SAR and CE letter re landing obligation discard plan joint recommendations – Technical

The document outlines five key priorities for the 2019 discard plan joint recommendations (JRs), emphasizing that the landing obligation must cover all species subject to catch limits and that exemptions must be based on rigorous scientific evidence. The authors argue against using de minimis exemptions to solve quota-related choke issues and call for improved documentation of discards to ensure reliable stock assessments.

• The 2019 discard plan joint recommendations must unambiguously cover all species subject to catch limits, as required by Article 15 of the Common Fisheries Policy basic regulation from January 2019.
• Member States are urged to move beyond simply listing exemptions and instead include concrete measures to improve selectivity and reduce unwanted catches, utilizing existing and ongoing trials.
• Exemptions should only be included if supported by legally required scientific evidence and STECF recommendations; specifically, high survival exemptions must consider gear and ecosystem characteristics, and de minimis amounts must be reliably quantified for TAC-setting.
• The authors advise against using de minimis exemptions to address choke issues caused by quota limitations, as this approach is likely to result in lower Total Allowable Catches (TACs) and may negatively impact other fishing fleets.
• There is a critical need for clear instructions on documenting discards under de minimis and high survival exemptions to prevent the deterioration of discard data, which is essential for reliable stock assessments and achieving Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY).

APA

ClientEarth (n.d.). SAR and CE letter re landing obligation discard plan joint recommendations – Technical. https://www.clientearth.org/media/403lhboq/annex-i-to-clientearth-and-seas-at-risk-letter-to-commission-regarding-outstanding-concerns-about-exemption-requests-for-the-2019-discard-plans-coll-en.pdf

Chicago

ClientEarth. SAR and CE letter re landing obligation discard plan joint recommendations – Technical. n.d. https://www.clientearth.org/media/403lhboq/annex-i-to-clientearth-and-seas-at-risk-letter-to-commission-regarding-outstanding-concerns-about-exemption-requests-for-the-2019-discard-plans-coll-en.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=ClientEarth |title=SAR and CE letter re landing obligation discard plan joint recommendations – Technical |url=https://www.clientearth.org/media/403lhboq/annex-i-to-clientearth-and-seas-at-risk-letter-to-commission-regarding-outstanding-concerns-about-exemption-requests-for-the-2019-discard-plans-coll-en.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{clientearthndsar, author = {{ClientEarth}}, title = {{SAR and CE letter re landing obligation discard plan joint recommendations – Technical}}, publisher = {ClientEarth}, url = {https://www.clientearth.org/media/403lhboq/annex-i-to-clientearth-and-seas-at-risk-letter-to-commission-regarding-outstanding-concerns-about-exemption-requests-for-the-2019-discard-plans-coll-en.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }