92001E0899

WRITTEN QUESTION P-0899/01

by Pat Gallagher (UEN) to the Commission

(19 March 2001)

Subject: Long-line fishing

A recent report by BirdWatch Ireland stated that between 50 000 and 100 000 northern fulmars were killed in the North-east Atlantic every year as a result of long-line fishing. Can the Commission state whether it has statistical evidence which would substantiate this claim and whether it believes that there are any measures and technical solutions for vessels which would prevent these deaths? Does it envisage bringing forward any proposals in this area?

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(26 April 2001)

The Commission as such has no self-generated statistical evidence on this topic. The Commission is aware of reports by Birdlife International of surveys carried out on Norwegian longliners off north-west Norway and extrapolated to include probable effects of Faroese and Icelandic longliners giving rise to estimates of the order cited. These reports appear to have been reiterated by Bird Watch Ireland.

Preliminary information received by the Commission from replies to a questionnaire issued last August 2000 indicate that catches of sea birds, although they occur, do not constitute a major threat in Community waters. The main problems seem to be caused by non-Community vessels fishing either in international waters or in their own waters. The Community has no direct legal power to control the activities of non-Community vessels in these areas.

The Commission has participated in meetings leading to the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) International Plan of Action for reducing incidental catches of seabirds in longline fisheries and has drafted a Community action plan on the basis of information supplied by Member States in response to the questionnaire previously mentioned. This draft was submitted to the appropriate body of FAO in February 2001.

In Antarctic waters, to protect albatrosses and other birds, the Community has already adopted a number of mitigation measures(1)(2), and some or all of these might be considered for other areas as required.

The measures are:

- Using bird-scaring lines with plastic streamers attached;

- Weighting lines so that they sink faster and hence cause less risk;

- Prohibiting discharge of offal at sea which attracts the birds;

- Setting lines at night when the birds are less likely to be foraging;

- Using only thawed bait which sinks faster.

Finally, it might be pointed out that, although catches of seabirds are regrettable and probably avoidable, the cited magnitude of catches of northern fulmars are not such that the sustainability of the fulmar populations, currently estimated at 10-12 million individuals, is threatened.

(1) Council Regulation (EC) No 66/1998 of 18 December 1998, OJ L 6, 10.1.1998.

(2) Council Regulation (EC) No 2479/1998 of 12 November 1998, OJ L 309, 19.11.1998.