Megapesca Lda. Portugal
Fishfiles Lite is a monthly newsletter on key developments in EU fisheries policy and legislation. For more details and the full text of any of the items below, please visit our site and subscribe to the FishFiles Professional Services (Fish Hygiene or Common Fisheries Policy).
Contents:
- EU/Mauritania fisheries agreement
- EU/Cape Verde Fisheries Agreement
- EU/Sao Tome Fisheries Agreement
- Social and Economic Committee comments on CFP Green Paper
- New FIFG rules on countries for permanent export of decommissioned vessels
- Ban on Irish Sea trawl fishing
- Warning on blue whiting stocks
- Sandeel fishery controversy
- New basis for EU Food law and European Food safety Authority established
- Commission inspects Competent Authority for fish and bivalves in Morocco
- Commission inspects Competent Authority for fish and bivalves in Belgium
Common Fisheries Policy
- The EU has ratified the EU/Mauritania fisheries protocol (to June 2006) and allocates fishing opportunities to vessels from Greece, Italy, Spain and Portugal.
- The text of the protocol between EU and Cape Verde is now available, setting out fishing opportunities to June 2004 for EU vessels.
- The Sao Tome &Principe fisheries agreement is renewed for a period of three years from 1 June 2002. The agreement will offer fishing possibilities to 36 tuna seiners, 25 surface long-liners and 2 pole and line vessels.
- The EU Parliament has published detailed comments on the social and economic aspects of the Commission's Green Paper on the CFP published in March 2001. It criticises the Green Paper as overlooking the social aspects of fisheries, especially in relation to outermost regions.
- New rules were passed for structural assistance in the fishing sector under the FIFG. In future there will be no support for permanent export of vessels to third countries which are identified by regional fisheries organisations as fishing in a manner which jeopardises international conservation measures.
- The Council has introduced a ban with immediate effect, on all trawl fishing in the Irish Sea (with the exception of large mesh sizes/types in some areas, and trawls with separator panels).
- The Commission has commented on the imminent danger to blue whiting stocks due the failure of coastal states (EU, the Faroe Islands, Greenland, Iceland, Norway and the Russian Federation) to agree on restrictions, despite strong scientific evidence of overfishing. The EU has imposed a unilateral catch reduction of 35%.
- Controversy over the industrial sandeel fishery continues. The Parliament has asked the Commission for scientific corroboration to support Commission view that there is no evidence that this fishery has little impact of cod and haddock stocks. A current British study is investigating links between the sandeel fishery and cod/haddock abundance.
Fish Hygiene
- The EU has passed the regulation to establish the European Food Safety Authority and provide a new basis for all EU Food Law. It gives key definitions of food and other terms. Traceability requirements are also specified for the first time in EU law.
- EU Commission has reported on the Moroccan Competent Authority (June 2001) with respect to health controls for the export of fishery products to the EU. Exports of bivalves were subsequently voluntarily suspended and 13 establishments had their approval withdrawn.
- EU Commission also reports on an inspection mission of the Competent Authority for fishery and bivalve products in Belgium. Conclusion was generally satisfactory despite some shortcomings.
To unsubscribe from this newsletter, please return this message to
