Study supporting the evaluation of the landing obligation : common fisheries policy : final report

Widespread discarding practices across European fishing activity resulted in the gradual introduction of an obligation to land catches (known as 'the landing obligation') as part of the 2013 common fisheries policy reform. The landing obligation requires catches of specific species be brought and retained on board fishing vessels, recorded, landed and counted against applicable quotas. The phased introduction started in 2015 and became fully applicable on 1 January 2019. The landing obligation is intended to support the objectives of the common fisheries policy. Five years on from the full implementation, the European Commission Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries launched a study to support a policy evaluation. The study includes an evaluation of evidence against the Better Regulation guidelines criteria: effectiveness, efficiency, relevance, coherence, and European Union added value. In addition to complementarity and sustainability to provide a more comprehensive overview of the landing obligation. The evidence-based evaluation indicates the landing obligation has not yet reached its potential. The study highlights some localised success in reducing discarding, but a lack of largescale reductions. Progress has been Hindered by key challenges which has limited implementation of behavioural changes, including insufficient control and enforcement, operational complexity, regional disparities, and economic feasibility