Question 14057 — aquaculture and professional fishing

Summary

Ms. Sandrine Josso alerts the Minister of Agriculture and Food to the proposal for a multiannual plan for fisheries exploiting demersal stocks in the Western Mediterranean, presented by the European Commission on March 8, 2018. Under Article 9 of the European regulation of December 11, 2013 relating to the common fisheries policy, multiannual plans are adopted in order to restore and maintain fish stocks above levels allowing maximum sustainable yield (MSY), based on scientific, technical and economic advice. Recognizing that the exploitation of most demersal stocks in the Western Mediterranean far exceeds the levels required to achieve MSY, the Commission has presented a proposal for a regulation aimed at the conservation and sustainable exploitation of these stocks. In fact, 80% of stocks evaluated are overexploited in this subregion, and the biomass of some stocks is close to the critical reference level, indicating a high probability of collapse. In particular, hake (merluccius merluccius) and red mullet (mullus barbatus) are overfished at levels exceeding more than 10 times the MSY. Without strong measures, the current trajectory will not make it possible to achieve the sustainable fishing objectives established by the common fisheries policy by 2020. Faced with this alarming situation, the European Commission is proposing to ban trawling on the seabed up to 100 meters deep annually, over a period from May 1 to July 31. However, this system risks proving insufficient to allow the renewal of stocks. On the one hand, it is possible that such a depth is only found very far out at sea, due to the topography of the place, as is the case in the Gulf of Lion. On the other hand, scientists consider that the temporary restriction period of three months will not make it possible to effectively protect sensitive habitats, in particular the maërl and coalligenous bottoms, nor to sufficiently encourage more selective small-scale fishing. Restrict trawling to year-round, with a criterion of distance from the coast less than 20 nautical miles - or when the depth of 100 meters is reached at a lesser distance from the coast - would be more likely to guarantee the conservation of demersal stocks, and in particular spawning grounds and fish nurseries. Associated with a catch restriction system based on the recommendations of the Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries, these measures would make it possible to meet the ambition of sustainable management of fisheries in Mediterranean. Also, it asks him to indicate the measures that can be taken to respond to the crisis of overfishing of demersal stocks in the Mediterranean, with the aim of avoiding their collapse and reaching MSY by 2020, in accordance with the provisions of the common fisheries policy.

Machine translation from French. The official text remains authoritative.

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