Answer given by Mr Sinkevičius on behalf of the European Commission

1. Article 4(28) of the Control Regulation[1] defines recreational fisheries as ‘non-commercial fishing activities exploiting marine living aquatic resources for recreation, tourism or sport.’ The Commission considers that both ‘pesca tourism’ and activities of ‘recreational fishing charter boats’ currently fall under the definition of recreational fisheries in the Control Regulation, as they are not commercial fishing activities. One of the consequences is that the sale of catches from these activities is prohibited.

2. The Commission appreciates that the objective of the amendment defining ‘pesca-tourism’ is to clarify that pesca-tourism is clearly considered as recreational fishing activity and that the rules pertaining to recreational fishing apply.

3. Member States should ensure that recreational fisheries are conducted in a manner that is compatible with the objectives of the common fisheries policy[2], as it can have a significant impact on fish resources. This is the case e.g. for Baltic cod, Atlantic sea bass or European eel, where in some instances recreational catches are more important than the commercial ones. The Commission is monitoring the situation closely and proposes measures for recreational fisheries at EU level in cases where they have a significant impact on fish stocks on a case-by-case basis, as was the case for recreational catches of European sea bass and European eel[3].

• [1] Council Regulation (EC) No 1224/2009 of 20 November 2009 establishing a Community control system for ensuring compliance with the rules of the common fisheries policy.
• [2] Regulation (EU) No 1380/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 December 2013 on the common fisheries policy.
• [3] Council Regulation (EU) 2021/92 of 28 January 2021 fixing for 2021 the fishing opportunities for certain fish stocks and groups of fish stocks, applicable in Union waters and, for Union fishing vessels, in certain non-Union waters.