Changes from report parliamentary committee draft to plenary report

Removed3. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to make full use of CFP tools, in particular technical measures to address fisheries interactions and enhance the protection of sensitive species;

Added3. Stresses that many sensitive species are valuable indicators of the health of marine ecosystems, provide an early warning of ecological imbalances and contribute to ecosystem resilience, with direct impact on the productivity of fisheries and aquaculture;

Removed4. Recalls the importance of data collected under the CFP in properly identifying the impact of fisheries on sensitive species;

Added4. Urges the Commission and the Member States to implement an ecosystem-based approach to fisheries management alongside approaches that focus on the conservation of sensitive species, while supporting the economic and social prosperity of fishers, as well as ensuring the delivery of the EU’s goals and international commitments on MPAs and areas of high biodiversity importance;

Removed5. Highlights the importance of reinforcing the protection and recovery of sensitive species in all pertinent legal proposals, extending beyond those directly related to the CFP;

Added5. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to ensure that shifts in ecosystems caused by climate change are consistently reflected in environmental assessments and fisheries management;

Added6. Urges the Commission and the Member States to reduce, and where possible eliminate, incidental catches of sensitive marine species, in accordance with Article 3 of Regulation (EU) 2019/1241, ensuring that such catches do not represent a threat to the conservation status of these species;

Added7. Underlines that, over the past decades, habitats have changed, leading to the disappearance of some species while enabling the arrival of new ones; stresses, in this regard, the need to increase the awareness of citizens, and in particular of fishers and anglers, of the importance of data collection and the need for adaptive management;

Added8. Stresses the importance of science-based MPA management plans, including their environmental, social and economic dimensions and outcomes, to ensure that conservation measures are targeted, effective and aligned with ecosystem-specific needs and that their implementation is effective; highlights the EU target of protecting 30 % of EU seas by 2030;

Added9. Recalls that fishers must be an integral part of the solution and be represented in all advice-giving bodies, and highlights, in this regard, the importance of ensuring representation of all fishers, especially small-scale and artisanal ones; is concerned that their representation is not always adequately ensured;

Added10. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to make full use of common fisheries policy (CFP) tools, in particular technical measures to address fisheries interactions and enhance the protection of sensitive species, while ensuring fair and effective compensation for fishers affected by the loss of access to traditional fishing grounds, in line with the provisions of the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund; calls on the Commission to ensure the implementation and enforcement of current legislation;

Added11. Urges the Member States to make full use of the provisions enshrined in Article 17 of the CFP Regulation when allocating fishing opportunities, to incentivise fishers to adopt measures to minimise or eliminate the bycatch of sensitive species and to provide incentives to fishing vessels deploying selective fishing gear or using fishing techniques with reduced environmental impact, with special attention to small-scale fleets;

Added12. Recalls the importance of data collected under the CFP in properly identifying the impact of fisheries on sensitive species and the importance of improved monitoring systems, in line with scientific advice and EU legislation; underlines the importance of comprehensive, species-specific bycatch data to enable targeted mitigation measures, inform adaptive management strategies and facilitate the adoption of balanced and science-driven measures that also consider socio-economic factors and ensure EU food security;

Added13. Highlights the importance a holistic approach across policy areas can contribute to reinforcing the monitoring, protection, restoration and recovery of sensitive species and habitats; emphasises, in this regard, the importance of implementing current legislation in all relevant policy areas, extending beyond those directly related to the CFP;

Added14. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to reinforce ecosystem-based approaches to the management of the marine environment, taking into account species interactions, where possible, and all pressures on marine ecosystems, including climate change and pollution, whether land-based or from other sources;

Added15. Emphasises that MPAs that are effectively protected and managed based on the best available science, contribute, depending on their conservation objectives, to minimising incidental catches of sensitive species, protecting fish spawning and nursery areas and juveniles, and reducing impacts on sensitive habitats;

Added16. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to assess regional and local population size, the status and trends of species and the potential impacts that unbalanced populations can have on fishing activities, to ensure ecosystem-based management of fisheries, including measures to protect sensitive species;

Added17. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to increase support for scientific programmes on sensitive species and management approaches, as identified in relevant legislation; highlights the fact that, in some regions, sensitive species, such as growing populations of cormorants and seals, are having impacts on fish stocks and fisheries and aquaculture activities and on other sensitive species populations; is of the opinion that the regulatory framework has the necessary tools to allow improvements, given the local status of the sensitive species; invites, therefore, the Commission and the Member States to consider, among the actions to be taken, all possibilities provided for in the Birds Directive and the Habitats Directive to better facilitate active and effective population management and support ecosystem-based management;

Added18. Urges the Commission to ensure that the EU’s fisheries management approaches are aligned with the CFP, the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 and the EU’s international commitments such as the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework; stresses, in this regard, that actions should be taken to halt the decline of sensitive species in EU marine ecosystems, including through the implementation of appropriate conservation measures and habitat protection;

Added19. Calls on the Commission to take action in regional fisheries management organisations (RFMOs) to reduce and, where possible, eliminate bycatch of sensitive species and to restrict the trading and importation of seafood products and strengthen measures against illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, including through improved customs control and collaboration with RFMO partners;

Invasive species: threats to our ocean and economy

Change 7

Changed6.20. Underlines that IAS threaten fisheries and aquaculture, native marine biodiversity and ecosystems, thus affecting the incomelivelihoods and incomes of fishers and coastal communities;

Change 8

Added21. Highlights the vital contribution of small-scale coastal fisheries to local economies and EU food security, stressing that they face growing threats from environmental stressors such as invasive species and climate change, including the massive movement of certain species, particularly owing to warming waters, a phenomenon that causes severe losses, particularly for shellfish farmers, who are doubly penalised by a drop in production and an increase in costs linked to predation;

22. Recalls that in the EU, 88 IAS are strictly regulated, including 47 animal species and 41 plant species of Union concern;

Change 9

Changed8.23. Regrets the fact that the current list of species of Union concern does not fully acknowledge the threat of IAS to EU fisheries, aquaculture and the marine environmentenvironment, –since currently only two marine species (Plotosus lineatus and Rugulopteryx okamurae) are included on the list;list, alongside certain species that are found in brackish environments; calls for itsthe improvementlist to be improved based on up-to-date scientific advice and risk assessments;

Change 10

Removed9. Regrets the lack of specific monitoring programmes for marine IAS, and calls for improved monitoring methods and the harmonisation of indicators across the EU and for increased technical and financial support;

Added24. Points out the need for appropriate management of species and notes with concern the increased presence of species in certain regions, such as:

Removed10. Recommends establishing a threshold-setting methodology and values for all European marine regions and subregions, taking into consideration the impact on fisheries, the manageability of pathways and the need to enforce the Ballast Water Management Convention and apply hull fouling guidelines;

Added(a) the Pacific oyster and alien crayfish species in the southern North Sea, particularly along the Dutch coast;

Added(b) the black-mouthed goby, which affects the ecosystem and specifically threatens shrimp, flatfish and native gobies especially around the North Sea waters;

Added(c) the blue crab, the brush-clawed shore crab, the American Atlantic coast comb and the clinging jellyfish in the Northeast Atlantic;

Added(d) the lionfish (Pterois miles), the bluespotted cornetfish (Fistularia commersonii) and the silver-cheeked toadfish (Lagocephalus sceleratus), around Greece and Cyprus;

Added(e) the zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha), introduced into the Ebro, and the catfish (Silurus glanis), in Spain;

Added(f) the Asian algae Rugulopteryx okamurae, particularly in the western Mediterranean;

Added25. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to establish regional, species-specific monitoring systems, including coordinated early warning and response strategies for alien species affecting economically relevant habitats;

Added26. Regrets the lack of specific monitoring programmes for marine IAS, and calls for improved monitoring methods and the harmonisation of indicators across the EU, as well as for increased technical and financial support, particularly for the outermost regions, which require specific additional funding owing to their unique biodiversity and remoteness;

Added27. Recommends establishing a threshold-setting methodology and values for all European marine regions and subregions, taking into consideration the impact on fisheries and aquaculture, the manageability of pathways and the need to more rigorously control EU and non-EU fleets, targeting invasive species, and to enforce the International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships’ Ballast Water and Sediments and apply hull fouling guidelines;

28. Highlights the potential links between IAS introduced in land and freshwater ecosystems and those in oceans and seas, and their impact on fisheries and aquaculture; calls on the Commission to develop a comprehensive strategy to address this issue;

Change 11

Changed12.29. Stresses that a holistic, preventive and multi-vector pathway-based management approach is an absolute priority in effectively tacklingpreventing the introduction of marine alienIAS species;and in tackling their spread and addressing the root causes of their proliferation; encourages the Member States to increase the use of horizon scanning and novel techniques such as eDNA, artificial intelligence and automated monitoring, as well as the involvement of fishers, anglers, coastal communities and citizen sciencescience, as tools and resources for identifying and prioritising new, emerging and high-risk IAS for fisheries and aquaculture; urges the Commission to apply this integrated approach in the implementation of the European Ocean Pact to ensure coordinated action across sectors and Member States;

Change 12

Changed13.30. Calls on the Member States to strengthen communication, coordination and cooperationcooperation, particularly in ordercross-border areas, while leveraging biosecurity to implementswiftly rapid-responseimplement measures for the early detection and rapid eradication of marine IAS, as well asand to manage species that arehave already widelyspread spread;widely; calls, furthermore, on the Commission to cooperate with the Member States to extend these actions through collaboration with non-EU countries sharing the same sea basin;

Change 13

Removed14. Underlines that the Mediterranean Sea, in particular, is a hotspot, harbouring more IAS than any other sea globally, with significant impacts on the fisheries and aquaculture sectors, thus requiring particular attention;

Added31. Recommends increased cooperation between scientific institutions and EU agencies to improve knowledge transfer and applied research on the spread, impact and control of invasive marine species;

Removed15. Highlights the importance of the EASIN Notification System, particularly for the timely and comprehensive reporting of new detections, eradication measures and official control detections; urges the Member States to enhance the system by providing additional information, particularly distribution data, notably with the contribution of information from fishers;

Added32. Underlines that the Mediterranean Sea, which, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization, is warming 20 % ​​faster than the rest of the globe, is a particular hotspot, harbouring more IAS than any other sea globally, with significant negative impacts on marine ecosystems and on the fisheries and aquaculture sectors, thus requiring particular attention; urges the Commission and the Member States, in this regard, to allocate additional resources and to establish urgent measures to stop the spread of these species in this sea basin;

Removed16. Recalls the international dimension of IAS and suggests that the EU reinforce its actions in this regard via regional fisheries management organisations, in the context of the CBD and the GBF, and calls for the EU to enhance collaborative knowledge sharing and mutual learning exchanges with other countries;

Added33. Calls on the Commission to support the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean in its scientific monitoring initiatives and pilot projects to address the challenges of invasive marine species;

Added34. Calls on the Commission to make available specific funding, within the framework of the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund and other budgetary programmes, to support research into and the prevention and eradication of invasive species or, where eradication is not feasible, the management of their spread and the recovery from the impact of the spread, in cooperation with fishers, local authorities and scientific organisations; reaffirms its belief that such funding should be made available in the next multiannual financial framework;

Added35. Highlights the importance of the EASIN Notification System, particularly for the timely and comprehensive reporting of new detections, eradication measures and official control detections; urges the Member States to enhance the system by providing additional information, particularly distribution data, notably with the contribution of information from fishers, aquaculture producers and all other relevant stakeholders;

Added36. Recalls the international dimension of IAS and suggests that the EU reinforce its actions in this regard, using all available international forums and, in particular, RFMOs, the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework; calls for the EU to enhance collaborative knowledge sharing and mutual learning exchanges with other international organisations and non-EU countries;

Added37. Underlines the potential for collaboration with non-EU countries that share the same sea basin, including through RFMOs, to share best practice, leverage investment and establish collective goals to tackle the impact of IAS;

Opportunities and challenges for coastal communities

Change 14

Changed17.38. Stresses that IAS have significant negative impacts on fisheries,marine biodiversity and ecosystems, on blue economy activities, including fisheries and aquaculture, and on other economic activities not related to the sea and on coastal communities and othersociety economicas activities;a whole; finds it crucial to consider theirthe broader social, economic and cultural consequences,consequences of IAS, beyond biodiversity loss and the effects on ecosystems, in order to effectively prevent new invasions and implement successful mitigation measures;

Change 15

Removed18. Calls for the development of awareness-raising campaigns to inform and engage fishers, fishing-sector stakeholders and the general public about the introduction, detection and impacts of IAS;

Added39. Urges the Commission to develop a dedicated indicator for sensitive and invasive species in EU seas, taking into account lists such as the IUCN Red List, to be included in Eurostat’s publications related to the SDGs, to better monitor the spread, and conservation and other management efforts;

Removed19. Calls for financial support to protect marine ecosystems and conserve sensitive species, as well as for information, monitoring and early warning systems for IAS at regional, national and EU level, considering the positive impact on both fisheries and biodiversity conservation;

Added40. Calls on the Commission to integrate into future projects of European research and innovation programmes funding for research on IAS and on environmentally friendly solutions for their sustainable management and control;

Removed20. Reminds the Commission that the outermost regions serve as important safe harbours for sensitive marine species, while also being highly vulnerable to IAS; calls for recognition of the importance of protecting these sensitive species and combating IAS in these regions, and highlights the potential of sustainable eco-tourism as a means of protecting marine ecosystems, while delivering direct benefits to the fisheries and aquaculture sectors;

Added41. Underlines the importance of supporting the fisheries and aquaculture operators that are affected, through compensation schemes and adaptation funds, in line with existing financial provisions, especially in areas facing direct economic loss owing to invasive species; stresses the need to provide targeted financial and regulatory incentives to stimulate targeted catch-and-remove activities for invasive species by local fishers in coastal waters and inland waterways, as a means of reducing ecological pressure while supporting local livelihoods; underlines the possible role that insurance schemes may play in addressing the issue, in particular the consequences for shellfish farmers, aquaculture producers and fishers;

Added42. Calls on the Member States and the Commission to develop awareness-raising campaigns to inform and engage fishers, fish and shellfish farmers, fishing-sector stakeholders, including anglers, and the general public about the introduction, detection and impacts of IAS, their environmental and economic effects, and ways to minimise the risks posed by their introduction and spread;

Added43. Recommends, where feasible, the development of programmes targeting invasive species that aim to enhance population control and provide compensation opportunities for fishers;