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Council on fisheries research

A Conclusion of the Ministers for Agriculture and Fisheries of the Member States, meeting within the Council at its 1674th Session of 24-25 June 1993, underlines the importance of long-term fundamental and innovatory research on fisheries and fishing, together with the growing...

A Conclusion of the Ministers for Agriculture and Fisheries of the Member States, meeting within the Council at its 1674th Session of 24-25 June 1993, underlines the importance of long-term fundamental and innovatory research on fisheries and fishing, together with the growing need for applied research in this area. It is important, for the future of the common fishery policy, to have available well adapted and correctly directed research, particularly in the context of the proposal for a Council Regulation, now under consideration, governing the Common fisheries policy (to enter into force on 1.1.1994). The Ministers also recognize that the implementation of the Common Policy requires the creation, or the maintenance and extension, of databases covering biological, ecological, technical and socioeconomic aspects of fisheries and fishing. The collection of data and its analysis are subjects primarily within the competence of the Member States. These must ensure that research activities are undertaken within an appropriate framework and that sufficient funds are provided for them. The Commission will play an important role in the coordination of this work. The Council invites the Commission to present a report setting out multiannual perspectives for the implementation and maintenance of the databases of each Member State. The Commission is also invited to assess the necessary budget for the undertaking of research directly associated with the specific requirements of the Common Fisheries Policy. Resources for applied research should above all be dedicated to the resolution of the most pressing problems facing the Common Fisheries Policy throughout Community waters, in particular the preservation and renewal of fisheries stocks, new fishing possibilities, more effective control measures, and selective fishing methods. It is judged important that applied research and impact studies do not detract from support for long-term research on the underlying biomechanisms of fisheries. Without prejudice to the structure of the Fourth Framework Programme, the Council invites the Commission to give priority to domains in which the existing level of scientific knowledge is insufficient, such as the ecology and management of fisheries. The Commission should also devote particular attention to the needs of those Member States not benefiting from long experience in certain areas of fisheries research, and to regions most economically dependant on fishery. The Commission is invited to take appropriate actions, particularly with regard to the Mediterranean area, to create the necessary structures for the reinforcement and extension of international cooperation, and to put forward proposals to improve coordination in the domain of the construction and use of large-scale research tools (for instance research ships), the development of networks of scientific and technical excellence, and the improvement of communications between the scientific and fishing communities.

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