Activities of Nicola CAPUTO related to 2016/2079(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
Status of fish stocks and socio-economic situation of the fishing sector in the Mediterranean (debate) IT
Amendments (36)
Amendment 1 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 2 a (new)
Citation 2 a (new)
- having regard to Regulation (EC) No 1967/2006 concerning management measures for the sustainable exploitation of fishery resources in the Mediterranean Sea,
Amendment 2 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 2 b (new)
Citation 2 b (new)
- having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 1005/2008 establishing a Community system to prevent, deter and eliminate illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing (IUU Regulation),
Amendment 6 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas the Mediterranean, with its 17 000 maritime species, is one of the areas with the greatest biodiversity in the world, and whereas a multi-species approach therefore needs to be taken to its management;
Amendment 11 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)
Recital C a (new)
Ca. whereas the Mediterranean Sea is affected by a range of factors which, together with fishing, have an impact on the health of fish stocks (such as pollution caused by maritime transport);
Amendment 21 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D a (new)
Recital D a (new)
Da. whereas the lack of correlation between the fishing effort regime and the status of stocks has been demonstrated;
Amendment 25 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Stresses the importance of enforcing, in the short term and comprehensively, the targets and measures laid down in the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) and of a timely, urgent and effective implementation, including timely drafting of the multiannual management plans provided for in the CFP, taking an multi-species, ecosystem-based approach; stresses, in particular, the need to achieve the Good Environmental Status (GES) goal established by Framework Directive 2008/56/EC on the strategy for the marine environment;
Amendment 30 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Considers it urgent to provide a response that is collective, based on multi- tier cooperation – international, European, national and regional; considers that all stakeholders, including fishermen, scientists, managers of marine protected areas and NGOs, should be involved in an inclusive, bottom-up process;
Amendment 37 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Notes that the CFP recognises that access to fishing opportunities should be distributed primarily among small-scale non-industrial fishermen, or those in small coastal areas, and should include incentives (Article 7(1)(d) of the CFP regulation) in order to promote more selective fishing techniques which have a lower impact on the marine ecosystem and fishery resourcesincentives should be introduced in order to promote fishing methods which help to make fishing more selective, to prevent and reduce by-catches, in so far as possible, and to adopt fishing practices which have a small impact on the marine ecosystem and fisheries resources (Article 7(1)(d) of the CFP regulation) and that Member States should apply transparent and objective criteria, including environmental, social and economic criteria, which may concern the impact of fisheries on the environment, the previous history of compliance with rules, the contribution to the local economy and recording of catches (Article 17 of the CFP regulation); notes that, for this reason, efforts should be made in this direction, to ensure that incentives and preferential access to coastal fishing areas are given to the small-scale (artisanal) fleet as opposed to those fisheries segments that are not selective and have a greaterelective fleet, which has less impact;
Amendment 39 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Notes that the CFP recognisstipulates that access to fishing opportunities should be distributed primarily among small-scale non-industrial fisherme, where provided for, must be based on economic, social, economic and other criteria that are transparent and objective; calls, for this reason, for those in small coastal areas, and should include incentives (particular attention to the paid to small-scale fishing, not least in the light of the incentives provided for in Article 7(1)(d) of the CFP regulation) in order to promote more selective fishing techniques which have a lower impact on the marine ecosystem and fishery resources; notes that, for this reason, efforts should be made in this direction, to ensure that incentives and preferential access to coastal fishing areas are given to the small-scale (artisanal) fleet as opposed to those fisheries segments that are not selective and have a greater impact;
Amendment 60 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Stresses firmly that in the Mediterranean basin there is still an extensive problem of illegal, unreported or unregulated (IUU) fishing, even in EU countries; considers that no intervention to safeguard resources, including and above all for small-scale fisheries economies, can be effective unless IUU fishing is combated firmly and decisively; believes, accordingly, that inspection procedures should be harmonised throughout the Mediterranean basin in view of the widely varying inspection and penalty procedures applied in respect of the area's fishermen;
Amendment 65 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Considers it a matter of priority to step up monitoring activity on land, along the entire distribution chain (markets and catering trade), and at sea, especially in areas in which fishing is prohibited (temporarily or permanently)temporarily suspended or prohibited;
Amendment 69 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Considers it feasible to introduce non-transferable quotas, especially for species subject to single-species fisheries; iIs of the view that, to avoid social inequalities, fishing opportunities should be allocated using objective and transparent criteria, including environmental, social and economic criteria, and should also be fairly distributed within the various fisheries segments, including traditional and small- scale fishing; is of the view, in addition, that incentives should be provided for fleets to use more selective fishing equipment and techniques that have a reduced impact on the marine environment, in keeping with Article 17 of the CFP regulation;
Amendment 80 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Notes that the system of marine protected areas in the Mediterranean covers an inadequate areaarea that remains small, with major coverage disparities between the various basins; considers it crucial to increase the percentage of marine protected areas andcountries with a stake in the basin and a general shortage of economic resources; considers it crucial to cooperate more closely with the CGPM and non-EU countries with a view to identifying areas to be covered by protection measures, in addition to implement and establishing an effective management, monitoring and control system to check they are effectivefor marine protected areas; acknowledges and supports the role marine protected areas play as advanced laboratories for scientific research and the opportunity they provide for cooperation and shared management with fishermen;
Amendment 83 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Notes that the system of marine protected areas in the Mediterranean covers an inadequate area, with major coverage disparities between the various basins; considers it crucial to increase the percentage of marine protected areasdefine marine protected areas more effectively in the light of the conservation objectives adopted and to identify areas to be covered by protection measures, in addition to implementing an effective monitoring and control system to check they are effective;
Amendment 91 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Considers it vital for policies to take a varied and nuanced approach, within management plans, and with different criteria based on the biological characteristics of the species and technical characteristics of the fishing methods; considers, moreover, that appropriate planning in space (rotating ‘no fishing’ areas, total or partial closure depending on fishing systems) and time (biological recovery periods) should be the vital component of anyenvisaged in future multiannual plan, in addition tos and receive the appromotion of technical measures aimed at maximum gear selectivitypriate financial compensation;
Amendment 96 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
Amendment 98 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Notes that in, for the Mediterranean, a minimum permitted size should be adoptis imposed for all commercial species, depending on sexual maturity and based on the best scientific knowledge, and that measures should be taken to enforce these minimum permitted sizes more strictly;
Amendment 107 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Calls on the Commission to assistand the Member States to share best practices with non-EU Mediterranean countries in order to modernisinge their fisheries sectors and to achieve sustainable fisheries, also through a policy of fisheries agreements that are more balanced, fair and sustainable;
Amendment 117 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Stresses that 250 000 people are directly employed on board boats and that the number of people dependent on the fishing industry increases exponentially if one includes families whose subsistence is derived from regional fishing and who are employed in secondary industries, such as processing, maintenance of boats and tourism; notes that 60% of work involved in fishing is located in developing countries to the south and east of the Mediterranean, which shows how important small-scale fishing is for the sustainable development of those regions and, in particular, for the most vulnerable coastal communities;
Amendment 118 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)
Paragraph 14 a (new)
14a. Considers an improvement in fishermen's working conditions essential, beginning with decent remuneration and fair competition, paying special attention to the industry's high accident rate and high risk of occupational diseases; suggests that Member States establish income support instruments, with due respect for the laws and customs of each Member State; recommends lastly that a stable income compensation fund be set up by the Member States to cover non- fishing periods, which can comprise adverse weather phenomena that make fishing impossible, close seasons (biological rest periods) serving to safeguard the life-cycle of species exploited, environmental disasters, or events involving prolonged environmental pollution or contamination by marine biotoxins;
Amendment 122 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Considers that the Commission should issue guidelines on how best to use funding from the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund and the European Neighbourhood Instrument; considers furthermore that information and technical support need to be promoted and made more readily available to fishermen's and producers' organisations in order to meet the specific logistical, human resources and financial needs of the fishing industry, in particular: - renewal and modernisation of the fleet with a view to improving working conditions and safety, optimising supply chain processes and improving energy efficiency; - the recruitment, education and multi- disciplinary training of young people, thereby enhancing the status of work and vocational training and supporting the emergence and development of new economic activities within the sector; - enhancing the role of women in fishing and production sectors directly linked to it, bearing in mind that they make up 12 % of the industry's overall labour force;
Amendment 126 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Considers that the Commission should issue guidelines on how best toMember States should promote full use of funding from the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund and the European Neighbourhood Instrument;
Amendment 132 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Considers it vital to promote, emphasise and provide incentives for cooperation between small-scale fishermen within the same area or region, for the purpose of tackling jointly the planning and management of local fisheries resources with the aim of effective and practical regionalisation, in accordance with the aims of the CFP, given; considers that the enormous fragmentation and differentiation of occupations, targets, technical characteristics and equipment used make it practically impossible to adopt a cross-cutting and unambiguous approachis a feature peculiar to fishing in the Mediterranean and that a cross-cutting and unambiguous approach would not respect and emphasise these local specificities;
Amendment 133 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Considers it vital to promote, emphasise and provide incentives for cooperation between small-scale fishermen within the same area or region, for the purpose of tackling jointly the planning and management of local fisheries resources with the aim of effective and practical regionalisation, in accordance with the aims of the CFP, given that the enormous fragmentation and differentiation of occupations, targets, technical characteristics and equipment used make it practically impossible to adopt a cross- cutting and unambiguous approach;
Amendment 138 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Observes that, despite the recent improvements, the number of stocks without a real and objective assessment of their status remains high and tha, on account of the frequently denounced shortage of data: in fact the Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries (STECF) deplores the fact that we have witnessed an actual reduction in the number of assessments has actually fallen, from 44 in 2012 to a mere 15 in 2014;.
Amendment 139 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Considers that rational and sustainable fisheries management depends on scientific use of the relevant data,of resources is contingent on the quantity and scientific use of data collected on factors such as fishing capacity, fishing activities engaged in, and their socioeconomic situation, and the biological status of the stock exploited and the current socioeconomic situation of fishing itself;
Amendment 140 #
Amendment 142 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Stresses the need for integrated approaches which take into account simultaneously the heterogeneity of the marine environment, the complexity of species (both exploited and unexploited) in the sea, the various characteristics and the conduct of fishing activities, the phenomenon of the drop in value of fish at first sale and, in some regions, monopolies on distribution;
Amendment 143 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Stresses the need for integrated approaches which take into account simultaneously the heterogeneity of the marine environment, the complexity of species (both exploited and unexploited) in the sea, the various characteristics and the conduct of fishing activities, as well as all other factors that have a bearing on the stock's health;
Amendment 147 #
Amendment 149 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 a (new)
Paragraph 22 a (new)
22a. Considers that new rules should be applied to recreational fishing and that a catalogue of recreational fishing activities, including information about fishing gear and operations, a description of fishing areas, target species and by- catches should also be drawn up;
Amendment 151 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24
Paragraph 24
24. Stresses the strong and crucial need to share data and combat their inaccessibility and dispersion, by developing an all-embracing online archive, which should be publicly funded and should contain all the data on fishing resources and fishing activities, so as to facilitate monitoring of quality and multiple, independent analyses and thus to adopt a constructive approach to stock assessments;
Amendment 153 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25
Paragraph 25
25. Notes that how the impacts, as well as the quantities, extent and characteristics and scale of IUU fishing (i.e. illegal fishing), are currently not assessed and are therefore under, unreported and unregulated fishing), are appraised varies among the different countries concerned in the Mediterranean basin and that these are not therefore correctly represented in information about the current status of fisheries and about trends over time, yet ought to be adequately taken into account in the development of scientific assessments for purposes of fisheries management;
Amendment 158 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26
Paragraph 26
26. Stresses that effective results and full accomplishment can be attained by means of a high level of responsibility and awareness among operators in the industry, by developing the skills of all fishermen (both commerciprofessional and recreational) and educating them, and by involving them in decision-making, adding specific actions for the dissemination of good practices;
Amendment 161 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27
Paragraph 27
27. Considers it important also to raise awareness among consumers, who must be and educated them to consume fish responsibly, prioritising local species fished by sustainable methods, possibly coming from stocks which are not overexploited and not widely sold; considers it necessary, to this end, to establish a traceability system, but also and above all to inform consumers completely and reliablypromote a thoroughly reliable traceability and consumer information system in order to combat food fraud;
Amendment 166 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28
Paragraph 28
28. Stresses that, in the light of this new scenario and of all these new factors which interact in the Mediterranean and which have altered the approach to fishing in the area, Regulation (EC) No 1967/2006 must be revised for the Mediterranean, to bring it into line with the current situation;