European Parliament resolution on the application of Council Regulation (EC) No 1185/2003 on the removal of fins of sharks on board vessels (2006/2054(INI))
The European Parliament,
– having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 2371/2002 of 20 December 2002 on the conservation and sustainable exploitation of fisheries resources under the Common Fisheries Policy(1),
– having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 1185/2003 of 26 June 2003 on the removal of fins of sharks on board vessels(2),
– having regard to its position of 27 March 2003 on the proposal for a Council regulation on the removal of fins of sharks on board vessels(3),
– having regard to the report from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament on the operation of Council Regulation (EC) No 1185/2003 on the removal of fins of sharks on board vessels (COM(2005)0700),
– having regard to Rule 45 of its Rules of Procedure,
– having regard to the report of the Committee on Fisheries (A6-0263/2006),
A. taking into consideration the information and facts contained in the above-mentioned Commission report,
B. taking into consideration the very poor quality of the information supplied by the Member States relating to their fleets' activities as regards 'finning' (removing and retaining on board the fins of sharks, discarding the remainder of the shark at sea),
C. taking into consideration the scientific reports submitted to the working parties of the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) and of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), which challenge, in the case of certain species, the 5% ratio of equivalence of fin weight and body weight, and to which the Commission's own aforementioned report makes reference,
D. conscious, however, of evidence from the US and Canadian fishing fleets that when the fins of blue sharks (Prionace glauca) are cut without meat or vertebrae left attached, then the ratio of fin weight to dressed weight is under 4%, and that the failure to trim excess flesh results in fins imported into Hong Kong from Europe commanding a lower average price per kilogram than those from the USA,
E. whereas in the specific case of the Prionacea glauca the maximum 5% live weight ratio of fin weight to body weight does not correspond to its morphology, as a pelagic shark, making it unnecessarily difficult for the Community longline fleet to respect fisheries legislation,
1. Congratulates the Commission on the clarity and conciseness of its report;
2. Agrees with the Commission in its assessment that Regulation (EC) No 1185/2003 is achieving its objectives, and encourages the Commission to continue monitoring its application, based on the annual reports drawn up by the Member States or any other relevant information;
3. Regrets, however, that not all the Member States are complying rigorously with their obligations in respect of both monitoring their vessels and forwarding the mandatory reports; calls on the Commission to ensure that these obligations are met without exception;
4. Encourages the Commission to continue submitting proposals at an international level for similar measures, basing them as always on the corresponding scientific reports, with the objective of working towards the adoption of specific regulations by the regional fisheries organisations that regulate highly migratory species;
5. Calls on the Commission to put before the Parliament and the Council a proposal for amending Regulation (EC) No 1185/2003, following a comprehensive review by the Commission of scientific studies on shark fin to carcass ratios covering the wide range of European shark species and fishing fleets taking sharks; recommends that, until such a review is completed, no increases in the fin to carcass ratio should be proposed;
6. Calls on the Commission to put before the European Parliament and the Council within the next six months a proposal for amending Regulation (EC) No 1185/2003 in line with the majority of scientific analyses of shark fin to carcass ratios for Atlantic sharks, including the blue shark (Prionacea glauca), which conclude that a 5% fin to dressed weight (approximately 2.0% of live weight) ratio is an appropriate upper limit for mixed shark fisheries;
7. Calls on the Commission to propose amendments to Regulation (EC) No 1185/2003, in order to address the enforcement difficulties created by the provision for the landing of fins and carcasses at separate ports;
8. Calls on the Commission to report to the European Parliament and the Council no later than 1 January 2009 on the continued operation of that Regulation or any amended version thereof, taking into account international developments in this field, and, if appropriate, to propose amendments to the said Regulation;
9. Calls on the Commission to present to the European Parliament and the Council no later than 30 June 2007 a Community Plan of Action for the conservation of sharks and seabirds, as proposed in its Communication (COM(2006) 0216) entitled 'Halting the Loss of Biodiversity by 2010 – and Beyond';
10. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council and the Commission.