Scientific advice is key to reforming common fisheries policy, says Fischler
The quality of scientific advice is one of the Commission's priorities in its proposals for the reform of the Common fisheries policy, EU Commissioner for Agriculture and Fisheries, Franz Fischler said on a visit to the International council for the exploration of the sea (ICES) in Copenhagen, Denmark on 1 July. Mr Fischler also highlighted the fact that greater cooperation between fishermen and scientists will also strengthen the reliability of scientific data. 'Fishermen are not only at the receiving end of scientific advice, but also at its source. It is crucial therefore that data coming from the fisheries sector is reliable since good advice cannot be built up on defective bases. The regional advisory committees which we propose to set up will offer an ideal forum for cooperation between you and the fishermen,' said Mr Fischler. The Commission will shortly present an action plan for the improvement of scientific advice for fisheries management. The action plan will propose a number of measures, including: - the improvement of data collection, extended to include environmental impact; - improved support at national and Community level for scientific work in scientific advisory bodies; implementation of appropriate validation and peer review processes; - reinforcement of Community structures for scientific advice, in particular the Scientific committee for fisheries and aquaculture (SCFA); - closer coordination between the Commission and national fisheries research laboratories concerning priorities and resource allocation in this area.