Common Fisheries Policy

HC Deb 25 November 1999 vol 339 c207W

Mr. Gill

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what are(a) the individual regional areas and (b) the management structures within these individual areas in relation to the zonal/regional fisheries management under the Common Fisheries Policy; and if he will make a statement on the ability of those areas to comply with the principle of equal access. [99408]

Mr. Morley

As I made clear in my answer to the hon. Gentlemen on 2 November 1999,Official Report, column 164W, strengthening the regional dimension of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) requires action on a regional specific fishery basis.

This can be done, for example, through the organisation by the Commission of regional meetings bringing together fishermen and fisheries scientists and managers to consider the problems of particular stocks, as with the meeting on the Celtic Sea demersal fishery in March. Under the CFP, the principle of equal access is subject in practice to the application of relative stability shares. I expect this to continue after the review of the CFP in 2002.