Modern tools for effective control, Study: women in maritime sectors, Discards: new rules on the drawing board

Today, Maria Damanaki, European Commissioner for Maritime affairs and fisheries, will visit the European Seafood Exposition at the Brussels Exhibition Centre, Heysel. During her visit, the Commissioner will participate in a roundtable discussion with WWF/Industry Alliance for CFP reform.

Today, European Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Maria Damanaki is meeting representatives of the fishing industry and other stakeholders to discuss what can be done to stop discarding of fish. Discarding is the practice of throwing back unwanted fish to the sea.

Speech by Commissioner Damanaki at the European Parliament - Greens/EFA Group Hearing: "How much fish can be safely caught?"

Speech by Commissioner Damanaki at the Stakeholders' hearing on discards

New study on-line

The Agriculture & Fisheries Council will meet in Luxembourg on Thursday 14 April (starting at 11 a.m.). It will be chaired by Mr Sándor Fazekas, Hungarian Minister for Rural Development....

Getting away with fishing illegally will become much more difficult for fishermen, as the EU's new system for fisheries control is now fully operational. With the adoption of detailed rules on how to carry out controls ...

The credibility of the EU's Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) depends on an effective enforcement and application of the agreed rules. With the adoption of detailed rules to apply the EU Fisheries Control Regulation, the ...

Speech by Commissioner Damanaki at the press conference

Speech by Commissioner Janez Potočnik at the Joint plastic MED event with Commissioner Damanaki on the protection of the Mediterranean Sea

Speech by Commissioner Damanaki at the Round table discussion on pollution of the Mediterranean from marine litter

Given the current exceptional situation in Libya, European Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Maria Damanaki has expressed serious doubts about the capacity of the Libyan authorities to ensure full compliance with and enforcement of the measures established by ICCAT for the purposes of conserving bluefin tuna.

The 15th Plenary Session of the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) was held in Colombo, Sri Lanka from 18 to 22 March. A three-day meeting of the IOTC Compliance Committee had preceded the plenary. The Plenary outcome was rather disappointing for the EU. While...

Speech by Commissioner Damanaki at the seminar of the ALDE (Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe) Group of the European Parliament

Deadline for submission of bids: 16/05/2011

After more than a decade of ineffective measures to ensure the sustainability of the redfish fisheries in the Irminger Sea (waters between Iceland and Greenland in the NEAFC Convention Area), the Coastal States (Faroe Islands, Greenland and Iceland) along with the European Union and Norway reached agreement in Reykjavik on 17 March on multi-annual interim conservation and management measures for deep and shallow pelagic redfish in the Irminger Sea. These measures, based on an EU proposal, will be applied with immediate effect.

Speech by Commissioner Damanaki at the meeting on Common Fisheries Policy at the EC Representation in Berlin, Germany

The Community Fisheries Control Agency (CFCA) based in Vigo, Spain, adopted its annual report for 2010 at the meeting of its Administrative Board held on 15 March.

"Flag State Notification" has been updated

"Flag State Notification" has been updated

New poster on-line

Speech by Commissioner Damanaki at the European Parliament plenary session

Speech by Commissioner Damanaki at the European Parliament plenary session

Speech by Commissioner Damanaki at the European Parliament plenary session

"List of approved economic operators" has been added under "additional information".

New page on the website containing lists of fisheries codes and data structure that are relevant for all stakeholders of the fisheries community to record and report fishing activities.

Speech by Commissioner Damanaki at the High Level Meeting on banning discards

The European Commission has initialled a 12-month extension of the protocol under the Fisheries Partnership Agreement (FPA) with Morocco. The level of fishing opportunities for EU vessels and the corresponding financial contribution to Morocco will remain the same as in the 2007 protocol, which expired on February 27, 2011.  This one year period will be used to asses the data and information obtained from the Moroccan authorities about the regional impacts of the protocol and to define next steps.

The 20th Century evolution of Mediterranean exploited demersal resources under increasing fishing disturbance and environmental change

Maria Damanaki, Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, received on Monday a visit of the Ministers for Agriculture of the Czech Republic Ivan Fuksa, Hungary Sandor Fazekas, Slovakia Zsolt Simon, Austria Nikolaus Berlakivich as well as the Director for international affairs of Luxembourg Frank Schmidt.

Speech by Commissioner Damanaki at the Committee of Senior Officials of the Adriatic Ionian Initiative, Ancona, Italy

The Commission adopted on 11 February, a proposal for a draft negotiating mandate, addressed to the Council for a transitional, time-limited renewal of the Fisheries Parrtnership Agreement Protocol. 

After meeting the WWF – Industry Alliance at Europe House in London today, EU Fisheries Commissioner Damanaki said:

"Requirement of a validated EU catch certificate for transhipment within a non-EU port" has been added.

The European Commission welcomes the decision by the 2nd Preparatory Conference for a South Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Organization which concluded Friday last week in Cali, Colombia, to make a substantial reduction in the TAC for jack mackerel.

Speech by Commissioner Maria Damanaki at the Plenary session of the Committee of the Regions

Speech by Commissioner Maria Damanaki at the 6th International Forum on Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing

On 22 December, the European Commission on behalf of the European Union initialled a new three-year protocol under the Fisheries Partnership Agreement (FPA) with Cape Verde setting fishing possibilities for EU vessels in Cape Verde's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), along with other conditions. The new protocol foresees a total EU financial contribution of EUR 435,000, and will come into force when the present protocol expires, on 1 September.

Final report

Speech by Commissioner Maria Damanaki at the closing press conference of the December AGRI FISH Council

Extracts from the EU Presidency / European Commission press conference

At the end of the first day of their meeting in Brussels, the Council of Fisheries Ministers reached political agreement on TACs and quotas for turbot and sprat fisheries in the Black Sea.

The European Commission regrets the inability of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) to agree on a new and effective approach to managing tropical tunas at its 7th annual meeting in Honolulu from 6 to 10 December.

Deadline for submission of bids: 14/02/2011

Our multilingual dictionaries are out of print but are available in PDF format.

- Aquatic animals and plants
- Fishing gear
- Fishing vessels and safety onboard

The European Commission has tabled its annual proposal on next year’s guide prices for fresh and frozen fisheries products as well as the EU producer price for tuna for processing. The market for fisheries products appears to be recovering, following the dramatic drops in first-sale prices in 2009.

(organised by the Fisheries Committee of the European Parliament)

The European Commission has tabled its proposal on fishing possibilities for fish stocks in the Black Sea for 2011.

On Saturday 27 November the annual meeting of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) closed.

"This year's ICCAT meeting has produced results which represent a step in the right direction for sustainable management of bluefin tuna and other species. This is important not just for ICCAT waters and stocks, but for fisheries management globally, and for the EU as a whole.

New report (in French only)

New report (in French only)

Speech by Commissioner Damanaki at the conference "International Year of Biodiversity: The Day After and the Greek Reality", Athens, Greece

The Agriculture & Fisheries Council will meet in Brussels on Monday 29 November (starting at 10 a.m.) and (if necessary) Tuesday 30 November. It will be chaired for the Agriculture issues by Mrs Sabine Laruelle, ...

At the annual meeting of International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) being held this week in Paris, the EU has tabled proposals for two new recommendations prohibiting fishing for porbeagle and thresher and hammerhead sharks. The EU is also working with the USA and other members of ICCAT on a third proposal which would set precautionary catch limits for shortfin mako sharks. Together, these proposals provide an opportunity to make substantial progress in bringing the management of shark fisheries in the ICCAT convention area into line with scientific advice.

Speech by Commissioner Maria Damanaki at the Plenary Session of the European Parliament

Video on the European Parliament's website

Issue 49 of the magazine Fisheries and aquaculture in Europe focuses on stock management: success stories

Speech by Janez Potočnik, European Commissioner for Environment, at the conference on the Common Fisheries Policy Reform, Belgium

Speech by Commissioner Maria Damanaki at the conference "Another Future for Fisheries", Brussels, Belgium

Three European Commissioners and a wide range of stakeholders will speak at the conference entitled "Another Future for Fisheries" tomorrow, 16 November in Brussels. The event, hosted by European Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Maria Damanaki, will feature speeches by Commissioner for Research and Innovation Ms Màire Geoghegan-Quinn and by Environment Commissioner Mr Janez Potocnik.

What are TACs and quotas?
A TAC – which stands for total allowable catch – is a legal limit on the overall amount of fish of a particular species that can be taken from the sea in a given area and brought ashore over a specified period (usually one year). A quota is a share of the TAC that can be fished by one Member State.

The European Commission has adopted its fishing opportunities proposal for 2011 setting levels of total allowable catch (TAC) and fishing effort for the Atlantic, the North Sea, and international waters regulated ...

On 9 November 2010 the European Commission adopted a proposal for the EU position on bluefin tuna at the upcoming meeting of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT). At the meeting,  ICCAT Parties will be called to agree on a bluefin tuna recovery plan for the period 2011-2013. Commissioner Damanaki has issued the following statement:

Speech by Commissioner Maria Damanaki at the Symposium on "Improved Fisheries and Science Partnerships as Policy Drivers", Ostend (Belgium)

Speech by Commissioner Maria Damanaki at the meeting of the European Parliament TRAN Committee

Requirement of a validated EU catch certificate for processing activities carried out in a third country, different from the flag State

Speech by Commissioner Maria Damanaki at the INTERFISH Business Forum meeting in Moscow (Russia) on 28 October 2010.

The Commission is satisfied that – as a result of the good cooperation with the Belgian Presidency and the member states – agreement has been reached on several important Baltic Sea fish stocks.

It has been for several years now that the state of the bluefin tuna stock remains a cause for major concern. Despite the efforts made so far, in particular by the EU, and the progress achieved, there are still open questions regarding how we can ensure the long sustainability of the species. This, in turn, is the only way by which our fishermen can keep on with their activity.

Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Maria Damanaki will start a two-day visit to Russia on 28 October.

Additional information on products processed in the flag State to be exported to the EU

European Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Maria Damanaki will host a one-day conference entitled "Another Future for Fisheries", which will officially close the consultation on the reform of the Common Fisheries Policy, before the Commission starts drawing up concrete proposals for the new policy. It will take an unusual format in that the key note speakers will not be the customary interested parties or politicians, but rather people who, by working in the fisheries sector, have come up with remarkably effective and ground-breaking projects.

The Community Fisheries Control Agency (CFCA) based in Vigo, Spain, has adopted its multiannual work programme for 2011-2015 as well as the annual work programme and budget for 2011.

Register now to the Commission’s conference on the reform of the Common Fisheries Policy in Brussels on 16 November 2010.

Commissioner Maria Damanaki's speech at the EurOCEAN 2010 Conference in Oostende

Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Maria Damanaki will travel to Ankara and Istanbul from the 6th to the 9th of October, to discuss both fisheries and maritime affairs and pursue closer EU-Turkey cooperation in the shared goals of a sustainable marine environment and a sustainable an prosperous fishing environment. 

Tomorrow and Saturday, Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Maria Damanaki will be in Scotland for her first visit as European Commissioner.

Thanks to the European Union’s determination to follow scientific advice strictly, and also thanks to the close cooperation with partner countries, the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organisation (NAFO) adopted unprecedented precautionary measures for the conservation and management of fish stocks under its purview at its Annual Meeting held in Halifax, Canada, on 20-24 September 2010.

The European Commission will represent the EU at the annual meeting of the IATTC which starts today and goes on to 1 October 2010 in Antigua, Guatemala.

The Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Ms Maria Damanaki, met today in Athens WWF representatives Mr. Sergi Tudela, Director of the Programme Fisheries of the Mediterranean, and Mr. Yiorgos Paximadis, responsible for the Maritime Environment of WWF Greece.

European Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Maria Damanaki, will open a one-day seminar on the state of fish stocks in European waters tomorrow.

On 14 September, European Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Maria Damanaki, will open a one-day seminar on the state of fish stocks in European waters.

European Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Commissioner Maria Damanaki arrives in Germany today for a series of engagements in Berlin and Hamburg.

The European Commission today expressed its grave concern at the unilateral mackerel quota of 85,000 t set by Faeroe Islands for 2010. It pointed out that this level amounted to three times the level of Faeroese traditional quota entitlement under multilateral management arrangements between the EU, Norway and Faeroe Islands in force from 1999 to 2009.

On 4 August 2010, the European Commission paid € 64 million as part of the annual financial contribution of the Fisheries Partnership Agreement (FPA) with Mauritania. This contribution includes a first component to pay for the cost of access of EU vessels to Mauritanian waters (€ 55 million) and a second component to support the partner country's fisheries sector (€ 9 million).

Issue 48 of the magazine Fisheries and aquaculture in Europe focuses on traceability, labelling and certification.

The European Union is now a signatory to an important regional fisheries management convention which, once it enters into force, will ensure that fishing from western Australia to South America is subject to agreed international rules.

The Member of the European Commission responsible for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Mrs. Maria Damanaki, met in Athens today with the Greek Minister for the Environment, Energy and Climate Change, Mrs Tina Birbili.

The European Commission today proposed a total allowable catch (TAC) of 15 600 tonnes of anchovy in the Bay of Biscay for the fishing season 1 July 2010 - 30 June 2011.

Tomorrow, the European Commission will be holding a large stakeholder seminar focussed on "The Reform of the Market Policy on Fishery and Aquaculture Products".

Today, the Commission has adopted a Regulation to modify the 2010 fishing possibilities for sandeel in the North Sea and Skagerrak.

European Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Commissioner Maria Damanaki has welcomed the election of Mr Gerard van Balsfoort as new chairman of the EU's Advisory Committee on Fisheries and Aquaculture (ACFA).

Organic farming is one of the most dynamic food production sectors in the European Union and from today, with the entry into force of new rules for organic aquaculture production, the potential for growth of this sector is set to be unleashed. 

The European Commission is sending a letter to five member states on the implementation of the Mediterranean Regulation, recalling that all the rules fully apply as from 1 June 2010 while specifying what is further needed from each Member State to make their national management plan operational.

WebGR - Web services for support of growth and reproduction studies

Leaflets and brochures on fisheries control and combating illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing have been added to the publications page.

Maria Damanaki, European Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries decided to close the bluefin tuna fishery to purse seiners in the Mediterranean and Eastern Atlantic, due to the exhaustion of the quotas allocated to them.

The protocol to the Fisheries Partnership Agreement between the EU and the Republic of Seychelles has just been renewed for a 3-year period starting in January 2011.

The EU and other fishing nations from around the world met at the United Nations Headquarters in New York last week to assess the progress made in implementing the United Nations Convention on the Conservation and Management of Straddling Fish Stocks and Highly Migratory Fish Stocks...

The EU and other fishing nations from around the world met at the United Nations Headquarters in New York last week to assess the progress made in implementing the United Nations Convention on the Conservation and Management of Straddling Fish Stocks and Highly Migratory Fish Stocks.

A l'issue de la commission mixte qui s'est réunie dans le cadre de l'Accord de partenariat de pêche entre l'Union européenne et l'Union des Comores, la délégation comorienne, conduite par Monsieur Idi Nadhoim, Vice Président de l'Union des Comores en charge du Ministère de la Pêche, et la délégation de l'Union européenne conduite par Monsieur Constantin Alexandrou, Chef d'Unité à l'Unité des accords bilatéraux de la Direction Générale des Affaires Maritimes et de la Pêche de la Commission européenne, ont mené la négociation d'un nouveau protocole, en présence des représentants de la France et de l'Espagne.

European Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Maria Damanaki, arrived in France this morning for a two-day visit, during which she will attend the fifth Global Oceans Conference at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris and hold a series of meetings in Brittany.

On May 2 and 3 over 230 people with an interest in fisheries (from Member State administrations, RACs and ACFA, industry, NGO's, members of the European Parliament or representatives of the main EU institutions) gathered in La Coruna, Spain, to take part in a broad stakeholders’ conference discussing some of the main pillars of the reform of the Common Fisheries Policy.

On May 2 and 3, over 230 stakeholders took part in a broad conference on the future reform of the EU's Common Fisheries Policy.

La Commissaire Maria Damanaki a signé une Décision de la Commission de ne pas soulever d'objections à l'encontre de l'Aide d'Etat N 119/2010 - France - Plan de soutien exceptionnel aux conchyliculteurs et pisciculteurs des départements touchés par la tempête Xynthia dans la nuit du 27 au 28 février 2010. 

Today and tomorrow, the European Commission and the Spanish Presidency are holding two seminars in Madrid on the marketing and supply of fishery and aquaculture products on the EU market.

L'Union européenne s'est déclarée très satisfaite du résultat positif de la réunion de la Commission Mixte entre la République Islamique de Mauritanie et l’Union européenne, tenue à Nouakchott du 21 au 25 mars 2010.

Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Mrs Maria Damanaki made clear yesterday that there will be no postponement in the implementation of the Mediterranean Regulation no. 1967/2006.

Maria Damanaki, European Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, arrives in Spain this evening for a three-day visit to Madrid and Vigo. During her visit, the Commissioner will meet with political leaders, industry representatives, shipowners and other stakeholders to gauge their views on a range of issues. She will also meet staff at the Community Fisheries Control Agency, based in Vigo, and see a number of local projects at work.

Strides forward were made last week by the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission for the protection of the fish stocks in the Indian Ocean, such as tropical tunas and shark stocks. The parties agreed among others on an enhanced system for control and compliance, on introducing a time/area closure and on forbidding sharks from the thresher family from being taken or kept on board.

After lengthy consultations over recent months, the European Union and Norway have struck a crucial long-term agreement on mackerel management in the North-East Atlantic, which provides both for stable quota shares and for agreed access arrangements for their respective fleets over a ten-year period.

The European Commission, negotiating on behalf of the European Union, and the Faeroe Islands have agreed on the levels of fishing possibilities in each other's waters, as well as access provisions for blue whiting for 2010.

Why do we need a new control regulation?

The fisheries control regulation in force until now dates back to 1993. It has since been amended a dozen times, in particular in 1998 to include the control of fishing effort, and in 2002 during the last reform of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP).

The European Commission has signed an administrative cooperation agreement with Faroe Islands which marks a new step in the parties' efforts to prevent, deter and eliminate Illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.

The political situation in the Republic of Guinea prompted the European Commission to withdraw its proposal on the signing of a fisheries partnership agreement between the European Union and Guinea (see MEX/09/1021 ). Commissioner Joe Borg, responsible for maritime affairs and fisheries, informed the EU Presidency and the European Parliament of this intention and received their backing.

The European Commission has just signed two administrative cooperation agreements with Canada and Iceland which mark a new step in the parties' efforts to prevent, deter and eliminate Illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.

The European Commission has adopted its annual proposal on next year’s guide prices for fresh and frozen fisheries products as well as the EU producer price for tuna for processing.

At their Council meeting in Brussels today, fisheries ministers addressed a wide range of issues.

On the conservation of fisheries resources through technical measures, the Council reached agreement on a Presidency compromise.

Today, at the 2009 Regular Meeting of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tuna (ICCAT) currently taking place in Brazil, the EU will present a new proposal which would lead to substantial progress in the conservation and management of swordfish in the Mediterranean.

Last week, the European Commission signed two administrative cooperation agreements with New Zealand and the United States which mark a new step in the parties' efforts to prevent, deter and eliminate Illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.

The European Commission has welcomed the positive outcome of the annual meeting of the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR), which has now concluded its deliberations in Tasmania, Australia.

This morning, I informed the EU fisheries ministers at the Council meeting in Luxembourg that, in the light of the recent tragic events in the Republic of Guinea, I would be asking the Commission to initiate the necessary procedures to withdraw the proposal to adopt the current Fisheries Partnership Agreement and Protocol with Guinea.

What are TACs and Quotas?

Ideally, fishing activities would take from each stock no more fish than can safely be removed without inhibiting the stock's capacity to spawn and to bring in young fish to the stock.

Yesterday, the Community Fisheries Control Agency (CFCA) adopted its work programme and budget for 2010.

The European Commission, on behalf of the EU, has initialled a new Fisheries Partnership Agreement with the Solomon Islands. This agreement replaces the current  one between the two Parties, which entered into force in October 2006. The new agreement covers a period of 3 years and provides fishing possibilities exclusively for tuna for EU vessels fishing in the waters of the Solomon Islands.

Illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing is a worldwide phenomenon with disastrous environmental and socio-economic impacts, threatening the sustainable exploitation of living aquatic resources and marine biodiversity. It also has serious overall consequences for coastal countries, which lose out on their marine resources to illegal operators.

Ministers for Fisheries meeting today in Council in Brussels have extended their support to the Commission's plans for reform of the Common Fisheries Policy.  Joe Borg, Commissioner for Fisheries and Maritime affairs, welcomed the frank and open discussion held in the Council today which demonstrated the support of the Council to take courageous steps to have a real and meaningful reform of the CFP.

The European Commission today adopted a proposal for a long-term plan for the sustainable management of horse mackerel across the eastern Atlantic from the Iberian Peninsula to the northern North Sea.

The Commission is disappointed that the significant steps taken in some areas by the 13th session of the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) in Bali (Indonesia) from 30 March to 3 April 2009 have been offset by a failure to make progress in others.

The European Commission has welcomed with mixed feelings the outcome of the meeting of Heads of Delegation of the North East Atlantic Fisheries Commission (NEAFC) held in London last week, attended by the European Union, Iceland, Denmark in respect of  the Faeroe Islands and Greenland, Norway and the Russian Federation.

The European Commission has expressed its serious concern at the recent action by Iceland to declare a unilateral mackerel quota of 112 000 tonnes for 2009.

The General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM), which met in Tunis last week for its annual session, adopted a number of recommendations towards sustainable fisheries management.

The EU has tabled ambitious proposals in view of this year's annual meeting of the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC), which will take place in Bali from 30 March to 3 April 2009.

At the initiative of the EU, the Heads of Delegation of the North East Atlantic Fisheries Commission (NEAFC) meet in London this week to consider concrete NEAFC measures to implement the UN General Assembly resolution on vulnerable marine ecosystems.

The EU has put forward a set of ambitious proposals for this year's annual meeting of the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM) in Tunis from 23 to 27 March 2009.

Commissioner Maria Damanaki's speech at the International Chamber of Commerce, Athens, 19 March 2010

The Commission has received the Ombudsman's draft recommendation wherein he asks the Commission to rectify an administrative error concerning fishing quotas in the West of Scotland allocated for the year 2007.