[Digest] Study presentation: Increasing selectivity in EU fisheries – State of play and best practices

The presentation of the study took place on 19  February 2024, and mainly focused on:

• the use of more selective fishing gears, as well as tactical measures (such as temporal and spatial closures), to avoid unwanted catches
• best practices implemented by projects that have successfully contributed to increasing selectivity, which could be replicated in other Member States
• new insights into the use of the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund for promoting innovative projects that improve selectivity of fishing gear

Building on these results, the presentation proposed a series of recommendations for actions that could increase the selectivity of EU fisheries.

The presentation was followed by an interesting exchange with the Members including, among other topics, the potential role of co-management in improving selectivity, encouraging low-impact fishing gear, and the financial barriers faced by fishers that invest in new gear.