Scientific and technical knowledge of the EU-fisheries, exploited stocks and sensitive marine habitats in the high seas and third countries waters not subject to SFPAs and/or RFMOs jurisdiction
The Sustainable Management of External Fishing Fleets (‘SMEFF Regulation’ (EU) 2017/2403) was adopted to ensure that fishing operations by European Union (EU) vessels in non-EU waters must abide by the same sustainability principles as fisheries regulated inside EU’s waters. The Regulation establishes rules, prescribes conditions/eligibility criteria for fishing authorisations, and defines obligations for the operator, the flag Member State and the European Commission in the fishing authorisation process for EU vessels fishing in non-EU waters. EU fisheries in third country waters can only be authorized if the operator has provided scientific evaluation demonstrating the sustainability of the planned fishing operations. However, the SMEFF regulation does not specify what scientific information has to be provided to prove that the fishery will be, or is, sustainable.
This study aims to help clarify the minimum scientific requirements for a scientific evaluation demonstrating the sustainability of a planned fishing operation. This study gathered and reviewed different data and information sources on the fishing operations, the target species/stocks and bycatch species, their conservation status and exploitation patterns and developed decision trees to help with SMEFF requests. For the fishing operations on the high seas, this study also considers the presence of vulnerable marine ecosystems (VMEs).
The key results include description of a process to deliver robust scientific evaluations and to feed into decision making for SMEFF requests. The project proposes a framework that allows fisheries administrators and scientists in Member States to respond within a defined timeframe to requests for SMEFF fishing authorisations from fishing operators. The decision-making framework provides a standard process for all Member States to follow, and it provides a simple method for Member States and DG-MARE to demonstrate which fisheries should and should not be authorised. The study also describes past, ongoing and potentially future fisheries relevant under the SMEFF Regulation across FAO Areas 34, 41 and 47. The descriptions and associated data are provided to enable informed decisions to be made throughout the assessment of SMEFF requests.
Decisions concerning approval or rejection of fishing authorisation requests should be based on an assessment of the stocks by Member State fisheries scientists. Where a stock assessment is available, authorisations should only be issued when the stock is in a good state with biomass above BMSY and fishing effort lower than FMSY. In the absence of a formal stock assessment, the study proposes to follow a risk-based approach. For these cases, a productivity susceptibility assessment (PSA) should be carried out using data from various sources to assess if each stock can be exploited sustainably.
This study offers recommendations for the development of a sound science-based decision framework, with associated scientific protocols required to demonstrate a prospective fishery’s sustainability.
Mangi SC, Pearce J, Kell L, Sarralde Vizuete R, García Isarch E, Stacy R, Peat W, del Río Iglesias JL, Quinzan, M and Andonegi E. (2024) Scientific and technical knowledge of EU-fisheries, exploited stocks and sensitive marine habitats in the high seas and third countries waters not subject to SFPA and/or RFMOs jurisdiction, Publications Office of the European Union, 2024, doi:10.2926/1880742
Name of Client
CINEA
Project Dates
-
Country
European Union