The European Parliament believes that better regulations are needed to monitor fish catches in EU waters. Fishing vessels caught violating catch quotas and evading the already existing 'landing obligation' should be required to install camera surveillance in their working areas.
The European Parliament also believes that fishing vessels should be equipped with GPS to enable permanent monitoring of their location. Just as with farm-to-fork food traceability, consumers should be clearly informed about the origin of the fish.
The use of cameras on board should be mandatory for a “minimum percentage” of large cutters and trawlers that can be classified as “a serious risk of non-compliance” with the rules. Cameras can monitor the quantities of fish coming out of the nets and ensure that small undersized fish are not secretly thrown back into the sea. According to researchers, the 'landing obligation' that has been in force for several years is still widely evaded.
Throwing back undersized fish (which yield less money) was banned in 2016 by introducing the so-called landing obligation, but according to the European Commission's official fisheries advisory body, this still happens on a large scale.
With 401 votes in favor, 247 against, and 47 abstentions, MEPs agreed that new technologies must be used to better enforce fishery rules and improve safety and transparency. They also insist that consumers must know when, where, and how the product they buy was caught.
The amendment regulating mandatory camera use in the new EU rules was adopted with a narrow majority of only eight votes, much to the displeasure of the European Parliament's Fisheries Committee. This committee had rejected mandatory cameras two weeks earlier during the debate preparation, much to the European Commission’s discontent.
MEP Peter van Dalen (Christian Union) called the camera mandate a completely wrong signal from the EU to fishermen. “It shows that most MEPs still distrust fishermen,” Van Dalen said in a reaction.
Van Dalen: “The introduction of the landing obligation was unwise and accompanied by many problems. Fishermen have continuously proposed solutions, which have also been found together with the European Commission. Now, fishermen are getting kicked again for that constructive attitude because a majority of the EP wants to make cameras mandatory.”
On the other hand, Anja Hazekamp (Party for the Animals) considers better monitoring of bycatch of vulnerable species not only in the interest of fish populations but ultimately also in the interest of the fisheries sector itself. The party also wants the video systems to record no sound to ensure the crew’s right to privacy at all times.