WRITTEN QUESTION No. 505/98 by Dominique SOUCHET to the Commission. Prohibition on the use of driftnets
Official Journal C 386 , 11/12/1998 P. 0021
WRITTEN QUESTION E-0505/98 by Dominique Souchet (I-EDN) to the Commission (2 March 1998) Subject: Prohibition on the use of driftnets According to the Commission's latest proposals, the use of driftnets would be prohibited on the high seas in the Atlantic and still be authorised in coastal waters. In these circumstances, driftnets would be prohibited for French fishermen fishing for deep-sea albacove tuna (Azorean area) and solely authorised for Spanish fishermen, since one of the migration routes of this species passes along the Spanish Cantabrian coast (Iberian area). In other words, driftnets would be regarded as "good" fishing gear (in other words selective not harmful to shipping or the natural migration routes of tuna, etc.) within the twelve-mile limit and "bad" fishing gear beyond that limit in the international zones situated more than 500 km offshore. Can the Commission explain the scientific, ecological or technical arguments justifying these different rules so that French fishermen are not under the impression that the latter favour Spain and Portugal to their detriment?