MEPs back EU fisheries reform plan

MEPs have backed the biggest reform plan in the history of the EU's fisheries policy, vowing to restore fish stocks and return profitability to fishing communities.

Measures approved in a vote in Strasbourg include banning, within three years, the current practice of dumping dead fish back in the sea.

Dumping is a consequence of current Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) rules restricting the size of landed catches under a complex system of quotas.

Today's deal also offers regional fishing organisations more control over managing the CFP.

No final deal will be done until a last stage which involves a three-way negotiation involving MEPs, EU fisheries ministers and the European Commission.