Bill Newton Dunn, Liberal Democrat MEP for the East Midlands commented:

"Today's vote by the European Parliament is a great success. People right across Europe have said that Europeans must stop overfishing, rebuild our fish stocks, and put an end to the waste of millions of tonnes of fish that are thrown back into the sea, dead, each year. Now we are well on our way to achieving this."

"The reforms proposed by MEPs, insist that more of the day to day decisions about fisheries management should be taken locally, by our fishermen who are aware of the local conditions and environment. We also call for the collection and usage of scientific data to help our local fisheries."

"The vote today demonstrates that the MEPs have a real power to make a difference which should hopefully see an increase in our fish stocks. Now we have to reach agreement with the other chamber, the Council of Ministers and its 27 national fishery ministers before these major changes can take effect.

The Facts

The reform introduces:

• Legal requirements to stop overfishing and set annual quotas that promote the rebuilding of depleted fish stocks above maximum sustainable yields;
• Long term management plans to be established for every fishery through co-decision;
• Timetabled introduction of bans on the discard of harvested species and an obligation to land all fish caught;
• Day to day management decisions to be taken at a regional level by those who know the local conditions;
• Insistence on collection and use of scientific data for every fishery