Memorandum submitted by UK Fisheries Departments
(J6)
INTRODUCTION
This memorandum has been prepared to provide
descriptions of the matters affecting the UK sea fishing industry
which the Committee has decided to make the focus of its inquiry.
To help set the inquiry in context, the memorandum first outlines
in Part I the Government's overall approach to the Common Fisheries
Policy and to achieving improvements to it. Subsequent parts deal
with the three specific issues which are the subject of the inquiry:
Part II: sea fisheries science and research;
Part III: structure of the fleet; fish processing,
trade and markets; and
Part IV: control and enforcement.
There is also an annex providing background
on vessel licensing and quota management.
PART I: THE
COMMON FISHERIES
POLICY—THE
GOVERNMENT'S
APPROACH
1.1 The Government is committed to achieving
sustainable management of fisheries so that stocks recover, fishermen's
livelihoods are safeguarded and the wider marine environment is
conserved. International co-operation is necessary to achieve
these objectives and in the waters around the United Kingdom the
EU's Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) is the principal instrument
of such co-operation.
1.2 Key features of the CFP are partnership
between Member States and the European Commission in managing
fisheries, a system of national quotas allocated according to
the principle of relative stability, restrictions on access to
waters within Member States' 12 mile limits, national responsibility
for enforcement of fisheries rules and a policy of structural
change designed to achieve a better balance between fishing effort
and sustainable catching opportunities. The Government believes
that the CFP should continue to be based on these fundamental
features. It also believes that there is significant room for
improvements in the operation of the CFP.
1.3 The Government's priorities for improvements
can be divided into four broad areas:
— integrating environmental considerations
more fully into the CFP to make it a more effective instrument
for conservation of fish stocks and the wider marine environment;
— achieving more effective and consistent
enforcement of fisheries rules across the Community;
— applying structural and conservation
measures in a way that achieves a sustainable future for the UK's
sea fishing industry and enhances economic opportunity in coastal
communities; and
— increasing the participation by fishermen
in the development of fisheries policy and in parallel increasing
the regional dimension of the CFP so that it is more sensitive
to local differences.
1.4 Since the summer of 1997 progress has
been made in EU negotiations in all four priority areas:
— agreement of new technical conservation
rules which will reduce catches of small fish and discards;
— the introduction of total allowable
catches for 10 new fish stocks or groups of stocks to protect
them from excessive exploitation;
— new rules to protect sensitive herring
stocks;
— agreement to phase out high sea drift
nets which kill unacceptable numbers of dolphins in particular;
— Council conclusions, following up
the 1997 meeting of North Sea Ministers in Bergen, stressing the
importance of integrating fisheries and environmental policies
and of making practical progress in this direction;
— tabling of UK proposals to restrict
sandeel fisheries off our North Sea coast in order to protect
seabirds and other wildlife;
— new rules on catch reporting in western
waters which improve the control of fishing effort;
— the establishment of realistic targets
for the UK under the current Multi-Annual Guidance Programme;
and
— Council conclusions calling for the
further development of regional meetings which increase the involvement
of fishermen in CFP discussions.
1.5 Other areas where improvements are currently
being, or will shortly be, discussed in the EU include;
— improved rules on control and enforcement;
— reform of the fisheries structural
fund; and
— a review of the fish marketing regime.
1.6 The Government's approach is to seek
opportunities to achieve improvements to the CFP and make full
use of them by negotiating constructively with the European Commission
and other members states. Where opportunities exist to make changes
now it would be wrong to wait until the review of the CFP in 2002
in order to achieve them.
1.7 As well as working to improve the CFP
by securing changes to EU rules, there is a lot that can be done
nationally within the existing EU rules to make the CFP work better
in the UK in line with the Government's four priorities for improvement.
Thus, since the summer of 1997 the Government has:
— issued proposals for new conservation
measures to help protect shellfish stocks;
— initiated a review of national conservation
measures for finfish;
— made additional financial provision
for the commissioning of a new marine research vessel to enhance
the Government's contribution to conserving fish stocks and reducing
marine pollution;
— introduced new UK restrictions to
prevent fish from being discarded after they have been entered
in a ship's logbook and placed in the hold;
— issued proposals for introducing
a system of designated landing ports in order to improve enforcement;
— in line with EC requirements, established
satellite tracking systems for monitoring the movement of fishing
vessels in preparation for the application of such systems to
all vessels over 24 metres;
— announced the introduction of fixed
quota allocations which will improve the UK's quota management
arrangements by increasing stability in the industry and reducing
the incentive to catch fish simply in order to maintain quota
shares;
— introduced licensing changes in order
to restrict further expansion in the pelagic fleet where there
is excess capacity;
— introduced effort control arrangements
targeted on beam trawlers and pelagic vessels, with fishermen's
organisations invited to decide the best way to manage their own
uptake of effort;
— made new financial provision for
restructuring the fleet by means of limited further decommissioning;
— announced new measures requiring
economic links between UK fishing vessels and UK coastal areas
in order to strengthen the economic benefits that the UK derives
from its quotas; and
— initiated periodic high level meetings
between UK Fisheries Ministers, fishing industry representatives
and other organisations with an interest in fisheries in order
to discuss policy development.
1.8 In discussion with the fishing industry
and other interested bodies and Government Departments, the UK
Fisheries Departments will continue to develop new proposals for
changes which will contribute to the overall objective of achieving
sustainable management of fisheries.
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