§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will identify those elements of the Common Fisheries Policy which operate in(a) Baltic and (b) Mediterranean waters; and if he will account for the differences in applicability of the policy to Atlantic waters. [127191]
§ Mr. MorleyBaltic Sea fisheries are managed by the International Baltic Sea Fisheries Commission (IBSFC), of which the EU is a member. EU regulations are made under the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) to implement management measures adopted by the IBSFC. General CFP conservation measures are also applicable in the Baltic Sea to the extent specified in individual regulations.
Coastal states in the Mediterranean Sea have not generally extended their exclusive fisheries limits beyond 12 miles, reflecting the narrowness of the continental shelf in the area. This has restricted the extent to which general CFP provisions have been applied. The EU has, however, implemented various conservation measures under the CFP covering Mediterranean fisheries, including tuna management measures adopted by the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tuna (ICCAT) and a limited number of technical conservation measures.
The Government consider that the application of the CFP in Atlantic waters can be improved and will continue to pursue opportunities for achieving this.