An independent study published by the European Commission has concluded that the European Union's landing obligation or discard ban, "has not reached its full potential," five years after its full implementation.
The landing obligation was introduced in 2015 and came into full force in January 2019. Its goal was to eliminate the practice of discarding unwanted catches at sea by encouraging fishers to use more selective gear.
The study, which was conducted by external experts, found that while the industry and authorities had made significant efforts, the policy faced challenges in its effectiveness.
It highlighted several limiting factors, including insufficient incentives for fishers to comply and ineffective monitoring and enforcement tools.
The report also cited conflicts with the economic viability of some fisheries and a large number of available exemptions as factors that have hampered the policy's success.
The results of the study will be discussed with industry stakeholders and will be used as part of the EU's ongoing evaluation of its Common Fisheries Policy regulation.