European Parliament Fisheries Committee Adopts Draft Resolution Calling for Revision of Western Mediterranean Multiannual Management Plan by December 1
The European Parliament's Committee on Fisheries voted on October 12 to adopt a draft resolution calling on the European Commission to submit a revised Western Mediterranean multiannual management plan by December 1, granting greater flexibility in fishing effort limits and strengthening consideration of socioeconomic factors.
In a vote held on October 12, the European Parliament's Committee on Fisheries adopted a draft resolution calling on the European Commission to submit a revised Western Mediterranean multiannual management plan (WestMed MAP) by December 1. The plan covers demersal fisheries in the western Mediterranean, with France, Italy and Spain as the main fishing nations, and targets species including European hake, red mullet, Norway lobster and various shrimp species, with the goal of maintaining stocks above levels capable of producing maximum sustainable yield.
One of the core amendments proposed by the committee is to change how annual fishing effort is determined in mixed fisheries. In mixed fisheries where multiple species are caught together, annual fishing effort will no longer be determined by reference to the "most vulnerable stock." Committee members believe the current approach can produce a "choke effect," whereby vessels are forced to stop fishing for more abundant species once they reach the limit for a more vulnerable stock.
The draft resolution also proposes allowing 10% of unused fishing effort to be carried over to the following year, and capping cuts to fishing days at 20%. The committee says decisions should explicitly take into account the impact on employment, fishers' incomes, business viability, seafood supply and EU food security.
Committee members stressed that while the current approach in place since 2019 has achieved progress, the fisheries sector has paid a significant price for it. The committee cited data showing that trawl fishing effort fell by 40% between 2020 and 2024, with employment and average wages both declining over the same period.
On scientific data, the resolution calls for stronger data collection and for assessment results to be published transparently before fisheries decisions are made. The committee noted that in the most recent assessment, the status of seven stocks could not be determined due to insufficient data. The resolution also calls for a dedicated research programme, involving national research institutes and the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM), to study the impact of climate change on fisheries.
On enforcement, committee members want the European Commission and the European Fisheries Control Agency to strengthen monitoring of non-EU fleets operating in the Mediterranean and to improve cooperation with non-EU authorities. They also called for better coordination of EU import controls, including the establishment of a European import control office to help prevent products from illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing from entering the market.
The committee's vote in favour of targeted amendments was welcomed by Europêche, the European fisheries industry organisation. Europêche said committee members had recognised the reality of mixed fisheries, supported greater flexibility in fishing effort, acknowledged the sustainability efforts already made by the region's fleets, called for stronger controls on non-EU fleets to combat IUU fishing, and demanded more complete scientific data, including on the impacts of climate change and invasive species.
Europêche also noted that the committee called on the European Commission to urgently review the specific conditions facing the region's red shrimp fishery. The red shrimp fishery is currently the only fishery subject to two restrictive management measures at the same time, and the committee wants only the fishing days regime to be retained and the quota to be abolished.
Europêche President Javier Garat said the vote sends a clear signal that the western Mediterranean plan needs to be adjusted as a matter of urgency. "The current framework and implementation of the plan have exacerbated the decline in sector employment," he said. "Fishers have made enormous efforts to support stock recovery, but sustainability also depends on viable businesses, stable employment and resilient coastal communities." He called on the European Commission to submit a proposal to revise the plan as soon as possible, and expressed hope that the outcome of the resolution would be taken into account at the December Council meeting.