ITALY
Italian Presidency of the Council of the European Union
Aquaculture in Europe and the Mediterranean a priority Riccardo Rigillo, General Director, Maritime Fisheries and Aquaculture, Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Forestry in Italy has been involved in formulating policy for the Italian ďŹ sheries sector for many years. As current holder of the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, Italy has a delicate task. The start of the year saw the introduction of the new Common Fisheries Policy with important provisions, in particular, the landing obligation, due to be implemented on 1 January 2015. Moreover, the Italians preside over a period of transition as the Juncker Commission took over from the Barroso Commission on 1 November 2014. The Italian agenda includes giving further impetus to the Integrated Maritime Policy for Blue Growth, jobs and the economy as well as boosting the aquaculture sector in Europe and the Mediterranean. What is the view from the ministry on the reformed Common Fisheries Policy? Where does it see the benefits for the Italian fisheries sector and where can it foresee problems with the implementation? A new CFP was needed. The management rules under the previous CFP had revealed themselves to be awkward, and the problems related to the status of the stocks demanded a prompt reaction. In the reform, stress has been put on long term sustainability – both ecological and socio-economical – as well as on regionalisation. Italy will benefit from both these aspects. The problems are mainly cultural: for example our fishermen need to change their attitude towards undersized fish – that they are now obliged to land.
Riccardo Rigillo, General Director, Maritime Fisheries and Aquaculture, Italian Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Forestry
Mediterranean fisheries are characterised by small fishing vessels, multiple gear types, and a great diversity of species. What is likely to be the impact of the discard ban and the landing obligation on the Italian fisheries sector? How do you foresee its implementation and what consequences will it have for fishermen?
Mediterranean fisheries have their specificities – but so does every fishery, a point we ought not to forget. The discard ban – or better, the landing obligation – will be applied to all the species subject to minimum size rules. The main impact will be a complete change in attitude towards undersized fish: up to now we
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Eurofish Magazine 6 / 2014
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were concerned about the prohibition of even catching those fish; from now on, the setting is the opposite! The first discard plans for the Mediterranean have already been adopted, and Italy put in a big effort to achieve this result – that was obtained mainly at regional
level – and with the contribution of the stakeholders through the Mediterranean Advisory Council. I think that the main consequence for fishermen will be a higher awareness of the importance of rules – and that they are becoming active players in managing and protecting the marine resources. www.eurofishmagazine.com