EU Control System Factsheet Managing Small Scale Vessels

This factsheet highlights the governance gaps in the EU's management of small-scale fisheries (SSF), specifically vessels under 12 metres. It argues that the lack of mandatory tracking and catch reporting for these vessels leads to insufficient data for stock assessments and undermines marine conservation. The document recommends the adoption of cost-effective tracking devices and electronic logbooks for all vessels, regardless of size, to ensure a level playing field and more reliable fisheries management.

• Small-scale vessels (under 12 metres) constitute 85% of all EU fishing vessels and account for at least 23% of total catches, yet they suffer from inadequate governance and insufficient information compared to industrial fisheries.
• The current EU Control Regulation does not mandate tracking systems for vessels under 12 metres, which prevents authorities from automatically locating vessels in real-time, compromising both maritime safety and the ability to monitor fishing in protected areas.
• Vessels under 10 metres are not required to provide fishing logbook data or landing declarations, and some Member States, such as Italy, collect no catch or landing data for this group, which threatens the quality of fish stock assessments.
• Reporting for vessels between 10 and 15 metres remains largely paper-based due to derogations; in Italy and Spain, 90% and 85% of vessels between 12 and 15 metres respectively are exempt from electronic declarations, leading to database errors.
• The Regional Government of Andalusia, Spain, demonstrated the viability of small-vessel monitoring by installing 'green boxes' in 2004, with 97% of its small-scale fleet (1,343 out of 1,384 vessels) now equipped with a system that transmits position every 3 minutes.

APA

ClientEarth (n.d.). EU Control System Factsheet Managing Small Scale Vessels. https://www.clientearth.org/media/ptfp1mge/small-scale-fisheries-factsheet-coll-en.pdf

Chicago

ClientEarth. EU Control System Factsheet Managing Small Scale Vessels. n.d. https://www.clientearth.org/media/ptfp1mge/small-scale-fisheries-factsheet-coll-en.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=ClientEarth |title=EU Control System Factsheet Managing Small Scale Vessels |url=https://www.clientearth.org/media/ptfp1mge/small-scale-fisheries-factsheet-coll-en.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{clientearthndcontrol, author = {{ClientEarth}}, title = {{EU Control System Factsheet Managing Small Scale Vessels}}, institution = {ClientEarth}, url = {https://www.clientearth.org/media/ptfp1mge/small-scale-fisheries-factsheet-coll-en.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }