Announced last month by the European Commission (EC), following three years of negotiations, the key aims of the package included measures to stop overfishing and a ban on discarding fish at sea.
EC statistics showed that almost a quarter of the total EU fish caught were thrown back into the sea dead or alive and “usually because they are of an unwanted species or size”, said the EC.
To end the practice, which is currently not forbidden, fishermen would have to land at least 95% of their catches. However, landed fish that are “undersized” would not enter the human food chain and, instead, be used in fish meal or go to landfill.
‘Avoid unwanted fish’
“We are trying to avoid unwanted fish being landed though,” said Andrew Kuyk, Food and Drink Federation (FDF) director of sustainability. “When a fisherman finds he is catching fish he doesn't want to catch and reaching his quota, he should stop.”
It is essential to change behaviour, Kuyk added. He said it was no good resolving the “throw back” issue with another problem, such as landing unwanted fish.
Under the reforms, fishermen would also have to legally respect the maximum sustainability yield (MSY) of particular fish stocks and catch no more than a species can reproduce in a year.
Fisheries minister George Eustice said the reform would end the “shameful” practice of discarding perfectly edible fish. The reform also signified a new chapter for the CFP and would make fishing more sustainable, he added.
Fish labelling rules have also been overhauled and would have to include information about the catch area and the type of equipment used, in order to better inform consumers.
‘Major turning point’
Reforms to the CFP were welcomed by the FDF’s Seafood Group, which said that the legislative framework was a major turning point.
The reform would set EU fisheries management on the path to a more sustainable future, enabling it to conserve and rebuild “a vital renewable food source for the benefit of consumers now and in the future”, said the FDF.