As part of the package of proposals for a new, reformed fisheries policy for the European Union (EU), Fisheries Ministers on Wednesday (27 February), backed a ban on the discarding of fish, but stopped short of a comprehensive outlaw inciting criticism from environmental groups.

The ban centres on the practice employed by many fish trawlers in throwing dead, unwanted fish back into the sea. The practice reportedly started after the EU’s Common Fisheries Policy (CFP), set limits for the amounts of fish species allowed to be landed.

According to European Commission, this has resulted in almost a quarter of all EU-caught fish being thrown back into the sea and seen three out of four fish stocks being classed as ‘overfished’: 82 per cent of Mediterranean stocks and 63 per cent of Atlantic stocks.

Ministers reached a partial approach to CFP reform in June 2012 under Danish Presidency but this week, following ‘lengthy negotiations’ in Brussels, proposed a timetable for the implementation of specific bans to allow fish stocks to recover.

Under the reforms (negotiations for which will start with the European Parliament immediately) it will be illegal to discard pelagic fish such as mackerel or herring from 2014, extending to white fish stocks (cod, hake and sole) from 2016.

However, the ban on discarding pelagic fish will not be implemented in the North Sea until 2016 and the Mediterranean until 2017.

Additionally, in a bid to secure the backing of fishing countries such as Spain and Portugal, exemptions for certain species have been agreed upon. Fishermen will be permitted to discard up to nine per cent of ‘certain species’ in 2014, falling to seven per cent in 2019.

Over-fishing

President of the European Council of Fisheries Ministers and Irish Farm and Fisheries Minister, Simon Coveney, said he hoped that this landmark agreement would resolve the ‘contentious’ discarding issue.

He said: “The discarding issue was always going to be contentious and resolving it difficult, not that there was any disagreement on the overall objective, but because there were divergent views on the associated management tools needed to make a discard ban a reality in practice.

“We have set an ambitious timeframe starting in January 2014, for introducing the discard ban underpinned by specific management tools to ensure its delivery.”

According to the EU Commission, 23 per cent of fish landed by EU vessels are discarded, more than any others in the World, contributing the to the estimated 1.3 million tonnes of fish discarded into the northeast Atlantic every year.

Speaking from Brussels, UK Fisheries Minister, Richard Benyon, declared the implementation of a timetable “a historic moment” in the reform of the CFP.

However, he lamented some of the concessions that were required to orchestrate such a change: “I am disappointed that some of the measures required to put this ban into place are no longer as ambitious as I had hoped but it’s a price I am willing to accept if it means we can get the other details right.

“The final package will still need to be agreed with the EU Parliament but the result we have achieved today is another step in the right direction and will prove to be good for both fishermen and the marine environment.”

Criticism

Though steps toward a comprehensive discard ban clearly have been taken, environmental groups argue that discussions had fallen somewhat short, with Sweden rejecting proposals altogether in calls for a far more restrictive policy.

Greenpeace EU Fisheries Policy Director Saskia Richartz, said: "The exemption of certain fish species called for by Spain, Portugal and France was avoided, but ministers are backing a partial ban at best.

“This half-hearted approach would also make it harder to monitor and implement a ban. It is, however, encouraging that a growing number of countries are joining the European Parliament's call for a far-reaching reform of EU fisheries to stop waste and encourage sustainable practices.”

Executive Director of the European branch of the ocean conservation group, Oceana, Xavier Pastor, added:“Fisheries Ministers are steamrolling the will of the people because they lack the political courage to do the right thing. This decision is just another example of how disconnected they are from the citizens of their own countries, who want to put an end to this shameful practice of wasting fish.”

Difficulties

Writing in a blog post, EU Fisheries Commissioner Maria Damanaki, accepted that fishermen and member states will need guidance in adapting to reform.

She wrote: ’Reaching sustainability and abandoning discarding practices is indeed a radical change and we have to keep this momentum. We have to move forward to remove the uncertainties that are still there work in order to have a compromise that can be workable: we have to find the best way to implement the reform.

‘I understand the concerns of Ministers and the Presidency, about the timeline: we need to be realistic and I am here to hear your proposals. I just want to remind that 2020 is the deadline: that is the limit we all agreed upon.

‘Also we need some flexibility referring to mechanisms for implementation and I am ready to discuss about the introduction of a de minimis threshold and quota flexibility measures.’

Meanwhile, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has said it would ‘work to improve selectivity of fishing gear,’ improve understanding about ‘which fish can be returned to the sea alive’ and make sure British ports can ‘handle any extra fish that may be landed’.

Read more about the proposed discards ban.