Allister gives cautious welcome to possible changes in eel proposal
24 April 2006
"The Fisheries Committee of the European Parliament has proposed significant amendments to the Commission's proposal designed to regulate eel fishing in the EU.
In the absence of acceptable national management schemes, designed to ensure adequate escapement of adult eels to aid stock recovery through natural spawning, the Commission had proposed an enforced closure of fisheries from the 1st to 15th of every month. I welcome the fact that the Fisheries
Committee has rejected this proposal and opted instead for the management of fishing effort by shortening of the fishing season.
I believe, however, that given the recovery-linked practices already operated in our Lough Neagh and Bann Fishery, we should be able to avoid the application of any such EU enforced measures by having an appropriate management scheme approved.
The Fisheries Committee has also sought to extend the period of implementation of any new measures by at least 1 year, thus giving a greater opportunity for local management schemes to be approved. A further measure which I welcome is the amendment by the Committee to impose an obligation on eel farms to deliver a percentage of their mature eels for release, thus promoting natural breeding.
The proposal, as amended by the fisheries Committee, will now proceed to a plenary sitting of the Parliament before returning to the Commission for its further consideration."
