Council of the
European Union
Brussels, 29 October 2018
(OR. en, pt)
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Interinstitutional File:
2018/0347(NLE)
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NOTE
From:
General Secretariat of the Council
To:
Delegations
Subject:
Proposal for a COUNCIL REGULATION fixing for 2019 and 2020 the
fishing opportunities for Union fishing vessels for certain deep-sea fish
stocks
Delegations will find attached written comments by the Portuguese delegation on the
abovementioned document.
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ANNEX
Contributions for the Internal/External Fisheries Working Party meeting
on 25 and 26 October
TACs - DEEP-SEA SPECIES
ST 12841/18
For 2019-2020, the TACs for deep-sea species are cause for serious concern since the landing
obligation will be fully applicable from 2019.
For this reason, and given that these stocks are caught primarily in mixed fisheries, solutions will
need to be found which reconcile their conservation with the need to avoid them becoming choke
species and making the other fisheries unviable, which would have a very serious socio-economic
impact on communities which are highly dependent on fishing, as is the case with the outermost
regions of the Azores and Madeira.
Deep-sea sharks in ICES areas 6, 7, 8, 9; area 10 and CECAF areas
Given the reduced TAC which has been set for these species, they could become choke species in
black scabbardfish fisheries.
In the context of the landing obligation, the best solution would be to allow deep-sea sharks to be
caught as a by-catch of 5 % of the total number of individuals caught in longline fishing for black
scabbardfish.
We would also like COM to clarify, with regard to point 1.2 of the non-paper, what procedure is to
be adopted when the TAC set for by-catches has been exhausted.
In our view, in these
circumstances discarding should be authorised, as in other European fisheries, so that Portugal,
which has always advocated the possibility of by-catches of these species, is not disadvantaged in
comparison to other fisheries.
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In addition, we cannot agree to the reduction from 10 t to 7 t proposed by the Commission since,
because the animals are of a considerable size (average weight of 30 kg), such a limit does not even
permit one individual to be caught per vessel per month, which is unrealistic and calls into question
any scientific programme in the context of commercial fishing.
Black scabbardfish in areas 8, 9 and 10
We advocate increasing the TAC in line with the ICES opinion.
The ICES recommendation, taking account of the increases observed in the abundance indices,
allows a TAC of 3 102 t for areas 8, 9 and 10, 0.3 % more than was recommended for 2017-2018.
For this reason, we do not agree to the 6 % reduction (from
2 964 t to 2 801 t) proposed by the
Commission.
Black scabbardfish in CECAF waters
The TAC is now set by Madeira, which thus ceases to have a direct interest in this Regulation.
Alfonsinos
Portugal advocates maintaining the TAC
at the level set for 2017-2019 (182 tonnes), which in our
view will not jeopardise the trend in the abundance of this resource, all the more so since in future
this TAC will apply only to by-catches. The reduction proposed by the ICES is based only on the
precautionary approach, in the absence of data on abundance or exploitation. It is important to
emphasise that this stock has benefited, and will continue to benefit, from the restrictive
management measures adopted for red seabream in the Autonomous Region of the Azores, since in
that region, alfonsinos are part of a mixed fishery of deep-sea species which is of considerable
importance in socio-economic terms.
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Red seabream in area 9
In Portugal there are no directed fisheries for this species in this geographical area. It should be
noted that this TAC has already seen a considerable reduction in fishing opportunities in the past.
Portuguese catches are significantly higher than the quota and only made possible by quota
exchange. This is in fact a choke species, all the more since the Portuguese fisheries which catch
this species are hook fisheries and an exemption for a high survival rate has not yet been achieved.
There are indications of a stable population on the western coast of Portugal.
We therefore advocate maintaining the TAC for the red seabream stock in area 9.
Red seabream in area 10
Portugal has managed this resource with additional measures, enabling it to recover, so that the
abundance of this stock has increased by more than 20 %. In any case, we accept the Commission's
proposal for the TAC.
Greater forkbeard in areas 8, 9 and 10
The ICES indicates that there is a low risk of its being exploited unsustainably if the TAC is
withdrawn, and we therefore agree to that, which will avoid creating another choke species.
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