BSAC report on EFCA Advisory board meeting, October 2023

Attended by: BSAC vice- chair

The meeting was attended by EFCA executive director, EFCA heads of unit, EFCA advisory
board and representatives from each advisory council including the BSAC vice chair.
The goal of the meeting was to discuss issues affecting the AC´s primarily concerning
EFCA´s work during the current and coming period, autumn 2023- spring 2024.

The BSAC representative commented on previous BSAC work on issues directly of interest
for EFCA including:

• Recommendation on the mandatory implementation of a new trawl gear that showed
  technical problems.
• Recommendation to the Commission to evaluate the effectiveness of cod spawning
  area protection measures in the Baltic.
• Recommendation on the harmonization of legal rules in geographically close areas
  and in particular issues on the sorting requirement for specific pelagic fisheries.

Concerning issues of future interest between BSAC and EFCA the BSAC representative
talked about:

• A coming reply from the BSAC to the commission on the implementation of the
  Technical Measures regulation.
• The control regulations impact on our future fisheries.
• The landing obligation, including the coming EFCA compliance evaluation report and
  future combined BALTFISH / EFCA / BSAC workshop on this issue.
• Coming visit of EFCA patrol visits to the Baltic.

EFCA executive director answered that:

• The EFCA compliance evaluation report on the Baltic Sea 2019-21 will be published
  in the spring of 2024. 
• The new patrol vessels will be in Gdynia and open for member visits on the 29th of
  November.

Of interest from other AC´s was the work from NWWAC of the development of a choke
species tool to underpin advice and the Easy Fish market tool.

The draft single programming document, Multiannual work program 2024-2028 and Annual
work program were presented by EFCAs executive director. The multiannual program will run
from 2024-2028 and a first draft will be presented in October with input and follow up already
received from the Commission and DG Mare.

The executive director pointed out that the new control regulation will have implications with a new task of the assignment of EFCA staff as union inspectors in EU waters.

EFCA will now reorganise so that Unit 2 will be responsible for the Baltic, North Atlantic and
North Sea waters under the leadership of Christina Mergado from the 1st of January.

The EFCA presentation will be shared at a later date.

EFCA Advisory board report October 2023

Date Posted: October 19, 2023