Spain: New regulation relaxes conditions for fishing vessel modernisation

Recognising the need for a single registry of the national fishing fleet, the Spanish government’s Council of Ministers recently approved a royal decree regulating, for the first time, the structure of the General Registry of the Fishing Fleet. Until now, autonomous communities shared with the national Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food the rights and responsibilities concerning vessel registration, leading to inefficiency. An effective single registry of vessels is a key element in fisheries management.

Each EU nation’s fishing capacity is regulated by the EU Common

Fishery Policy, and nations must ensure their own fishing capacity conforms to the rules. Fishing vessel replacement -- and entry of new vessels -- must match CFP obligations. The new royal decree makes it easier to ensure Spain’s fleet is properly managed. In recent years, some concerns have emerged that make fleet management more challenging, including environmental impacts of fishing and energy efficiency of vessels. By consolidating vessel management into one regulatory process the government intends that the royal decree will help managers and the industry alike.

Italy: Minimum size rule set for clams

Sea clam producers in Italy’s Veneto region welcomed a recent confirmation by the EU that clams from Italian waters are subject to a minimum size of 22 mm in contrast to the 25 mm limit in Spain and elsewhere in the EU. The difference is due to the nature of the ecosystem in the waters of Veneto and other Italian regions, which affects the growth of sea clams there. Opposing the EU decision was Spain, who argued that the disparity in the legal clam size puts Spanish producers at a competitive disadvantage vis-àvis their Italian rivals. In assessing the relation between clam size and ecosystem characteristics, the EU put weight on the question of sustainability of the species and the ecosystem. The minimum clam size rules are aimed at sustainability, not market characteristics or competitive forces, and they are intended to make sure a species is not harvested when reproductively immature, regardless of shell size or market value.

The new regulatory framework combines existing management tools with new ones, making the former more flexible. Such a combination will help the Spanish fishing fleet adapt to the modern requirements of the sector.