Conservation of fishery resources: protection of juveniles of marine organisms

The Council instructs the Permanent Committee of representatives to begin work immediately on its examination of this proposal and to present report at a forthcoming meeting. The Swedish delegation broadly supported the proposal of the Commission. The Danish delegation indicated it would have an open and constructive approach on this proposal and would proceed to the examination of new proposed rules on mesh size for Skagerrak and Kattegat. This delegation also insisted on the need to have a more selective fishing in order to avoid fish discard. The French delegation and the Portuguese delegations, having noted that technical measures were a key element of the conservation of resources, indicated their concerns with regard to the deletion of the current exemptions on mesh sizes for vessels below 12 meters in Zone VIII, which would have a severe effect on local fishermen. These delegations asked the Commission for taking into account the specificity of these fishing areas.�