The EU adopts new control rules for sprat and turbot fishing in the Black Sea

The EU Council has completed the legislative procedure for the new rules introducing additional authorization, reporting, landing, and traceability obligations for fishing in the Black Sea. For sprat, countries will have to identify authorized vessels and periodically collect data on activity and catches, while for turbot, vessel lists, designated landing points, and control of the marketing chain are being strengthened. The regulation was approved by all 27 member states on October 13 and will enter into force 20 days after its publication in the Official Journal.

Sprat and turbot fishing in the Black Sea will be subject to more detailed European control rules after the EU Council adopted, on October 13, the regulation introducing into Union law new measures agreed within the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean. All 27 member states voted in favor of the act, with no votes against or abstentions, completing the legislative stage at the level of the co-legislators.

In brief

The Council adopted the regulation on October 13 with 27 votes in favor, zero against, and zero abstentions.

For sprat in the Black Sea, there will be lists of authorized vessels and periodic reporting obligations concerning activity and catches.

For turbot, control of authorized vessels, landing at designated points, reporting, and catch traceability are being strengthened.

The new rules directly concern the fleets and authorities of EU countries fishing in the Black Sea, including Romania and Bulgaria.

Adoption does not mean immediate application. The regulation will enter into force 20 days after its publication in the Official Journal of the EU.

For sprat fishing, member states must manage lists of vessels authorized to participate in the activity covered by the regulation and communicate relevant changes. Vessels not included in the authorization system may not carry out activities reserved for the authorized fleet, and operators must provide data enabling authorities to track both fishing effort and the quantity caught.

Masters of vessels fishing for sprat will have additional periodic reporting obligations, including information on the number of days of activity, the areas where they fished, and the total catch. This information makes it possible to compare fishing volumes with the effort expended and provides authorities with a more detailed basis for stock control, instead of a system built exclusively around quantities declared at landing.

For turbot, the regulation strengthens a control system that starts with vessel authorization and continues through the landing and marketing of the catch. Vessels participating in the fishery must appear on the relevant lists, while landings and transshipments are linked to designated points where authorities can concentrate inspections. States must maintain monitoring, control, and surveillance measures that allow fleet activity to be tracked and declared catches to be verified.

Traceability becomes important after the fish leaves the vessel. The rules seek to ensure that the origin of turbot catches can be verified throughout the commercial chain and that fish originating from unauthorized or unreported activities is more difficult to introduce legally onto the market. For authorities, control therefore does not end with inspection at sea, but continues at landing and during subsequent marketing stages.

The regulation does not establish the annual fishing quotas for Romania and Bulgaria through this dossier. Maximum allowable catches and the allocation of fishing opportunities in the Black Sea are established through other acts, generally as part of the annual exercise concerning fishing opportunities. The text adopted now mainly introduces the management and control measures needed to implement the recommendations of the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean.

The General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean covers both the Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea and may adopt binding recommendations for the contracting parties. The European Union and ten member states, including Romania and Bulgaria, are parties to the agreement. When a GFCM measure is not already covered by European legislation, the EU must transpose it into an act applicable to its operators.

The legislative dossier launched in 2024 integrates several GFCM recommendations adopted in previous years and does not concern only the Black Sea. For Romanian and Bulgarian fishers, the provisions concerning sprat and turbot are the part with a direct regional effect, while other provisions of the regulation concern fisheries in the Mediterranean, Adriatic, and other areas within the GFCM area.

The European Parliament and the Council had previously reached a compromise on the text, and Parliament had completed the necessary stage in the legislative procedure. The Council vote on October 13 confirms the adoption of the legislative act with the support of all member states and transforms the dossier from a political agreement into legislation adopted at the level of the co-legislators.

Practical application begins after the definitive text is published in the Official Journal. The regulation provides for entry into force 20 days after publication, giving authorities and operators a short period to adapt authorization, reporting, and control systems to the newly introduced obligations.

https://2eu.brussels/ro/news/ue-adopta-noi-reguli-de-control-pentru-pescuitul-de-sprot-si-calcan-in-marea-neagra