Advice and Recommendations

Two issues relating to the implementation and sustainable use of banking and borrowing provisions provided in the CFP and the way these provisions are integrated in the design of long term management plans and underlying scientific analysis.

The purpose of the Western horse mackerel rebuilding plan is to ensure stock recovery to safe biomass levels and a long-term stock exploitation that is consistent with the precautionary approach and with achieving the objective of maximum sustainable yield (MSY).

In response to EFCA’s request to the ACs to contribute with ideas on how to strengthen cooperation and on the development of TOR for the Advisory Board meetings, the Baltic AC and the Pelagic AC have made some comments.

The three ACs are pleased with the establishment of the ICES Working Group on Offshore Wind Development and Fisheries (WGOWDF) in 2020. They firmly believe that independent scientific research on the impacts of marine wind energy developments on commercial fish stocks is necessary and timely, as a basis for defining appropriate measures for the protection of essential fishing grounds. The three ACs therefore ask the European Commission to consider the research questions formulated in the recommendation as a basis for a non-recurrent request to ICES, which will support future work of the ACs Ecosystem work in developing advice for the preservation of essential habitats for relevant fish stocks.

In its response, the Commission has indicated that it would be unable to put forward such request to ICES as it was not deemed appropriate for a non-recurrent request. However, the Commission expressed willingness to engage with the three ACs on this topic through an informal meeting, but was constrained by the Brexit negotiations throughout most of 2021. The Pelagic AC will pursue an opportunity in the next financial year to discuss with the Commission and the co-signatory ACs alternative options for increased scientific input.

The Pelagic AC supports the Social Dialogue in its prioritization of fair and equitable labour conditions for workers onboard fishing vessels, and its call to align capacity rules of the CFP to accommodate the ratification of international labour standards.

In response to Commission consultation for a new approach for a sustainable Blue Economy, the members of the LDAC, MAC, MEDAC, NSAC, NWWAC, and PelAC have joined forces to submit a joint advice. The new approach to a sustainable Blue Economy is shaped by the Commission together with stakeholders and will also be implemented in collaboration. Therefore, the ACs collectively provided input by addressing challenges and opportunities related to the Commission’s new Blue Economy approach based on their relevant expertise in fisheries, aquaculture, seafood processing, trading, and retailing. The sector is highly regulated, and its members persistently strive to address the balance between the three pillars of sustainability through individual, national or trans-national initiatives. The stakeholders of the different ACs look forward to a future opportunity to discuss the new approach to a Blue economy further with the Commission.

Pelagic AC is surprised and confused about the deductions in TAC applied to North Sea and Western horse mackerel  (for 2020). The landing obligation became effective from the 1st January 2019 for all TACs and quotas species, and demersal discards plans for the North Sea, North Western Waters and South Western Waters contain small quantities of horse mackerel that could be discarded under the de-minimis exemptions.  The Pelagic AC would therefore appreciate further clarification from the Commission on the methodology that was applied for the deductions in the 2020 TACs for North Sea and Western horse mackerel and on the methodology that will continue to be applied in the future.

Following a joint PelAC-EFCA workshop on the implementation of the landing obligation in March 2020, the PelAC became aware of the publication of a summary of the evaluation of compliance with the landing obligation report for the mackerel fishery, on the EFCA website. This summary makes allegations of non-compliance in the mackerel fishery, the basis of which cannot be verified through the executive summary. To this date, after numerous requests to relevant Member State groups and directly to the agency, EFCA has refused to disclose the full report containing the data and methodology behind the conclusions presented in the summary. The Pelagic AC has escalated this plea to the level of the Commission and asked for the release the report as a matter of urgency – or to ask for the executive summary to be removed from the EFCA website altogether. More generally, the PelAC requested the Commission to work with EFCA to increase transparency in the work of the agency. In addition, the PelAC has put forward a request for disclosure through a Freedom of Information request. Regrettably, the Commission was unable to assist the PelAC in this matter. The Pelagic AC will invite to newly appointed Director of EFCA to a future Executive Committee meeting to further discuss this issue and try to come to a status quo that is acceptable to PelAC members.

In light of the letter addressed to the Commission from a number of NGOs, dated 22 July 2020, regarding the ‘Participation of NGOs in Advisory Councils’, the Pelagic AC wished to share on behalf of its members some commentary on the subject of the functioning of the European Advisory Councils. The PelAC acknowledges that the letter to the Commission outlined that even well-functioning Advisory Councils should consider ways in which the best practices already in existence can be further, and more formally, enshrined within procedures and statutes. With this in mind, and having received detailed recommendations from PelAC OIG members, which will be considered by the full membership, the PelAC intends to undertake a third-party performance review of its functioning in 2021. This is an exercise that will be carried out in parallel with the important task of re-defining the PelAC’s future in the post-Brexit landscape – and, as a result, is likely to take place in the second half of the year.

The Pelagic AC provides recommendations on TACs in 2021 for stocks under its remit.