Recommendation published on the impact of the Bottom Trawling Ban on Shellfish Farming

The AAC has published a Recommendation to the European Commission and the Member States on the impact of the Action Plan’s Bottom Trawling Ban on Shellfish Farming.

In February 2023, the European Commission introduced an Action Plan for EU fisheries, which includes a call to Member States to present plans to minimise bottom trawling, particularly in protected marine areas. The Aquaculture Advisory Council (AAC) argues that shellfish bottom culture should not be classified as part of ‘bottom trawling’, as agreed during the biannual meeting between the Aquaculture Advisory Council (AAC)delegation and European Commission’s Directorate-General for Fisheries and Maritime Affairs (DG Mare) on April 21, 2023.

In the published report, the AAC recommends that DG Mare communicates to the EU Member States that shellfish bottom culture is out of the scope of its “bottom trawling ban” provisions included in the EU Action Plan. The shellfish sector commits to provide DG Mare with an overview of the surface area in each country where shellfish bottom culture occurs. This information will be shared with DG Mare at a later date.

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