The Administrative Board adopted the Single Programming Document (SPD), which contains the Multiannual work programme 2022- 2026 and the EFCA´s work programme for year 2022, and elected its Deputy Chair, Mr Yiannos Kyriacou, during its 37th meeting, which was held online for the fourth time.
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 Real Time Closure (RCT) in their waters of the Skagerrak from the 24 of August the 14 of September 2021, inclusive.
Straight lines between the following positions limit the closed area:
1) 57° 51’2 N 009° 36’8 Ø
2) 57° 48’9 N 010° 07’5 Ø
3) 57° 45’8 N 010° 06’9 Ø
4) 57° 48’2 N 009° 36’5 Ø
All the information can be found on the Danish website.
Under the umbrella of EMPACT (European Multidisciplinary Platform against Criminal Threats) and the priority of Environmental Crime, during the week of 03-07 May 2021, a Joint Action Day (JAD) took place, in the framework of Operational Action (OA) on Illegal Fishing.
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 Annual European Coast Guard Event for 2021 under the theme of “Use of digital age technologies in Coast Guard functions” was held virtually on 29 June 2021. The event was hosted by EFCA at the end of its turn as chair of the tripartite cooperation in support of the European coast guard initiative with the other two maritime EU Agencies, EMSA and Frontex.
The Annual Event provides a platform for national authorities, the EU agencies involved and the European Commission to exchange views on matters related to cooperation on coast guard functions.
Denmark has established a Real Time Closure (RCT) in their waters of the Skagerrak from the 24 of June to the 14 of July 2021, inclusive.
This RTC is based on the Commission Regulation (EC) no 724/2010 of 12 August 2010
Further conditions governing fisheries during an RTC will apply. The area is closed for fishery except for the following gears:
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.
Following the recent amendment to the budget of the European Union for 2021 proposed by the European Commission and adopted by the European Parliament and the Council, the Administrative Board of the European Fisheries Control Agency, in its online meeting today, has decided to amend the agency work programme and budget 2021 onwards authorising the recruitment of 6 additional civil servants and a 4 million euros budget increase.
The European Fisheries Control Agency, in cooperation with the Member States Control Expert Group for the Baltic Sea Fisheries Forum (BALTFISH), has carried out an evaluation of compliance with the landing obligation (LO) in selected fisheries in the Baltic Sea during 2017 and 2018.
The evaluation covered plaice, in addition to the species already included in the previous analysis, which were cod, Atlantic salmon, herring and sprat.