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The CFCA has adopted its annual report for 2010 at the meeting of the Administrative Board held on 15 of March. The annual report highlighted all the activities undertaken by the CFCA during that year. Moreover, at the meeting the Board discussed the multiannual work programme for 2012-2016 as well as the annual work programme and draft budget for 2012.
This General Report has been adopted a few months before the forthcoming Communication on the Reform of the Common Fisheries Policy by the Commission. The reformed CFP will aim at ensuring a viable fishing sector based on the sustainability of available biological resources. The reformed CFP will then be adopted by the European Parliament and the Council by 2012.
New regulations on fisheries control and the fight against Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (so-called ‘IUU’) have already entered into force last year. Now there is a clear set of rules established to ensure that the law is applied in an equal, efficient and transparent manner.
“With these rules adopted, the focus moves to the implementation by the Member States. In this regard, the Agency has a crucial role to play at this very moment. Indeed, the model of the Agency of regional cooperation between national authorities is working effectively in practice,” said Serge Beslier, Chairman of the Administrative Board.
2010 results
During 2010, all objectives were achieved:
• The four JDPs in the North Sea / Western Waters, Baltic Sea, NAFO / NEAFC and Bluefin Tuna in the Mediterranean and Eastern Atlantic, were executed. The CFCA also assisted the Member States and the Commission in the application of the EU regulation against IUU fishing.
• Several measures were adopted to enhance the quality and relevance of the control activities and hence ensure that Member States contribute in a satisfactory manner to the success of the Joint Deployment Plans. In this regard, Member States pooled an adequate number of means, a new Regional Risk Analysis was developed to facilitate the long term planning of joint campaigns, and steps have been taken to promote European Added Value at all stages of the JDP cycle (planning, implementation and assessment).
• The total number of inspections coordinated in the framework of the JDPs was more than 7000 in the four areas of operation.
• Approximately 1600 man days were deployed in joint teams; highlighting the cooperation between Member States through the creation of joint teams of inspectors of different nationalities. This is one of the main tools to foster cooperation, increase transparency of activities, exchange best practices and build confidence between the different national authorities.
• Periodically, there have been training seminars for the Community inspectors which work under the Joint Deployment Plans and training activities for the authorities involved in the fight against IUU fishing. Inspectors are now better trained and prepared and the quality of the work done by national and Community inspectors participating in joint inspection and surveillance activities under the JDP’s is improving.
Proposed Draft Budget for 2012
The draft budget for 2012 is €9,310,000. In 2011, the final budget was €12,850,000.
“The execution of these activities has contributed significantly to the uniformity and effectiveness of control, increased transparency of the inspection activities and thus to a level playing field for the European fishing industry. In times of financial austerity, this form of cooperation helps save public expenditure by ensuring better cost effective use of Member States’ inspection vessels and aircrafts,” said Harm Koster, Executive Director.
Within the framework of the joint deployment plan for cod in the North Sea coordinated by the Community Fisheries Control Agency (CFCA), a possible infringement, in which blinders were being utilised by a Dutch fishing vessel, was detected in the course of a joint operation involving three Member States (the Netherlands, France and Belgium). In fact, joint deployment plans are the vehicle through which the CFCA organises the deployment of national human and material means of control and inspection pooled by Member States, thus ensuring European Added Value in the Union monitoring control and surveillance efforts.
During a control operation on the 8th November, for which the French fisheries monitoring centre (FMC) at CROSS A Etel was in charge, the French inspection vessel Themis entered Belgian waters with French European Union inspectors on board, to inspect a Dutch beam trawler. When the inspector approached the vessel, the skipper ran off the warps from the winches dumping the beam trawls on the sea bed. In a coordinated action, the Dutch inspection vessel Barend Biesheuvel went to the location and, as the captain of the fishing vessel was not willing to be cooperative in bringing the gear above the surface, requested the Dutch coastguard vessel Arca to dredge the net; an operation which lasted two days. In addition, Belgium contributed to the operation, by having their fishing patrol vessel Zeehond dredging and finding the first net.
As a result of the operation, the inspectors found out the utilisation of ‘blinders’, illegal gear attachments which obstruct the mesh opening and reduce the selectivity of the net, contravening Commission Regulation EEC 3440/84. In addition, the skipper of the fishing vessel hindered the inspection by obstructing the control operation.
The value of the fish and both port and starboard trawls were confiscated. The fishing vessel’s skipper will be prosecuted in the Netherlands. This operation has only been possible thanks to the cooperation among the Member States authorities in the framework of the joint deployment plan for the cod in the North Sea.
EFCA is coordinating the control campaign for the bluefin tuna fishery (BFT) in the Mediterranean Sea for 2021 in the framework of its Joint Deployment Plan (JDP). In this context, Member States pool their control and inspection means, in order to carry out jointly control, inspection and surveillance of fishery activities both at sea and ashore.
The objective of the campaign is to ensure compliance with the international and EU rules adopted for the conservation of the bluefin tuna; special attention is given to monitor the activity of purse seiners towing vessels longliners, farms and traps.
This activity is bringing together Member States, the European Commission and EFCA, and counts on the resources of the eight Member States involved in the fishery – Croatia, Cyprus, France, Greece, Italy, Malta, Portugal, and Spain –. Inspection and surveillance at sea is carried both in EU waters and international waters and applies to EU and non-EU vessels.
The joint control, inspection and surveillance activities are coordinated using the virtual EFCA coordination center platform, with participation of experts of the member States concerned and EFCA. Overall, inspection and surveillance strategy and daily recommendations are provided on the basis of the daily data and information received by national authorities and from ICCAT, in particular VMS data (Vessel Monitoring System, a satellite-based control system) and catch information.
Background:
In line with ICCAT Recommendation 19-04[1], the purse seine fishing for bluefin tuna shall be permitted in the eastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean during the period from 26 May to 1 July. However, specific derogations are possible in some fishing areas[2].
Fish shall be caged before 22 August of each year unless the farming Contracting Parties and Cooperating non-Contracting Parties (CPC) receiving the fish provides valid reasons including force majeure, which shall accompany the caging report when submitted. In any case the fish shall not be caged after 7 September.
[1] https://www.iccat.int/en/RecRes.asp
[2] By way of derogation, the season in the eastern Mediterranean Sea (FAO fishing areas 37.3.1 Aegean; 37.3.2 Levant), may be open 15 May if a CPC requests it in its fishing plan. By way of derogation, the season in the Adriatic Sea (FAO fishing area 37.2.1) may be open from 26 May until 15 July, for fish farmed in the Adriatic Sea.
Yesterday the European Commission has adopted the recommendation establishing a ‘Practical Handbook’ on European cooperation on coast guard functions. The Handbook will be made available as an online platform operated by EFCA in close cooperation with EMSA, Frontex and the Commission and updated with Agencies’ and Member States information. It contains guidelines, recommendations and best practices for the exchange of information on coast guard functions.
The three EU agencies, EFCA, EMSA and FRONTEX, work closely together under the inter-agency cooperation framework, with the direct support of the European Commission. They provide enhanced support and assistance to the national authorities performing coast guard functions at national and EU level and, where appropriate, at international level. This handbook is a concrete achievement of the EU cooperation on coast guard functions.
The recommendation establishes the handbook as a practical guide for EU civilian and military authorities when carrying out coast guard functions, facilitating close cross-border and cross-sector collaboration among them. The handbook provides a transparent compilation of services and information available through the three agencies. It helps to create synergies and avoid duplication and/or redundancy of effort in the cooperation between Member States and the three agencies, resulting in economies of scale.
The handbook focuses on the five inter-agency cooperation areas: information sharing; surveillance and communication services; capacity building; risk analysis; and capacity sharing. The handbook is mainly limited to cross-sector subjects and covers EU Member States and European Free Trade Association (EFTA) States.
The main end users of this handbook are the national authorities for each coast guard function in each Member State, aiming to support them when planning and coordinating activities.
EFCA is leading the inter-agency cooperation areas for capacity building and risk analysis and will ensure in cooperation with EMSA and Frontex sound implementation of this important recommendation to all coast guard functions community.
European Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries Virginijus Sinkevičiusis visited EFCA´s headquarters in Vigo and meet the new Executive Director, Dr. Susan Steele.
EFCA promotes the highest common standards for control under the Common Fisheries Policy, assisting Commissioner Sinkevičius with his mandate of contributing to the European Green Deal.
This day also marked the start of an exciting new chapter and a new voyage for the agency—the arrival of the new vessel means doubling the seagoing assets.
Denmark has established a new Real-Time Closure in the North Sea for juvenile fish starting from 13/01/2024 to 02/02/2024 23:59 hrs.
Denmark has established a new Real-Time Closure in the North Sea for juvenile fish starting from 21/01/2024 to 12/03/2024 23:59 hrs.
Denmark has established a new Real-Time Closure in the North Sea starting from 22/02/2024 to 13/03/2024 23:59 hrs.