EU explores fisheries policy

Maintaining a sustainable fish stock in European waters is essential to the economic viability of the fleet, the EU fisheries secretary said. Maria Damanaki, the fisheries secretary for the European Union, briefed lawmakers on a common fisheries policy. She said sustainable management of fish stocks throughout the world would ensure a productive industry that would in turn build the economic basis for the fleet. The Scottish government said it was expecting the European Commission to introduce sanctions against the Faroe Islands and Iceland for overfishing mackerel in the region. Edinburgh said they are both taking on more mackerel than their internationally agreed upon share. Damanaki, in her statement, said Europe has "to explore new methods for encouraging compliance and deterring non-compliance, also through capacity building in some of the developing states." She said the scientific community must play a role in the fisheries sector through peer reviews of sustainability and management issues. "This means that internally in the EU we need to increase our own commitment to data collection and applied research," she added.