(European Voice) The Parliament will also seek to tackle illegal fishing of bluefin tuna in the Mediterranean with a vote on tightening rules on enforcing quotas and monitoring landings.
The measures have already been agreed by the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT).
The Parliament’s rapporteur on the issue, Spanish Green MEP Raül Romeva i Rueda, had wanted the EU to go further, but his amendments were voted down in the Parliament’s fisheries committee in December.
The new rules, which deal with how fish can be caught and how they are landed, will be valid until the end of 2014. They impose a reduction on the number of EU vessels allowed to catch bluefin tuna to 72.
Romeva said the final vote, which will mean that the EU meets minmum international commitments, would be a “missed opportunity for the EU to take meaningful steps to prevent the demise of bluefin”.
But he said the EU would have another opportunity to push for more stringent quotas and regulations when the ICCAT meets in November.
The extent of the illegal activity in the Mediterranean was made clear last year when bluefin tuna fishing continued almost without interruption in Libyan waters – even though there was an official ban on fishing during the war.
In a statement Tuesday, Maria Damanaki, the European commissioner for fisheries, said the EU will beef up inspection during this year’s bluefin tuna fishing season – which runs from from Wednesday (16 May) to 14 June. Vessels from seven EU member states are active in bluefin tuna fishing: Cyprus, France, Greece, Italy, Malta, Portugal and Spain.
MEPs will also vote on whether to rubber-stamp a bilateral fisheries agreement with Mozambique. The deal, which will be valid until the end of 2014, will see the EU pay €980,000 for access to the Mozambique fishing zone. Some MEPs have expressed concern that there is insufficient fishing activity in the area by European vessels to justify the agreement.