mr president i would like to start by thanking commissioner damanaki for her recent proposal to end the appalling practice of discarding
at a time when fish stocks are in decline and when some people on this planet do not have enough to eat it is shameful that we catch good fish kill it and then throw it back into the sea to feed the gulls and the crabs
i hope this legislation will be implemented without delay so that this disgraceful practice can be stopped as soon as possible
in addition to the commissioner's recent announcement i welcome the recommendations made by the gfcm
i particularly welcome the recommendations regarding fishing gear especially the introduction of minimum mesh sizes to be used in the mediterranean and the black sea and the prohibition of towed dredges and trawl nets below the thousand-metre mark
this will help make our fishing more sustainable
the ecr fully supports this report and i again thank commissioner damanaki for committing herself to abolishing discards
