Press Release: Commission welcomes Parliament’s support for gradual elimination of discards in EU fisheries

On 31 January, 2008, the European Commission welcomed the broad support expressed by the European Parliament in its plenary session, last night, for the Commission's Communication of March 2007 setting out a policy to reduce unwanted by-catches and eliminate discards in European fisheries (IP/07/429). In its opinion, the Parliament welcomed the Commission's approach and underlines the urgent need for action at EU level to prevent the waste of precious marine resources. Discarding represents a major threat to the sustainability of fish stocks and, as a result, to the future of the fishing industry. The Parliament also supported the Commission's proposal to act stepwise, fishery by fishery, on the basis of defined targets so as to achieve the elimination of discards over time. Following detailed consultation with stakeholders, the Commission is consulting scientists on a number of fisheries which would be the first candidates for the gradual discard ban. The Commission also intends to produce a roadmap, accompanied by a timetable on the application of the gradual elimination of discards to all major European commercial fisheries.