The Commission in 2002 faced this challenge by launching an action plan to reduce discards of fish, which has been the basis of the Council's request to start pilot projects which have to include several measures such as trials of fishing gear, voluntary departure from fishing grounds, real time closures, discard bans, by-catch quotas, quota flexibility and better use of low value fish, including both those cases which can be faced in a mid-term period and others which need a long term approach.
The Commission in 2002 faced this challenge by launching an action plan to reduce discards of fish, which has been the basis of the Council's request to start pilot projects which have to include several measures such as trials of fishing gear, voluntary departure from fishing grounds, real time closures, discard bans, by-catch quotas, quota flexibility and better use of low value fish, including both those cases which can be faced in a mid-term period and others which need a long term approach.