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Europaudvalget 2006-07
2774 - landbrug og fiskeri Bilag 7
Offentligt

2007 TACs & Quotas Proposal for selected

fish stocks & fisheries

Every year, ICES advice calls for a further reduction in fishing quotas

of pressured stocks and each year WWF has observed a blatant

disregard of this scientific advice by the Council of Ministers. The

result of such mismanagement is the continuous deterioration of

European Fish stocks, and a continued delay of the implementation

of ecosystem based fisheries management – a cornerstone of the

reformed Common Fisheries Policy (CFP).

The Fisheries & Maritime Commissioner has on several occasions

outlined the need for a gradual approach to TACs (Total Allowable

Catches) and quotas and effort reduction - limiting reductions to 15%

(except for stocks under recovery plan to 25%). The gradual

approach however does have the downside of delaying the

profitability of the sector in the longer terms, as necessary

adjustment of TACs to stock depletion is missing and therefore the

productivity of the stock is significantly reduced in long term as

shown in the flatfish non-paper produced by the European

Commission. It also puts the biological integrity of targeted and by

caught fish stocks and ecosystem robustness of marine ecosystem

at great risk of permanent collapse. This should be borne in mind

when considering decisions at this year’s December Council

meeting.

The reformed CFP will maintain its failure in delivering sustainable

fisheries management as long as sound scientific advice based on

the precautionary principle continues to be ignored. WWF urges the

European Commission and the European Council of Fisheries

Ministers to set quotas according to ICES advice and implement

measures that will eradicate wasteful fishing practices (through

technical measures and bycatch quotas) and illegal fishing practices

as well as improve data collection through the increased use of

observer programmes. Only by taking such measures will we finally

implement ecosystem based management of fisheries and safe the

resource all fishing business is depending on – the fish stocks

WWF is focusing in this briefing on cod and associated stocks, plaice

and sole, elasmobranchs and the proposal on the introduction of

electric fishing and the deepwater gillnet fishery. A priority for both

Members States and European Commission should be the

identification of the cause of the significant .so called “unaccounted

for removals”, which according to ICES figures make up 40% of the

cod catches. ICES also go on to say that plausible contributions to

these unaccounted removals are discards of catches in excess of the

quota,and mis- and underreporting of catches. (ICES, 2006

)..

Discarding

In certain fisheries (i.e. whiting, haddock, plaice and Nephrops)

discards of fish remain very high; in some fisheries discards rate of

up to 90% have been recorded (ICES, 2006

). Improvements in gear

selectivity to reduce the catches of fishes below Minimum Landing

Sizes (MLS) are becoming imperative to protect fish stocks.

POSITION PAPER

December 2006

For further information

contact:

Carol Phua

Fisheries Policy Officer

WWF European Policy Office

1040 Brussels, Belgium

Tel:

+32 2 743 8800

Direct: +32 2 740 0928

Fax:

+32 2 743 8819

E-mail:

[email protected]

http://www.ices.dk/committe/acfm/comwork/report/2006/oct/cod-347d.pdf

http://www.ices.dk/committe/acfm/comwork/report/2006/oct/ple-nsea.pdf

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In the North Sea flatfish fishery, mesh size increase would reduce the bycatch of undersized plaice

(ICES, 2006) and help significantly to rebuild the plaice stock. An increase in the MLS of sole could

provide an incentive to fish with larger mesh sizes and therefore mean a reduction in the discarding of

plaice.

Currently, discarding is a legitimate, yet highly unsustainable, method of managing quotas and

capture of fish below MLS. WWF urges the Commission and Ministers to formally review the merits of

introducing a discard ban in certain fisheries where levels are acknowledged as high. Such a measure

would have to be designed appropriately to allow for effective monitoring and evaluation. Onboard

observers would have to be a key element to such a measure. The use of technical measures to

improve selectivity must be a key priority for the Commission and Member States to be introduced as

standard practice throughout EU fisheries.

Onboard Observers

Deployment of observers on all fisheries under recovery and long term management plans is urgently

needed. On fleet segments targeting or bycatching cod it is crucial to monitor and evaluate catch and

the implementation of bycatch quotas should this measure be implemented, which we strongly

advocate it is. WWF’s recommends observers be deployed onboard vessels catching cod (including

bycatch of cod) to improve the scientific assessment and enforcement of the cod Recovery Plan as

outlined in the WWF report on

Observer Programmes: Best Practice Funding Options and North Sea

Case Study

Ecosystem Based Management

Integrated management of areas such as the North Sea is urgently needed under the framework of

ecosystem based management. Species that are an integral part of ecosystem, for example sandeel

and Norway pout in the North Sea are currently considered to be in very unstable conditions being

classed as having reduced reproductive capacity by ICES

. Sandeel is an important prey species for

many marine predators, but there is very little information on the effects of fishing this stock and

further analysis of the ecological impacts of these fisheries is still required. However, the Community

continues to allow the commercial fishing of such species (on the basis of seasonal surveys) without

an environmental impact assessment – negating the spirit of the precautionary principle.

Other species such as elasmobranchs have been shown to have life history traits which mean they

can only sustain very low fishing mortality, and some species of skates and rays are widely thought to

be caught in relatively high numbers in a range of fishing gears (ICES

, 2006). Deepwater sharks, the

common ray, spurdog and several other species are currently being neglected in terms of a

comprehensive ecosystem based management approach. The EU is lagging behind countries like

Malaysia, Australia, Japan and USA which have produced an International Plan of Action and

Management (IPOA) for sharks as outlined by the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).

The WWF report entitled Policy Proposals and Operational Guidance for Ecosystem-Based

Management of Marine Capture Fisheries has outlined the fundamental principles of Ecosystem

Based management as:

1. Maintaining the natural structure and function of ecosystems, including the biodiversity and

productivity of natural systems and identified important species, is the focus for management.

2. Human use and values of ecosystems are central to establishing objectives for use and

management of natural resources.

3. Ecosystems are dynamic; their attributes and boundaries are constantly changing and

consequently, interactions with human uses also are dynamic.

4. Natural resources are best managed within a management system that is based on a shared

vision and a set of objectives for longer term management developed amongst stakeholders.

5. Successful management is adaptive and based on scientific knowledge, strategic planning,

continual learning and embedded monitoring processes.

http://assets.panda.org/downloads/observerreportlores.pdf

http://www.ices.dk/committe/acfm/comwork/report/2006/oct/North%20Sea.pdf

WWF Position Paper

Page 2

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Upon review of these principles, it is clear that the current TACs and quotas system Europe adheres

to is not moving the EU towards an implementation of ecosystem based management in fisheries, as

Member States are currently committed under the CFP. It is crucial that management decisions are

based on best available scientific advice and not bartered for political gains. WWF urges the

European Commission and Fisheries Ministers to make decisions in Decembers which will ensure

Europe moves towards a successful implementation of the Common Fisheries Policy and not yet

another case study for the

Tragedy of the Commons.

Below are WWF’s Recommendations for critical European stocks and fisheries.

Table 1.0: Comparative table of ICES Advice and TACs & quotas set , Commission Proposal &

WWF recommendations

Stocks

TACs agreed

for 2005

ICES advice

for 2006

TACs agreed ICES advice WWF

for 2006

for 2007

Recommendation

Commission

Proposal

Cod & Associated fisheries

Cod-Kattegat

Cod- Irish Sea

Cod – North Sea,

Eastern Channel

& Skagerrak

Cod- West of

Scotland

Haddock - North

Sea

Whiting – North

Sea

Nephrops – North

Sea TBC

1,000

2,150

Zero catch

1,000

1,828

Zero Catch

Zero targetted

catch, minimum

level bycatch

quota

Zero targetted catch

minimum level

bycatch quota

Zero targetted

catch, minimum

level bycatch

quota

Follow ICES advice

in conjunction with

improved selectivity

measures

<15,000

-24.94%

-25%

27,300/22,659

Zero catch

23,205/

Zero Catch

721

Zero catch

613

Zero Catch

-24.96%

66,00/51,321

28,500

39,400

<17,300

51,850

23,800

55,400

<15,100

Not more

than 19227

FU 6-10

only

21,350

No increase in

effort

28,417

Support ICES

advice in

23,925 tonnes

conjunction with

(for IIa and VI )

bycatch reduction

measures &

onboard observers

Flatfish

Plaice North Sea

Sole North Sea

Elasmobranchs

Basking shark

Porbeagle

Spurdog

Skates/rays

No management

1,100

3,220

Zero catch

No decisions

1,051

2,737

Zero Catch

No directed

fishery

Zero TAC

Zero Catch

Zero TAC

Zero Catch

240 tonnes

-19.98%

(841 tonnes)

59,000/57,370

18,320

48,000

11,900

57,441/

55,820

17,470

32,000

10,800

32,000

10,800

-15%

WWF Position Paper

Page 3

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1. COD

Cod in Sub area IV (North Sea), Division VIId (Eastern Channel), and Division IIIa Skagerrak)

Based on the most recent estimate of Spawning Stock Biomass (SSB) and fishing mortality, ICES

classifies the stock as being harvested unsustainably and suffering reduced reproductive capacity.

SSB is well below the Blim (biomass limit point) of 70 000 t. According to ICES, simulations show that

with low recruitment and zero catch in 2007 and 2008 rebuilding of the stock to Bpa (Biomass

precautionary reference point) by 2009 (“large growth potential”) can be achieved.

Table 1.1: ICES advice and Actual Quota set Fisheries Council for North Sea Cod.

Year

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

North Sea

(Sub area IV)

Lowest possible catch

Closure

Zero catch

TAC and quota

(tonnes)

49,300

27,300

23,2050

???

According to ICES total removals in 2003 and 2005 have been estimated to consist of 50% official

landings, 10% discards, and 40% unaccounted removals. Plausible contributions to these

unaccounted removals are discards of catches in excess of the quota, and mis- and underreporting of

catches (ICES

, 2006). This would indicate that the management system is insufficient to control the

catches effectively.

200

'000 tonnes

1985

1986

1987

1988

1989

1990

1991

1992

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

150

Unaccounted removals

TAC IV + IIIa

250

100

Figure 1.0 Cod- Unaccounted Removals (ICES, 2006).

Cod - Kattegat

According to ICES

, this stock is classed as having reduced reproductive capacity. All available data

indicate the SSB to be in the range of the historically lowest stock estimates and below the value

currently set for Blim, though the exact estimate for SSB is uncertain due to unreliable catch data.

Recruitment has been low in recent years. The SSB of cod in Kattegat has declined steadily from

around 35 000 tonnes in the 1970s, to around 5000-6000 tonnes in the 1990s. This decline seems

associated with the disappearance of separate spawning aggregations/subpopulations in Kattegat.

http://www.ices.dk/committe/acfm/comwork/report/2006/oct/cod-347d.pdf

http://www.ices.dk/committe/acfm/comwork/report/2006/may/cod-kat.pdf

WWF Position Paper

Page 4

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The disappearance of spawning components or subpopulations is of concern for the reproductive

capacity of this stock and the ability of the stock to rebuild.

Cod - Irish Sea (Division VIIa)

ICES

classifies the stock as having reduced reproductive capacity and as being harvested

unsustainably and overexploited in terms of fishing mortality,. Fishing mortality had been around Fpa

until the mid-1980s. It has increased close to or above Flim since the late 1980s. SSB has been

below Blim since the mid-1990s. Recruitment has been below average for the past sixteen years, and

the four most recent year classes are amongst the smallest on record. At the average rate of

exploitation estimated for recent years, SSB will remain at sizes where the risk of continued poor

recruitment is high.

Cod – West of Scotland (DivisionVIa)

ICES

classifies the stock as having reduced reproductive capacity and as being harvested

unsustainably and overexploited in terms of fishing mortality. The spawning stock biomass is at an all

time low, but the rate of exploitation is uncertain and probably high. The survey SSB estimates

indicate that the stock has been declining and is presently at an historical low. Recruitment estimates

indicate a decline in recruitment in the last decade, correlated with a decline in the spawning stock to

the lowest levels observed. Recruitment since 2003 has been the weakest in the time-series.

WWF Recommendations for Cod Fisheries

In adopting the TACs for cod in the recovery zone, the Council is obliged by law to apply the scientific

evaluation of STECF, (which STECF must carry out in the light of the ICES report) as to:

(a) the level of catches that will result in an increase in stock levels of 30% at the end of the year; and

(b) the level of capture which will generate a fishing mortality rate greater than 0.65 in the North Sea,

0.60 in the Kattegat and West of Scotland and 0.72 in the Irish Sea.

The Council must not adopt TACs which exceed those levels. (Article 6 Reg 423/2004) and if the

Commission proposal is for TACs that exceeds those levels, the Council is not entitled to adopt that

proposal. Where STECF estimates (in the light of ICES advice) that the levels of stock are less than

70,000 tonnes in the North Sea, and adoption of a TAC by reference to the figures referred to in (a)

and (b) above would not bring the quantities of stock back up to above 70,000 tonnes by the following

year, then the Council, acting on a Commission proposal, must adopt a lower TAC than that set out in

(a) and (b) above (Article 7 Regulation 423/2004).

WWF recommends a cessation of commercial targeting of cod in the North Sea, Kattegat, Irish Sea

and West of Scotland. In order to comply with provision 8 of the cod recovery plan fishing effort in all

related fisheries taking cod as a bycatch should be reduced, and cod removal should be managed as

a bycatch quota, which include fisheries for haddock, whiting, Nephrops, plaice and sole (beam

trawling).

It should be the priority of both Members States and European Commission to identify the cause of

the current levels of significant misreporting bearing in mind that unallocated removals make up 40%

of the cod catches. Improved selectivity measures need to be deployed in the range of fisheries

where cod is caught as a secondary species. This will include the mixed whitefish fishery, flat fish

fishery and the Nephrops fishery.

To support the implementation of bycatch quotas the effective deployment of onboard observers

would be required. This would help quantify exactly what is being removed from the fishery as well as

improve data input for assessment purposes.

WWF strongly recommend that an observers

programme be deployed in this fishery as a matter of urgency.

WWF’s report on Observer

Programmes: Best Practice Funding Options and North Sea Case Study

presents the benefits of

observer programmes and how cost effective they can be, particularly when deployed at a large

scale.

http://www.ices.dk/committe/acfm/comwork/report/2006/oct/cod-iris.pdf

http://www.ices.dk/committe/acfm/comwork/report/2006/oct/cod-scow.pdf

http://assets.panda.org/downloads/observerreportlores.pdf

WWF Position Paper

Page 5

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2. COD ASSOCIATED FISHERIES

HADDOCK in Subarea IV (North Sea) and Division IIIa (Skagerrak Kattegat)

ICES

classifies this stock as as having full reproductive capacity and being harvested sustainably.

SSB in 2005 is estimated at 256 000 t and is estimated to have decreased to around 230 000 t in

2006. SSB is well above the Bpa but the 2001 2004 year classes are all estimated to be well below

average, while the 2005 year class is above the long-term geometric mean. Indications are that the

2006 year class is low. Fishing mortality in 2005 is estimated at 0.32, which is well below Fpa.

However discarding is a problem for this fishery. ICES has noted that reducing discards would

improve landing opportunities in the longer term.

WHITING in Subarea IV (North Sea)

According to ICES

the available information is inadequate to evaluate the spawning stock in relation

to precautionary approach reference points. The assessment is indicative of trends only. The stock is

estimated at or near the lowest observed level. Landings and fishing mortality remain at a low level.

NEPHROPS (North Sea)

The by-catch and discard of non-target species is a major issue in certain Nephrops fisheries.

Considerable numbers of fish are caught as bycatch, up to 70% of which are discarded as the fish are

below the minimum landing size. Off the coast of Norway 61% of the total cod catch by Nephrops

trawls was discarded between 1995 and 2000. Indeed STECF have estimated that the entire North

Sea Nephrops fishery could account for almost half of cod removed from the water.

These fisheries need to introduce measures which can greatly reduce catch rates of cod if they are to

be prosecuted sustainably. Member States need desperately to improve selectivity in these fisheries

and support fishermen affected by such measures.

WWF strongly recommends that fisheries with high bycatch should be required to use technical

measures - such as sorting grids and escape panels – to increase the selectivity of their fishing gear.

Sorting grids allow smaller creatures, like Nephrops, to pass through a grid to reach the net proper

while bigger species, like cod, are directed towards an escape hole. Escape panels work by exploiting

the behavioural differences between scampi and fish. As fish enter a net they try to escape by

heading towards the top and sides of the net. Escape panels enable these fish to escape through the

open square-shaped meshes.

The advice from ICES

scientists on Nephrops this year includes recommendations for significant

cuts in TACs. This advice is made on the basis of stock considerations and must be taken seriously.

The Nephrops fisheries would benefit from improved levels of observer coverage to provide better

information on the fisheries and their associated catches which in turn will improve stock

assessments.

WWF Recommendations for Cod Associated Fisheries

For haddock, given that is it caught in a mixed fishery alongside cod, it is crucial that any proposals to

increase the TAC for haddock is accompanied by stringent measures to ensure that bycatch of cod is

minimised. Please refer to WWF’s cod recommendations for full details.

Deployment of observers on all fleet segments targeting or bycatching cod is crucial in addressing the

problem of discarding and highgrading. WWF’s report on

Observer Programmes: Best Practice

Funding Options and North Sea Case Study

(published in November 2006) presents the benefits of

observer programmes and how cost effective they can be, particularly when deployed at a large

scale.It should be the priority of both Members States and European Commission to identify the

cause of the highly significant misreporting, which may make up to 40% of the cod catches. Improved

selectivity measures need to be deployed in the range of fisheries where cod is caught as a

www.ices.dk/committe/acfm/comwork/report/2006/oct/had-34.pdf

www.ices.dk/committe/acfm/comwork/report/2006/oct/whg-47d.pdf

www.ices.dk/committe/acfm/comwork/report/asp/advice.asp?Region=-1&Advice=-1&Species=61&Period=165&titlesearch=

&submit1=Submit+Query&mode=2

WWF Position Paper

Page 6

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secondary species. This will include the mixed whitefish fishery, flat fish fishery and certain Nephrops

fisheries.

3. PLAICE AND SOLE (North Sea)

The recent ICES report

shows that the state of stocks for both Plaice and Sole has further

deteriorated and are classed as overexploited. ACFM has recommended an even further reduction in

the TACs for both species. A review of previous quotas set for these fisheries shows that the TACs

that are consistently above the scientifically advised TACs, have led to overexploitation and reduced

income for fishermen. Had the ICES advised TACs in the previous year been allocated the stock

status for both fisheries would be presently better. The table below shows the significantly high TAC

allocation compared to the TAC advised by ICES.

Table 3.0: Summary of TAC and ICES advice for Plaice & Sole

Year

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

ICES Advice

Plaice (IIa,IV) t

60,000

Recovery Plan

35,000

48,000

32,000

TAC

Plaice(IIa,IV) t

73,250

61,000

59,000t

57,441

ICES Advice

Sole(II,IV) t

14,600

11,900

10,800

TAC

Sole(II,IV) t

15,850

17,000

18,600

17,670

The Council Regulation (EC) no 850/98 of 30 March 1998 for the conservation of fishery resources

through technical measures for the protection of juveniles of marine organisms (review 4th quarter of

2006) should tackle the bycatch and discard of juvenile plaice and other associated species. The

bycatch of other species should also be considered in this as it is estimated fishing mortality of

invertebrate populations was calculated to be on average more than 25 % (max 48 %), larger beams

causing higher mortality rates. In particular changes in the abundance and distribution patterns of

large long living bivalves like

Arctica islandica

(on OSPAR list of threatened and/or declining species

and habitats) can be related to the effect of intensive beam trawling.

100%

Proportion of the catch (in numbers) discarded

75%

50%

25%

1955

1965

Observed

1975

Year

1957-1999 reconstr.

1957-2003 reconstr.

Final

1985

1995

2005

Figure 3.0: Proportion of plaice discarded per year (RIVO, 2005)

http://www.ices.dk/committe/acfm/comwork/report/2006/oct/ple-nsea.pdf

and

http://www.ices.dk/committe/acfm/comwork/report/2006/oct/North%20Sea.pdf

WWF Position Paper

Page 7

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Mesh Sizes, Discards and Markets

As the discarding behaviour is a result of the fisheries targeting sole (more valuable in the market

compared to plaice), the mesh size for this fishery is set by the size desired for the market for the

more valuable species. ICES in its recommendations have outlined that measures to reduce

discarding in the mixed beam trawl fishery “would greatly benefit the plaice stock and future yields

”

Increasing the mesh size for the mixed beam trawl fishery would initially result in short term losses for

the sector however in the longer-term incomes will become more profitable for this fishery. ICES also

went on to say in their report that readjustment of minimum landing sizes corresponding to an

improved selection pattern could be considered. Adjustment of Minimum Landing sizes of Sole in

relation to plaice should also be investigated, as these two species are caught.

Ecosystem & fishing behaviour

During the juvenile stage, plaice are concentrated in the inshore waters, however the nursery areas

are not entirely closed off to fishing activity, as the plaice box exempts vessels that are smaller than

300hp. Due to days-at-sea regulations, high fuel prices, and small decrease in TAC for plaice and

relatively stable TAC for sole, a stronger pattern of coastal fishing has emerged in the southern North

Sea, leading to high discard levels of juvenile fish being caught. According to ICES, the most effective

solution to tackle the discard problem for this fishery would be an increase in the Minimum landing

sizes followed by strict measures to ban discards. It is important therefore effort reduction is

accompanied by technical measures such as increase MLS and mesh size in the long term

management of mixed flatfish fishery.

Currently, the EU does not have regulation restricting discarding. Although discarding is widely found

in this fishery, without EU regulation, this fishing behaviour is being inadvertently condoned. Hence, it

is important to for European Commission to restrict discarding through initially encouraging the

fishermen to land their potential discards (i.e. the bycatch of undersized fish) for data collection.

WWF Recommendations for Plaice and Sole Fishery

WWF recommends an adherence to ICES advice for the North Sea Plaice and Sole stocks, and

supports the following element of the Long Term Management Plan and recommends additionally:

•

Implementation of Harvest Control Rule

(HCR) as an additional constraint on the year to

year variation of the TAC or F. TACs and/or fishing effort are derived according to a target

fishing mortality (F

MSY

), supplemented with a rule for reducing the mortality if the spawning

stock biomass fell below a trigger level, to ensure avoiding a limit value for the spawning

biomass;

Changes and coherence in the Minimum Landing Sizes for Plaice and Sole.

The EU

minimum landing size for plaice is 27cm and for sole 24cm. But female plaice do not spawn

until they reach 31cm at an age of 2-4 years (Council Regulation 850/98 ANNEX XII). Setting

the allowable landing size below that of mature females means the North Sea stock comprises

smaller and younger individuals with little chance of recovery;

Increase in the mesh size

(and change to square mesh size) in the mixed fisheries for flatfish

in the North Sea to reflect the biologically and ecologically optimal MLS;

Discard restriction

in the plaice and sole fishery through EU Regulation (where all bycatch of

juvenile plaice and sole are landed for data collection and not for other economic uses); and

Adaptation of plaice box to current distribution changes of juvenile plaice and closure

of plaice box to all fishing vessels

(inclusion of 300hp beam trawlers). More than 90% of

the plaice caught in the 80mm fishery in the box are discarded

(

Grift et al, 2004 as cited in

ACFM report on Plaice and Sole 2006).

•

ICES 2005. North Sea Overview.

WWF Position Paper

Page 8

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4. ELASMOBRANCHS

Demersal Elasmobranchs in the North Sea, Skagerrak, and Eastern English Channel

According to ICES

landings of skates and rays in the North Sea, Skagerrak, and eastern English

Channel have generally declined.

Table 4.0 Selected skates & rays status in the North Sea, Skagerrak and Eastern English Channel.

Species

Thornback ray

(Raja clavata)

Spotted ray

(Raja montagui)

Cuckoo ray

(Leucoraja naevus)

Common skate

(Dipturus batis)

Blonde ray

(Raja brachyura)

Angel shark

(Squatina squatina)

ICES Report

Distribution area and abundance have strongly decreased over the past century. The

area occupied has significantly decreased since 1990. Although local abundance

remains high, the North Sea stock is considered depleted.

Area occupied and abundance has fluctuated without trend. Stock status is uncertain.

Since 1990 the area occupied has fluctuated without trend. Survey catch rates

increased from the early 1970s to the early 1990s and declined thereafter. Stock status

is uncertain.

Status is depleted. It was formerly widely distributed in the North Sea but is now only

rarely found and only in the northern part of the North Sea.

Has a patchy occurrence in the North Sea. It is at the edge of its distributional range in

this area and consequently ICES does not provide advice for this species.

Still extinct in the North Sea

Spurdog Northeast Atlantic

Spurdog are long-lived, slow-growing, have a high age-at-maturity, and are particularly vulnerable to

fishing mortality. Population productivity is low, with low fecundity and a protracted gestation period. In

light of this, the risk of depletion of reproduction potential is high.

ICES

classes the state of this stock as depleted and perhaps in danger of collapse. All experimental

assessments indicate that the stock is at a record low level. The frequency of the occurrence of

spurdog in trawl surveys has declined and, although large shoals are still caught, the frequency of

these has also declined. Survey CPUE also indicates a declining trend. The absolute level of

exploitation is unknown but the trends in fishing mortality and the continuous decline in landings

indicates that exploitation has been, and continues to be well above sustainable levels.

ICES scientists have advised that the targeted fisheries should not be permitted to continue, and

bycatch in mixed fisheries should be reduced to the lowest possible level. The TAC should cover all

areas where spurdog are caught in the northeast Atlantic and should be set at zero for 2007.

WWF Recommendation for Elasmobranchs

Committee on Fisheries (COFI) of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization adopted an

International Plan of Action for the Conservation and Management of Sharks (refer to all of the

cartilaginous fishes: the sharks, rays and chimaeras) (IPOA-Sharks) in 1999. The Plan elaborates

needed action for sharks within the context of the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries and

called upon countries to develop and implement National Plans of Action (NPA) by early 2001 that

identify research, monitoring, and management needs for all chondrichthyan fishes that occur in their

waters. The EU had not met the 2001 deadline and needs yet, nearly 6 years later to produce a NPA

or EU IPOA for chondrichthyan fishes. ?melt with the paragraph at the start of the document about

this issue?

WWF recommends that an IPOA for sharks (all of the cartilaginous fishes: the sharks, rays and

chimaeras) be immediately drafted taking into account management, monitoring and research needs

for both targeted and not-target species within Community and regional waters. Till such a plan has

been adopted there should be a moratorium on all fisheries targeting elasmobranchs (e.g. spurdog) to

protect these for overfishing highly sensitive stocks.

http://www.ices.dk/committe/acfm/comwork/report/2006/oct/North%20Sea.pdf

http://www.ices.dk/committe/acfm/comwork/report/2006/oct/nea%20spurdog.pdf

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The management measures for elasmobranchs need to include:

- Effective bycatch reduction measures for fisheries that are incidentally catching

elasmobranchs; and

- Exploitation of this species should only be allowed when indicators and reference points for

stock status and future harvest have been identified and a management strategy, including

appropriate monitoring requirements has been decided upon and is implemented.

5. Electric Fishing (Beam trawling)

The European Commission’s proposal also includes a derogation to allow 5% of the beam trawl fleet

to use the electric beam trawl. WWF does not support this proposal and is highly concerned by the

current move by the European Commission to go against the recommendations of Scientific,

Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries - STECF

and International Council for the

Exploration of the Seas-ICES

Effects of electric fishing

In its reports both ICES and STECF note that a major concern of both bodies is the impact on

vertebrate species. There is much information to suggest that the stimulus being used may be

capable of damaging (spinal breakage and internal haemorrhaging) fish species. A number of cod

retained in the pulse gear were noted to have suffered from snapped spines; this was not observed in

the standard gear.

According to STECF, the frequency of the pulse is known to be above the threshold that induces

tetanus and the induction of strong muscle stimulus is likely to be the cause of the spinal injuries and

therefore STECF recommends that trawl in its current form should not be promoted at a commercial

level.

ICES in its report also noted that electric signals created by the pulse trawl could possibly affect

electro sensitive fish such as sharks and rays, which are currently in a very alarming state in the North

Sea (please refer to Elasmobranch Section in this briefing).

Inconsistent data on selectivity

The basis for the derogation is also unreliable. As the commercial trials and the research vessels

trials have shown varying results. STECF noted that the catch at length data for plaice and sole the

research vessel trails showed a 16% reduction in plaice catches across all length classes; whilst the

commercial trials showed no significant reduction in catches of plaice below MLS but a 35% reduction

in catches above the MLS. By contrast, the research vessel data collected using the electrical pulse

trawl showed that for sole the probability of capture increased with length and that higher catch rates

were obtained for fish larger than about 25cm in length.

According to STECF the commercial trials failed to show any significant length dependency for sole

with a about about 25% reduction in catches across all length classes. It is therefore not possible to

conclude that there was “a better selectivity for sole” as noted in the EU proposal. STECF concluded

that there was little evidence to suggest that the use of beam trawl, using pulse trawl resulted in “an

improved catch quality”.

WWF Recommendations

WWF is of the position that this derogation is unjustified at this point in time and that further research

on the effects of this gear on the ecosystem and other non-target species such as elasmobranchs is

crucial before derogation for the use of this gear is tabled, as currently fishing using electrical gear is

prohibited (Art.31, Council Regulation (EC) No. 850/98).

Opening the door to a gear with clear adverse side effects on fishes like cod, clearly shows that the

Commission has neglected to consider the impacts on the wider ecosystem and vulnerable species.

This could create a dangerous precedence for other fisheries to follow, especially in the

http://stecf.jrc.cec.eu.int/event.php?id=65 2006

http://www.ices.dk/committe/acfm/comwork/report/2006/Reply%20to%20request%20on%20pulse%20trawl.pdf

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Mediterranean, since the STECF has concluded that the gear in its current form was not suitable for

wider commercial use and the improvement in terms of selectivity is not significant enough.

Another key argument against the derogation is the enforceability of the voltage restriction for this

gear. To allow for the derogation while the control and enforcement procedure has not been clearly

outlines, could create an incentive for excessive voltage use.

6. Deepwater Gillnet Fishery and Area Closures.

The current proposal is to limit certain parts of this fishery to a maximum depth of 600m and for 72

hours soak time. WWF believes that there can be no justification for any weakening of this proposal.

This measure should be viewed as interim (maximum one year) pending further research on optimal

soak time and gear length, to be reviewed in order to inform decisions by Dec 2007. Observers on

board vessels utilising this gear is highly recommended to develop a better understanding of this

fishery and to monitor the effects of this gear on deepwater sharks.

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