m. FLEET MODERNIZATION' 



The EC policies on fleet size were a key element 

 in the negotiations leading to the CFP. It was 

 unclear to EC officials in the 1970s just what fleet 

 management policies would be required. The EC 

 fleet was barely contracting despite higher fuel costs, 

 lower harvests, and impaired profits due to labor- 

 intensive aging vessels. The EC reported 

 approximately 51 , 100 registered fishing vessels of all 

 types in 1970 versus 50,800 vessels by 1980 

 (Appendix 17).' Many EC administrators were 

 convinced in the early 1980s that the problem they 

 faced was not the size of the EC fleet, but rather how 

 to modernize the fleet to face the changing realities of 

 the 1980s. '° 



The EC initiated fleet programs in the mid- 1980s 

 as soon as the CFP was implemented. One EC 

 program was aimed at fleet reduction and was 

 designed to replace inefficient and outdated vessels 

 with more modem vessels. The program, however, 

 did not prove effective. Different EC programs had 

 conflicting goals. Other EC programs actually 

 offered financial assistance to promote vessel 

 construction. As a result, while the fleet declined in 

 the early 1980s, the trend was reversed by 1986; the 

 overall fleet by 1992 had 91,200 vessels as compared 

 with 50,800 vessels in 1980 and 51,100 vessels in 

 1970 (Appendix 17 and 18). 



EC actions during the 1980s failed to restrict the 

 expansion of the EC fishing fleet. Fishermen 

 continued to experience financial problems because 

 the fleet was badly over-capitalized. Worse still, the 

 failure to limit fishing effort resulted in the depletion 

 of several important commercial stocks with severe 

 adverse economic and social costs to fishery 

 communities. This increasingly severe problem led 

 to renewed demands for EC action. 



The EC Council of Ministers met in 1990 to 

 address the matter. The EC decided to control effort 

 by enacting tough new measures to reduce the size of 

 the fishing fleet. The EC initially decided to reduce 

 the fleet by 40 percent as recommended by some 

 biologists. Political realities, however, have blunted 

 the sharp cutbacks recommended by biologists. EC 

 politicians are currently exploring alternative 

 measures. Some observers believe, however, it is 



just such adjustments to political pressures that 

 prevented the EC from achieving the initial CFP 

 goals." It is unclear if the new EC measures will 

 actually succeed in reducing the size of the fleet. 

 While some observers believe that the tough new EC 

 measures will finally force countries to withdraw 

 vessels from their fleets, others question whether the 

 scaled-back fleet reduction measures will permit 

 depleted stocks to recover and if so, over what time 

 frame. 



A. FLEET TRENDS, 1983-86 



The EC initiated several major programs 

 affecting EC fishing fleets. The programs were 

 approved in connection with the long-delayed 

 agreement on the CFP in late 1983. The EC fleet 

 projects included efforts to modernize existing vessels 

 and to build new vessels, as well as to withdraw 

 older, less efficient vessels from the fleet. Thus, the 

 fleet (all vessels) went from 83,000 vessels 

 registering 2.1 million tons in 1983 to 86,000 vessels 

 registering 2.0 million tons in 1986 (Appendices 14 

 and 18) . The high-seas fleet went from 260 vessels 

 registering 0.3 million tons in 1983 to 458 vessels 

 registering .5 million tons in 1986 (Appendices 1 and 

 2 and Figure 3). This increase in the number of 

 vessels can be attributed to the accession of Portugal 

 and Spain to the EC in 1986, both having major 

 fishing fleets. 



The EC conducted major programs to modernize 

 existing vessels and build new, more efficient vessels. 

 In 1985 alone, the EC provided financial support for 

 753 projects involved in the building or 

 modernization of fishing vessels. Information on the 

 total program, unfortunately, is not available. The 

 authors are not able to demonstrate the number of old 

 vessels withdrawn as against new vessels or 

 modernized older vessels. The EC Council also 

 initiated a program to withdraw older inefficient 

 vessels from the fishing fleet in October 1983.'' This 

 Council Directive required member states seeking EC 

 funding to eliminate fishing vessels to ensure that the 

 vessels were scrapped, transferred to a third country, 

 or assigned to purposes other than fishing in 

 Community waters." All vessels receiving financial 

 payments were thereafter permanently barred from 

 fishing in Community waters. As a result of Council 

 Directive 83/515/EEC, the member states acted to 

 withdraw a number of fishing vessels from their rolls 

 (Appendix 26). 



15 



