Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries (STECF) - Assessment of balance indicators for key fleet segments and review of national reports on Member States efforts to achieve balance between fleet capacity and fishing opportunities (STECF-18-14)

The expert working group EWG-18-14 was convened under STECF to assess balance indicators for EU Member State fleet segments (ToR 1 and ToR 4), review national reports on Member States efforts to achieve balance between fleet capacity and fishing opportunities, and assess action plans submitted for fleet segments where Member States identified structural overcapacity (ToRs 2 and 3). Also, the group tried to estimate balance indicators for some specific Outermost Regions [namely France (Réunion, French Guiana, Martinique, Guadalupe and Mayotte), Portugal (Madeira and Azores) and Spain (Canary Islands); ToR 5] and proposed an improved suite of indicators to aid the assessment of the balance between fleet capacity and fishing opportunities (ToR 6). The EWG-18-14 was held in Larnaca, Cyprus from the 17 – 21 September 2018. Independently-calculated balance indicators, based on DCF economic and transversal data and stock assessment information were provided to experts, and the evaluation of these balance indicators was reported by country and region. In addition, experts considered a number of recurring issues and caveats related to biological, economic, and technical indicators. Action plans submitted by Member States for fleet segments with identified structural overcapacity as identified by the Member States in their fleet capacity reports in line with Article 22.4 of Regulation (EU) 1380/2013 were evaluated, and the assessment is presented in the present report. In general, while it was relatively straightforward to identify in Member States’ action plans, those fleet segments that were additional to those included in the action plans submitted with their fleet reports, the information presented was only sufficient to note the actions that Member States intend to implement to address any imbalances in the fleet segments identified and was not sufficient to quantitatively assess whether such measures would be sufficient to redress any such imbalances...