Changes from report parliamentary committee draft to plenary report

This report addresses the crucial and interconnected challenges of safeguarding sensitive marine species, tackling the growing threat of Invasive Alien Species (IAS), and ensuring that these efforts contribute positively to local economies, particularly within the fisheries and aquaculture sectors.

Whilst noting the long-standing commitment of the European Union to sustainable fisheries management and its role in preserving marine biodiversity, protecting vulnerable species, supporting coastal communities, and guaranteeing food security, it also notes that, regarding marine IAS there is significantly less data on their presence and threats for the EU and Member States, then for IAS presence in other ecosystems.

The report stresses the essential role of sensitive species as vital indicators of marine ecosystem health and the intrinsic environmental, economic, and social value of their protection. It urges the Commission and Member States to prioritise their conservation through robust fisheries management approaches, full implementation of marine protected area goals, and reinforced protection of critical habitats.

It also emphasises the need to fully utilise the tools available under the Common Fisheries policy (CFP), particularly the technical measures regulation, to mitigate fisheries interactions with sensitive species and highlights the importance of data collected under the CFP for accurately assessing fisheries impacts and calls for the integration of sensitive species protection and recovery across all relevant legal proposals.

While acknowledging the current list of IAS of Union concern, it expresses regret that this list does not adequately reflect the significant threat posed by IAS to the EU marine environment and calls for its urgent improvement based on the latest scientific evidence and risk assessments.

The report further underscores the growing role of climate change and increased global movement in facilitating the introduction and spread of IAS, thereby intensifying their effects on sensitive species and ecosystems, with direct consequences for fishing activities.

Finally, it acknowledges the international dimension of the IAS challenge and the EU’s commitment within the framework of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF).

The final section focuses on the Opportunities and challenges for the benefit of coastal communities. It emphasises that IAS not only harm biodiversity but also impair fisheries, aquaculture, and other economic, social, and cultural activities and stresses the need for a comprehensive understanding of the economic, ecosystem service, and biodiversity impacts of IAS to effectively prevent new invasions and implement mitigation measures.

It calls for the development of awareness campaigns targeting fishers, the general public, and stakeholders to improve understanding of IAS introduction, detection, and impacts and advocates for financial support for the protection of marine ecosystems and sensitive species, as well as for regional, national, and European information, monitoring, and early warning systems for IAS, recognising their dual benefit for biodiversity conservation and fisheries.

Finally, it acknowledges the particular vulnerability of Outermost Regions to IAS and the importance of sensitive species in their marine environments, calling for the recognition of the significance of addressing both issues in these regions and highlighting the potential of sustainable eco-tourism to promote marine ecosystem conservation with direct benefits for fisheries and aquaculture.

In conclusion, this report seeks to galvanise action at and calls for a more integrated, science-based, and collaborative approach, recognising the urgency and complexity of these interconnected challenges.