Numerous member states are actively involved in the NEAFC area, and the transposition of these fisheries measures is crucial for streamlining cooperation with international partners and ensuring the sustainability of the fisheries sector in the North-East Atlantic.

Hilde Crevits, Belgian Flemish Minister for Welfare, Public Health, and the Family, and competent for Fisheries, emphasised the importance of these measures for international cooperation and the sustainability of the fisheries sector. She said:

“Numerous member states are active in the NEAFC area. The transposition of these fisheries measures is therefore important and will help streamline our cooperation with international partners, as well as ensure the sustainability of the fisheries sector in the North-East Atlantic.”

Main elements of the update

The new NEAFC measures to be transposed by the regulation include changes to improve the control of transhipment operations at sea, as well as rules on waste from vessels and the retrieval of lost gear.

With the overarching goal of improving the sustainability of fisheries, 22 species will be added to the list of species for which discarding catches is prohibited, including cod, common sole and plaice.

In order to protect vulnerable marine ecosystems, such as deep-sea corals and sponges, the regulation extends the ban on bottom fishing in certain areas until the end of 2027.

In addition, the regulation covers the implementation of certain control measures related to four pelagic fisheries in the North-East Atlantic, namely mackerel, horse mackerel, blue whiting and herring. These measures have been agreed on by the EU, the Faroe Islands, Greenland, Iceland, Norway and the UK in coastal states consultations.

One of these measures requires the use of camera and sensor technology for monitoring at landing and processing facilities, if a landing exceeds 10 tonnes and if more than 3 000 tonnes of those pelagic species are weighed per year.

Next Steps:

The text will undergo a legal and linguistic check before formal adoption by the Council and the Parliament, leading to subsequent entry into force.

Background:

NEAFC is the regional fisheries management organisation responsible for managing fisheries resources in the North-East Atlantic. Measures adopted by NEAFC are binding on its contracting parties, including the EU. The European Commission published its proposal on June 30, 2023, to implement the most recent NEAFC recommendations into EU law. Negotiations between the Council and the Parliament concluded with the text being endorsed by EU member states representatives (Coreper) in January and February 2024. The European Parliament’s rapporteur for this file is Francisco Guerreiro (Verts/ALE).