COMMON FISHERIES POLICY: IMPROVING FISHING
CAPACITY AND EFFORT INDICATORS (6116/07)
Letter from the Chairman to Ben Bradshaw
MP, Minister for Local Environment, Marine and Animal Welfare,
Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Your Explanatory Memorandum on the above Communication
was considered by Sub-Committee D at its meeting of 21 March 2007.
We agree with the Government that there is a
need to ensure more effective control of fishing activity and
the Commission's Communication is certainly a useful contribution
to the debate. In considering the Communication the Committee
noted the relevance of satellite monitoring to control over fishing
effort. The Committee would be grateful therefore for information
on the impact which the introduction of satellite monitoring has
had on fisheries enforcement in UK waters. In addition, and in
the light of technological advances, the Committee has asked to
what extent satellite monitoring is able to assist in monitoring
the use of certain types of fishing gear.
More generally, as some of the ideas contained
in the Communication could prove burdensome to the industry, we
consider that it will be important to reflect carefully on any
legislative proposals that come forward.
In the meantime, we are content to release the
Communication from scrutiny and look forward to receiving information
from you on satellite monitoring.
26 March 2007
Letter from Ben Bradshaw MP to the Chairman
Thank you for your letter of 26 March about
the Explanatory Memorandum on the communication from the Commission
on improving fishing capacity and effort indicators under the
Common Fisheries Policy.
In your letter you asked two questions, firstly
what impact the introduction of Satellite Monitoring has had on
fisheries enforcement, and secondly to what extent satellite monitoring
is able to assist in monitoring the use of certain types of fishing
gear.
In answer to your first point, the introduction
of satellite monitoring has:
— provided a saving of 650 flying hours
for the fisheries Aerial Surveillance Contract;
— ensured more targeted deployment
of resources, in particular to Fisheries Patrol Vessels, especially
where fishing activities are restricted; and
— provided an early indication of where
vessels intend to land. The Marine Fisheries Agency can then use
this information to decide where shore side resources would be
best placed.
With regard to your second point, satellite
monitoring provides us with very little information about the
use of fishing gear. British Sea Fisheries Officers can use local
knowledge of fishing methods to deduce the probable types of fishing
being carried out. Satellite tracking provides two hourly GPS
position reports of vessels along with their speed and course
which in the case of trawlers, may indicate whether the vessel
is towing gear and in the case of a vessel using fixed nets, it
may provide information about when nets are set and tended but
little else.
25 April 2007
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