Activities of Pietro BARTOLO related to 2019/2160(INI)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on the impact on fisheries of marine litter
Amendments (36)
Amendment 24 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas the marine waste visible on beaches and on the surface of open bodies of water represents only a fraction of a much further reaching pollution phenomenon; whereas this waste stems from activities on land but also at sea, and, such as pollution from agriculture, but also at sea, where there has been a significant increase in transport by large non-fishing vessels, and therefore ranges from nanoplastics to containers lost at sea;
Amendment 25 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas the marine waste visible on beaches and on the surface of open bodies of water represents only a fraction of a much further reaching pollution phenomenon; whereas this waste stems from activities on land but also at sea, and ranges from nanoplastics to containers lost at sea, from wrecks of semi-sunken vessels to waste that is potentially very hazardous to fishermen and the quality of their catches, such as explosives or other war debris;
Amendment 56 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas marine waste poses a threat to a number of marine animal species, some of which are already endangered or even critically endangered, and therefore also poses a threat to the future of the fisheries sector in general;
Amendment 63 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E a (new)
Recital E a (new)
Ea. whereas the impact of marine waste on the fisheries sector is felt more by small-scale fisheries than industrial fisheries, since smaller vessels are more vulnerable to damage by waste to their propellers, engines and fishing gear,and since marine litter is more concentrated in shallow marine waters, where most small- scale fishing takes place;
Amendment 65 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E a (new)
Recital E a (new)
Ea. whereas marine waste can be carried by currents over long distances, and it can thus have negative effects on areas and sectors that are far from its point of origin and that are not responsible for its production;
Amendment 69 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E b (new)
Recital E b (new)
Eb. whereas the fisheries sector has for some time acted as a first line of defence against pollution caused by marine waste, although this is only a small contribution to tackling the problem on a global scale, fishermen and aquaculture producers having for some time played an active and proactive role in contributing to cleaner seas;
Amendment 70 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E b (new)
Recital E b (new)
Eb. whereas the costs of disposing of marine waste are very often covered, while labour costs, costs deriving from lack of space aboard vessels, and costs relating to damage to fishing gear and engines are not covered;
Amendment 80 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G
Recital G
G. whereas only 1.5%17 of fishing gear is recycled and whereas there is an urgent need to provide support for the collection, recycling and repair of gearall fishing gear within the logic of the circular economy; _________________ 17 ibid.
Amendment 81 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G a (new)
Recital G a (new)
Amendment 96 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Stresses the need to revise the EU’s integrated maritime policy with a view to establishing a strategic framework that incorporates all waste and marine environment laws;
Amendment 97 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Amendment 98 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Stresses the need to strengthen communication and coordination between the Member States and between sea basins so as to ensure an integrated approach allowing fishing vessels to land marine waste in any Union port;
Amendment 101 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 b (new)
Paragraph 1 b (new)
1b. Stresses the need to foster inclusive solutions and dialogue between the representatives of all categories affected by the problem of marine waste; stresses, further, the need to strengthen the bottom-up approach, promoting practical solutions for workers in the fishing sector, with a view to ensuring more effective implementation of the rules;
Amendment 111 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Calls on the Commission to champion an ambitious governance model in international UN negotiations on marine biodiversity beyond national jurisdictions and to recognise the ocseans as a common good, with a view to adopting a new approach that prioritises individual and collective responsibilities over the traditional principles of freedom and sovereign rights, as laid down in the Law of the Sea, and thus ensures that the sea is protected;
Amendment 125 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Calls for the data collected by Member States on the loss, marketing and collection of fishing gear to be recorded in a database at national or sea-basin level and harmonised in a single report to make it easier to identify and tackle marine waste and ensure better monitoring and better assessment at European level;
Amendment 129 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Stresses that in order to improve and enhance the effectiveness of the legislative framework and governance relating to the collection, disposal and recycling of marine waste, it is essential to proceed with and broaden awareness raising, prevention and training projects aimed at those working in the fishing sector, thereby promoting greater involvement in those issues;
Amendment 137 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Urges the Commission to play a major role in the UN’s Decade of Ocean Science and to support digitisation and the use of artificial intelligence with a view to improving our understanding of the ocseans and our impact on them;
Amendment 139 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to step up research and data collection on the impact of marine waste on fisheries and ecosystems and the impact of nano- and microplastics on both fishery resources and human healththe various types of marine waste;
Amendment 140 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Calls on the Commission to step up research and data collection on the impact of marine waste on fisheries and ecosystems and the impact of nano- and microplastics on both fishery resources and human health; calls, further, on the Commission to conduct an assessment of the social and economic contribution of fishermen through ‘Fishing for Litter’ projects, with a view to quantifying more accurately the contribution of the fisheries sector to action for cleaner seas;
Amendment 145 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Stresses that the shortage of available data and studies makes it difficult to quantify the exact extent to which damage caused by marine litter is affecting the fisheries sector and its negative economic consequences for fishermen; calls, therefore, on the Commission to increase collection of data on the amount and type of litter in European waters and its effect on fishing, increasing, too, the collection of data on the amount of waste landed, disposed of and delivered for recycling;
Amendment 151 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Calls for information on the loss of fishing gear at sea to be put to more effective use when it comes to tackling marine pollution through improved data- sharing among Member States and EU agencies, and for this information to be used to develop new tools for identifying and tracking fishing gear lost at seagreater harmonisation in the recording of data on the quantity and quality of marine waste collected and landed; stresses the need to develop new tools for identifying and tracking fishing gear lost at sea and electronic applications for assisting fishermen to record data on marine waste; stresses the need to create an integrated platform for recording and reporting landings of marine litter, for example using the requirements of Directive (EU) 2019/883 obliging port operators to issue a waste delivery receipt to the master of the vessel;
Amendment 156 #
8a. Stresses the need for annual mapping of marine waste collected through the ‘Fishing For Litter’ programme in relation to the various catchment basins with a view to obtaining information on the origin of the marine litter caught and strengthening campaigns for selective collection;stresses that this must be linked to existing mapping efforts; urges the Commission to draw up an annual report on the amount of marine waste landed in ports through the FFL programme, including the volumes, materials and types of items caught;
Amendment 166 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Calls for the eco-design of fishing gear, which should be practical, safe and cost-effective, to be supported through the swift adoption of guidelines on the development of harmonised standards for a circular economy for fishing gear; supports the marking of materials used in fishing gear by means of product passports; supports the promotion of research and innovation seeking to simplify the materials used in fishing gear, including polymers;
Amendment 168 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10a. Stresses the importance of strengthening cooperation and promoting synergies with start-ups and private initiatives involved in the eco-design and recycling of fishing gear; stresses, further, the need to strengthen a model for synergy between the fisheries and research areas; urges the Commission, therefore, to organise future projects for the circular economy for fishing gear in relation to existing EU funding programmes for research and innovation;
Amendment 173 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 b (new)
Paragraph 10 b (new)
10b. Stresses that in order to accelerate the development of the circular economy in the fishing and aquaculture sector, it is essential to plan future legislative solutions to the problem of marine waste collection and disposal in conjunction with the Farm to Fork Strategy and the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030;
Amendment 174 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 c (new)
Paragraph 10 c (new)
10c. Stresses that it is essential, as regards the circular economy for fishing gear, to fully involve fishermen and other fisheries operators in the fishing sector when identifying new materials and designing new fishing gear;
Amendment 175 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
Amendment 178 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Supports the development of efficient recycling channels through the upgrading of reception facilities at European ports with a view to improving selective waste sorting; calls for collection operations to be made more attractive by taking measures to support sea fishermen and aquaculture producers that bring their end- of-life fishing or aquaculture gear back to port;
Amendment 180 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)
Paragraph 11 a (new)
11a. Stresses that very few Member Sates have used resources within the framework of the current EMFF to fund ‘Fishing For Litter’ actions, the total contribution amounting to only a small percentage of all of the measures implemented or envisaged in the 2014- 2020 period to support the EU fishing fleet; stresses, further, that for the present the activity of collecting marine litter consists almost exclusively of largely voluntary initiatives and programmes, for the most part privately funded; calls therefore on the Commission to step up identification, sharing and promotion of best practices with a view to encouraging the adoption FFL programmes in a greater number of Member States;
Amendment 187 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Calls on the Commission to draw up an EU-level action plan to combat littering in Union seas;
Amendment 188 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)
Paragraph 12 a (new)
12a. Stresses how strengthening and extending existing good practices also involves simplification and streamlining of administrative processes for all vessels participating in ‘Fishing for Litter’ campaigns, regardless of their home port or size; stresses, therefore, the need for harmonisation and a more complementary approach to the rules on landing of marine waste collected during FFL actions in Member State ports;
Amendment 193 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13 Urges the Member States to take action to clear up areas in rivers and estuaries where marine waste has accumulated; urges, further, the Member States to establish a ‘special fund for cleaning the seas’, managed through the EMFF or other relevant budget lines, in order to support collection of marine litter by fishing vessels, ensure provision of adequate on-board waste storage facilities and monitoring of passively fished litter, improve operator training, promote voluntary participation in initiatives for collection of sea litter, and cover the costs of both waste treatment and the personnel required for the operation of such programmes;
Amendment 195 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Urges the Member States and regions to take action to clear up areas in rivers and estuaries where marine waste has accumulated;
Amendment 198 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Stresses that the role of fishermen in voluntary collection programmes which make it possible to identify, collect and recycle marine waste, such as the ‘Fish for Litter’ programme must be promoted and supported, including with financial incentives and reward schemes to encourage good practices; stresses, further, that to reduce to a minimum the health and safety risks for fisheries operators, fishermen should be adequately trained on how to handle marine waste properly during collection, landing, disposal and delivery for recycling;
Amendment 203 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Stresses that the role of fishermen in voluntary collection programmes which make it possible to identify, collect and recycle marine waste, such as the ‘Fish for Litter’ programme must be promoted, financially incentivised and supported;
Amendment 206 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)
Paragraph 14 a (new)
14a. Urges the Commission to go beyond the aims of Directive (EU) 2019/883, studying and quantifying in economic terms the environmental damage caused by man-made marine waste and setting up a ‘Marine Litter Fund’ to combat discharges of waste into the sea, mitigate damage to fisheries, and protect the seas and oceans.