greater or lesser degree. In order to conserve those fisheries most at risk, such as cod, without irreparable damage to the catching/processing sectors dependant on targeting species within the same mixed fishery, additional measures, such as monitoring and control measures must be considered. The accompanying Technical Leaflets deal with this issue.
Role of Monitoring and Control
The European Commission, on its Fisheries website, describes the monitoring and control of fisheries in the following terms “The progress achieved in consolidating monitoring and surveillance in the fishing sector would have been unthinkable a few years ago. Increased transparency in the monitoring system, ability to cross-check data, stricter surveillance of third country vessels and better cooperation between Member States will make the EU monitoring, control and surveillance system one of the most coherent in the world.”
The main thrust of the reformed CFP will be to take a long-term approach. This will involve long-term objectives for attaining and/or maintaining safe levels of adult fish in EU stocks as well as the measures needed to reach these levels. A major element in this long-term strategy will be better application of the rules. Measures will be taken to develop co-operation among the various authorities concerned and to strengthen the uniformity of control and sanctions throughout the EU. Commission inspectors' powers to ensure the equity and effectiveness of EU enforcement have been extended. These measures will help establish the level-playing field that fishermen have been calling for.²
The advantages of transparent and inter-EU Member State application of Control and Enforcement legislation goes beyond simply regulating TACs and national quotas. To ensure sustainable fishing, it is not only the quantity of fish taken from the sea that is important, but also their species, sizes, the techniques used in catching them and the areas where they are caught. Member States are now obliged to submit an annual National Data Collection Programme and assure the collection of data on a range of activities such as fishing capacity, fishing effort, catches, landings and discards, catch per unit effort, survey results, economic data relating to the fishing fleets and the processing industry. These information gathering activities are regulated via the Data Collection Regulation (DCR)³ and go a long way towards more extensive, uniform and comparable data on which scientifically accurate fishery-based management plans can be based.
Impact of New Technologies
“ More effective monitoring will result in greater compliance and will enhance profitability in the fishing sector, the best guarantee for the future. New technology has allowed the development of monitoring methods which meet the particular characteristics of the fishing sector. The VMS (Vessel Monitoring System) will not replace traditional modes of monitoring and surveillance but it will make them more efficient and effective and, in the long run, more cost-effective. These new tools will help to ensure that the objectives of the Common Fisheries Policy to achieve sustainable fisheries and to protect the future of the fishing industry are met.” ²
Electronic Surveillance Technology: Fisheries management plans will always contain an element of uncertainty but the increasing availability of electronic technology will play an ever more important part in reducing the guesswork when accurate conclusions and predictions need to be made. It is very important, particularly when a fishery is exploited by more than one party, that the monitoring is accurate and comparable
The recently introduced Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) and electronic logbooks which will soon be in widespread use have the potential to be a valuable tool for both fishermen and regulatory bodies. Real-time information on catches, landings and markets can, if used sensibly, enable all fish to be utilized to their maximum value which, in turn, has positive implications for decreased fishing effort, better economic return and greater sustainability.
Knowledge-based Control: The use of statistical modeling, which relies on the input of many different and varying sets of data, is being used to greater effect to match fishing activity with available resources. Population dynamics, the effects of climate change and many other variables can be factored into biological studies of commercially important species while the possible effects of changes in fishing patterns can be predicted for coastal communities which are highly dependant on seasonal fisheries. Going forward, the use of these modeling techniques should enable all stakeholders to take appropriate action before stocks reach critical levels.
Summaries
The summaries (Technical Leaflets) relating to monitoring and control include
CEDER
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SHEEL
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IMPAST
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DATARISK
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EESD-3
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FISHCAM
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ECOCOD
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CODTRACE
References
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Council Regulation (EC)2371/2002. 20 December 2002. On the conservation and sustainable exploitation of fisheries resources under the Common Fisheries Policy. Official Journal of the European Union, L358(31/12/2002) (2002) 59-80.
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Council Regulation (EC)1543/2000. 29 June 2000. Establishing a Community framework for the collection and management of the data needed to conduct the common fisheries policy. Official Journal of the European Union, L176(15/07/2000) 1-16 and
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Commission Regulation (EC) 1639/2001. 25 July 2001. Establishing the minimum and extended Community programmes for the collection of data in the fisheries sector and laying down detailed rules for the application of Council Regulation (EC)1543/2000. Official Journal of the European Union, L222(17/08/2001) (2001) 53-115
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