Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2001-05-15-Speech-2-261"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20010515.10.2-261"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:translated text |
"C
.
Mr President, at the end of May the Commission will be imposing the emergency measure referred to by Mr Ortuondo Larrea in his oral question. There are a number of academic reports, especially those by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea from last November, that were confirmed at the beginning of this year by the Commission's Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries. All of these reports indicate that stocks of hake in the Bay of Biscay and southwest of the Irish coast are on the brink of collapse. The main problem for the stocks here is the large number of juvenile fish caught. The number of mature fish is declining constantly and it is to be feared that they are no longer producing sufficient young for stocks to be able to recover.
One possible way of reducing catches of juveniles is to use nets with a larger mesh size. Using nets with 70 mm mesh, hake of around 25 cm and upwards in length are caught. 100 mm mesh nets, on the other hand, catch hake measuring 40 cm or more. The planned regulation does not demand that all hake must be caught using nets with a mesh size of 100 mm or more. We have deliberately made exceptional provisions in clearly designated areas for vessels of less than 12 metres in length fishing on a day-trip basis and for vessels that catch crayfish. This exception applies to around 1500, or in other words a total of two-thirds of all vessels for which hake is the primary catch or a by-catch.
I am aware that increasing the size of the mesh entails short-term losses as regards catch weight. However, unless such a measure is introduced stocks will not be able to recover to an extent that permits sustained fishing. Scientific research has proved moreover that by increasing mesh size to 100 mm, while maintaining current fishing effort, yields will increase in the long term by at least 70%. Of course fishermen will need a certain amount of time to re-equip their vessels with the new nets, and we will give them until August 1 of this year to do this.
Those fishermen who want to continue operating with a mesh size of less than 100 mm – and this is also possible – then any by-catch of hake may not exceed 20% of the total catch. This is intended to create an incentive to fish with larger-mesh, more selective nets.
Now let me answer your question regarding whether it is possible to obtain aid for purchasing new nets. Later in the year we want to present a long-term recovery plan to the European Parliament and the Council. As soon as this proposal has been approved by the Council, the Member States will be able to grant retrospective compensation to their fishing vessel owners in accordance with the provisions of Article 16(2) of the structural regulation. Such a possibility is unfortunately not provided in the framework of the emergency regulation. I too view this as a major flaw and have ordered steps to be taken so that the structural regulation can be adjusted in this regard as rapidly as possible.
And now, let us turn to the argument that hake is very sensitive and that some of the juvenile fish escaping from the nets ultimately die anyway. I will be quite frank with you here. Our experience has shown that over a longer period a larger mesh size means more adult fish. This is what it is primarily at issue here, namely to enable stocks to recover for reproduction. And this, ultimately, will be the best proof that this measure is a sensible one."@en1
|
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples