The new EU regulation for fisheries control, approved by the plenary of the European Parliament, include the following measures:

According to the new rules, all vessels must have monitoring devices allowing national authorities to locate and identify them at regular intervals. Some small coastal fishing vessels can be exempted from this requirement until 2030, and all small coastal fishing fleets will have up to four years to comply with the new regulations.

All fishing activities will be monitored, and catches will be reported electronically to ensure complete traceability, within a renewed fisheries control system.

The new EU legislation will contribute to gathering more accurate data, enabling better management of marine resources. All EU vessels, without exception, must digitally record and report their catches, including fishing logbooks, landing declarations, and sales notes. Captains of fishing vessels under 12 meters will be able to submit a simplified declaration at the end of the day once their vessels are safely in port and before unloading.

For the first time, recreational vessels engaged in amateur fishing will also have to report their catches through electronic systems established by national authorities or the Commission.

• Harmonization of Penalties and Tolerance Margins

The regulation will address existing significant differences between EU countries concerning penalties. The value of the fishery products caught by a vessel will be the criterion for the minimum level of fines in case of serious rule violations.

The "tolerance margin" meaning the difference between the estimated catches and their weight at the port of landing, will be set at 10% per species, with some exceptions for small-volume catches and specific species.

• Ensuring Landing Obligation and Traceability Along the Supply Chain

To ensure compliance with the landing obligation, EU vessels 18 meters and above due to high risk of non-compliance must have onboard remote electronic monitoring systems, including closed-circuit cameras, no later than four years after the legislation comes into effect.

Those involved in fishing activities must maintain information throughout the entire supply chain, from sea to plate: from the first transaction to the retail stage of fishery and aquaculture products. Complete digital traceability of fish and their derivatives aims to enhance food safety, ensure fair competition, and combat illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing.

• Next Steps

Once officially approved by the Council of Fisheries Ministers, the regulation will come into effect 20 days after its publication in the Official Journal of the EU. However, the various measures will be implemented gradually, providing member states and fishing fleets with sufficient time to adapt.

At the AQUACULTURE EUROPE 2023 conference organized by the European Aquaculture Association (EAS) in Vienna from 18-21/2023 (https://aquaeas.org/Meeting/AE2023), APC SA participated with two (2) scientific presentations, which you can find on pages 1449-1450 and 1452-1453 of the proceedings (https://eposters.blob.core.windows.net/eas-eposters/AE2023AbstractBook.pdf).

Specifically:

1. SHELLFISHERS/FARMERS LOCAL ECOLOGICAL KNOWLEDGE (LEK) ON LOW TROPHIC AQUACULTURE PROMOTE THE CONSERVATION OF THE CRITICALLY ENDANGERED PINNA NOBILIS (PinnaSOS project) (http://www.pinnasos.upatras.gr/index.php/el/pinna-sos)

Here you can also find the related e-poster: https://aquaeas.org/PosterViewer/Home/Index/2410613

2. INVASIVE ASCIDIANS, SPONGES & RAPANA WHELKS MANAGEMENT IN CE MEDITERRANEAN MUSSEL FARMING, GREECE

Many thanks to the University of Patras, all partners, and everyone who contributed to the successful implementation of the above projects.