(Return tabled) Question No. 1296 Mr. Ryan Cleary: With regard to foreign fishing vessels: (a) how many foreign fishing vessels have had permission to fish inside Canada's 200-mile limit off the east coast of Canada since 2003; (b) what are the names of the foreign vessels and their home countries; (c) what species have the foreign vessels fished; (d) of the foreign vessels that have fished inside Canada's 200-mile limit since 2003, have any been cited for illegal fishing violations; and (e) what are the names of the Canadian companies that have chartered the foreign fishing vessels since 2003?

the introduction of automatic identification systems (AIS) in fishing vessels with a length of more than 15 metres overall, ensuring that financial assistance for fitting them on board could be provided in the framework of the European Fisheries Fund; the following implementation timetable for the different categories of fishing vessels according to their overall length: fishing vessel of overall length 24 metres and upwards but less than 45 metres: not later than 3 years after the entry into force of the Directive; fishing vessel of overall length 18 metres and upwards but less than 24 metres: not later than 4 years after the entry i ...[+++]nto force of the Directive; fishing vessel of overall length 15 metres and upwards but less than 18 metres: not later than 5 years after the entry into force of the Directive; newly built fishing vessel of more than 15 metres overall: not later then 18 months after the entry into force of the directive; the acceptance or refusal of a ship in need of assistance in a place of refuge will depend on the decision of the competent authority.

Can the Commission state whether new fishing vessels registered in the European Union but which have acquired no share in the national quotas can be accommodated by the EU with fishing quotas purchased under international fishing agreements, and can the Commission state how many vessels registered in Member States and without national quotas have been allowed to share in catches purchased under third country agreements?

Whereas the monitoring, inspection and surveillance measures in this Regulation applicable to fishing vessels flying the flag of a third country which carry out fishing activities in the Community fishery zone should be amplified; whereas, in particular, such vessels operating in this zone should be subject to continuous satellite surveillance from the date on which the "Vessel Monitoring System" (VMS) applies to all Community fishing vessels of more than a stipulated length; whereas it is necessary to intensify the inspection and surveillance of landings by vessels flying the flag of a third country and particularly, as a matter of priority, in the case of vessels flying the flags of countries against which regional or international fisheries orga ...[+++]nisations have taken measures of any kind, following the steps taken by certain regional fisheries organisations to increase the effectiveness of measures for the conservation of fishery resources on the high seas, catches taken in the zones concerned;

The purpose of this proposal is to: - impose, as of 1 January 1998, the provisions of the Torremolinos Convention of 1977 and its 1993 Protocol to fishing vessels flying the flag of a Member State of a length of 24 metres and above, as well as to fishing vessels of a third country operating in the internal waters or territorial seas of a Member State or landing their catch in a port of a Member State; this Protocol concerns, in particular, the certification, construction and equipment, stability, machinery installations, fire protection, protection of the crew, life-saving appliances, emergency procedures, radio-communications and navig ...[+++]ational equipment of fishing vessels; - extend, to fishing vessels between 24 and 45 metres in length built after 1 January 1998, the requirements of the Torremolinos Convention that only apply to vessels of more than 45 metres; - impose certain general and regional additional requirements over and above those of the Torremolinos Protocol; - to have a committee procedure used to adopt harmonized interpretations for the 200 provisions of the Protocol providing for a discretionary decision by the contracting parties.

The aids in question are : - aids granted by the department of Loire Atlantique for the construction of fishing vessels and for conversion work carried out on the purchase of second-hand vessels; - aids granted by the department of Vendée for the construction of fishing vessels and the purchase of second-hand vessels; - aids granted by the department of Vendée for on-shore investments in fishing ports; - aids for the purchase of second-hand vessels granted by the departments of Morbihan and Côtes du Nord.