Resolution 
On Sea Bass (Dicentrarchus Iabbrax)

Original Text

On Sea Bass (Dicentrarchus Iabbrax)

The European Anglers’ Alliance which represents 18 European nations and more than 6 million anglers held their 7^th general assembly on the 31 March and 1 April in Paris (France).

Following on the Sea Bass resolutions, taken at the EAA sixth General Assembly on 9^th April in Holland, the problem with the commercial overfishing of Sea Bass were discussed.

The European Anglers Alliance urges the following on this issue:

1. A European scientific study by the European Union (ICES) is under way to evaluate the existing bass stocks and decide whether the species is in danger and what actions should be taken within he frame work of stock management which would guarantee restoration of the stock. A preliminary study must be made public within six months.
2. A complete ban to prohibit all fishing during the reproduction period in all spawning areas of the species.
3. As a precautionary principle, awaiting application of point 2 above, we request all nations of the European U to apply the quota measures already existing in France and the UK (5000 kg of catches per week per vessel) and to limit the overall fishing effort to current levels.
4. The priority should be to increase the landing size of bass to allow them to reach sexual maturity and that while awaiting scientific study results, the existing minimum landing size currently defined by law shall be maintained and enforced.

The recreational sport fishing industry wish to stress the significance of the socio-economic impact of its activities in the coastal areas of Europe. In view of the emphasis within the recent Common Fisheries Green Paper (The future of the common fisheries policy) of socio economics and for the first time, "recreation" in its "basic principles", we request that our governments and the European Commission DG 14 take full account of the socio economic dimension of the recreational fishery when considering the results of the ICES study.