Scientists and fishermen alike are noticing an increase in the number of whales in the North Sea. Fish stocks are in excellent condition in these waters and species such as the humpback whale simply go where there is food and they can eat.
As Parliament's ECR group shadow rapporteur on the multi-annual plan for demersal stocks in the North Sea (NSMAP), I would like to talk about another kind of whale. That is the so-called 'whale in room' named Brexit.
While the outcome of the Brexit referendum has been known since June, the European Commission presented their NSMAP, without hesitation, to Parliament two months later, in August. In a post-Brexit Europe, less than one third of the North Sea will be considered EU water.
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Together, the UK, Norway and the EU will have to jointly manage over 100 stocks. Consequently, close communication with these countries on the development on all aspects of a mixed fisheries plan for the North Sea is essential.
This has not been the case, and so ECR group MEPs have decided to table a radical amendment. We call on the Commission to halt the process of this proposal until the future North Sea arrangement is clear. There is no reason why we should hurry, the current management plans work well.
It is a waste of our time and resources to continue now and then realise in 2019 we have to start all over again. Unfortunately other political groups seem to take a different approach. Knowing that we must still engage in the parliamentary process, we have tabled amendments to improve the current proposal.
First, we believe it's important to realise that a mixed fishery plan is different from a number of individual plans stapled together. For instance, Dutch demersal fisheries catch a mixed bag of over 60 species.
Scientific institutions lack the resources, both financially and staff-wise, to build models covering this mix. Therefore a mixed fishery plan should manage the target species and monitor sustainable harvesting of non-target species.
By doing so we can create a management system which will work. A system we can also explain to our fishermen. A system with room for innovation. This is also something that I am focused on in the technical measures file. I am amazed that innovative gear which increases selectivity, such as the pulse-technique, is still hindered by the EU instead of encouraged.
If the EU manages to move towards a more realistic and workable fisheries policy, the negotiations with Norway and the United Kingdom will perhaps become less of a challenge and the whale in room might swim away.