VZCZCXRO6151
RR RUEHFL RUEHNP
DE RUEHRO #1414/01 3620744
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 280744Z DEC 09
FM AMEMBASSY ROME
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 3055
RUCPDOC/USDOC WASHINGTON DC
RUCPDC/NOAA NMFS SILVER SPRING MD
INFO RUEHMIL/AMCONSUL MILAN 0384
RUEHFL/AMCONSUL FLORENCE 3946
RUEHNP/AMCONSUL NAPLES 4170
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS 4884
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 2618
RUEHMD/AMEMBASSY MADRID 1978
RUEHRB/AMEMBASSY RABAT 0447
RUEHTU/AMEMBASSY TUNIS 0532

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ROME 001414 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR OES/OMC - D. WARNER-KRAMER 
USDOC FOR NOAA/NMFS - L. CIMO 
 
E.O. 12958:  N/A 
TAGS: EFIS SENV ETRD ICCAT IT
SUBJECT: ITALY FISHERIES ENFORCEMENT UPDATE: NEW POLICY MEASURES 
 
REFS: A) 11/25/09 PRESTON-LENT E-MAIL 
B) 6/23/09 PRESTON-NIEMEIER E-MAIL  C) 6/12/09 PRESTON-CIMO E-MAIL 
D) 08 ROME 1387 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary.  Italian Fisheries Under Secretary Buonfiglio 
stressed to DCM some significant recent changes in Italian fisheries 
policies, including more centralized enforcement and enhanced 
monitoring and data collection; a "point system" for fishing 
licenses; a 50-percent reduction in the bluefin tuna fleet; and a 
possible halt to bluefin fishing for the 2010 season.  He also noted 
that fishing with driftnet-like ferrettara nets will continue to be 
permitted only in national waters.  A recent EU court decision in a 
driftnet-related case recognizes the passage of an Italian law 
making it illegal to have on board non-permitted fishing gear.  The 
Italian Government (GOI) will need to pay a 14-million-euro fine for 
past noncompliance, but the case will then be closed.  Detailed 
information on 2008 and 2009 GOI fisheries enforcement efforts is 
provided septel.  End Summary. 
 
Fisheries U/S Buonfiglio Lays Out New GOI Priorities 
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¶2. (U) On November 25, DCM and Rome-SCI staff met with Agriculture 
Under Secretary Antonio Buonfiglio to discuss the U.S. Moratorium 
Protection Act and to seek strong Italian efforts in combating 
illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing (ref A).  Buonfiglio 
was accompanied by his Chief of Staff Anna Maria de Santis, and 
Agriculture Ministry Diplomatic Advisor Giorgio Starace.  Buonfiglio 
said that Italy has a bad image in the fisheries area because of 
things that happened during previous administrations.  Since the 
Berlusconi Administration came into office in 2008, they have new 
priorities and are making things better, he argued. 
 
Centralized enforcement, point system for fishing licenses 
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¶3. (SBU) One of the GOI's priorities was establishing a new 
integrated fisheries control/enforcement authority.   This was 
approved by the European Union (EU) Fisheries Council on November 
20, and the measures agreed there will enter into force on 1/1/2010, 
Buonfiglio said.  Under the new EU measures a single national 
authority will collect each member's data collection and transmit it 
to the EU.  The new Italian enforcement/control system will include 
transponders on all fishing vessels 15 meters or longer, linked to 
computerized information which shows photos of the vessel, their 
licenses, financial help they have received from the EU or the GOI, 
etc.   Smaller vessels also will have to comply with the data 
submission requirements, but can do so on paper, rather than 
electronically.  He added that a product traceability law approved 
by the Italian Parliament in July includes a paragraph that will 
permit tracing of fish products from the capture at sea to the point 
of purchase. 
 
¶4. (SBU) According to Buonfiglio, Italy also supported the creation 
of an EU-wide point system for fishing licenses, with provisions for 
revocation or suspension of licenses if too many points (due to 
violations) are accumulated.  That requirement was adopted by the EU 
and will enter into effect in Italy, as in the rest of the EU, on 
January 1, 2010.  As few as five points accumulated could mean 
suspension of a fishing license, he said.  He added that Italy will 
begin to require the special swordfish permits mandated by the 
International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas 
(ICCAT) a year early, starting in January 2010 instead of January 
¶2011.  He said Italy supported inclusion of sport fishers in the EU 
bluefin tuna quota, but that this had not been approved at the EU 
level.  For now the EU will simply carry out a census of sport 
fishers. 
 
Bluefin tuna: fleet reduction, likely halt to 2010 season 
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¶5. (SBU) Buonfiglio noted that Italy submitted its bluefin tuna 
purse seine vessel buyback plan to the EU on August 15, and the EU 
has since approved it.   The plan will reduce the number of vessels 
by 50%.   The cost will be split 50/50 between the GOI and the EU, 
with the EU funds coming from the European Fisheries Fund (EFF).  He 
said there is funding in the GOI 2010 budget for the buyback and for 
a halt on bluefin purse-seining, if that is decided. 
 
 
ROME 00001414  002 OF 002 
 
 
¶6. (SBU) The tuna quotas approved at the November ICCAT meeting in 
Recife (Brazil) are not economically feasible for Italian 
purse-seiners, given the costs of fuel, crew, and inspectors, 
Buonfiglio held.  For this reason, he said, if the EU 
Agriculture/Fisheries Council adopted on December 14-15 the ICCAT 
measures agreed on in Brazil, then his 2010 bluefin tuna plan would 
call for a halt to fishing by all 45 Italian tuna purse-seiners 
until there is some longer-term plan for them which is economically 
feasible.   They would then receive economic support from the EU and 
Italy (with the costs split 50/50, and the EU funds likely coming 
from the EFF).  He said he must submit his bluefin plan to the EU 
Commission by 1/31/10.  (According to press reporting, the EU will 
now conduct a study of the costs to Italian tuna-fishing communities 
of the newly-adopted ICCAT quotas.  Buonfiglio told RAI 1 radio on 
December 20 that he is seeking to reorient such economic support 
funds away from simple payments to vessel owners and more toward 
increasing the local value-added of fish products.) 
 
Driftnets: Ferrettara-use limit upheld; 14M Euro EU fine 
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¶7. (SBU) With regard to a June decree that would have permitted 
fishers using driftnet-like ferrettara nets to fish up to the limit 
from the coast permitted by their vessel license, rather than just 
in national waters (refs B and C), Buonfiglio confirmed that the 
Rome-area regional court had ruled against it.  The court decided to 
limit Italian ferrettara use to under 12 miles from the coast, he 
said, and the GOI had decided not to appeal the ruling.  As a 
result, ferrettara use is still permitted only in Italian national 
waters. 
 
¶8. (SBU) Regarding a recent EU Court finding against Italy for 
insufficient enforcement of anti-driftnet legislation, Buonfiglio 
said it was an old case based on data from previous Italian 
governments, and that now things are improved.  One of the key 
elements in the EU case was the absence of clear penalties for a 
vessel's having fishing gear on board which is illegal or for which 
the vessel does not have a permit.  A June 2008 change in Italian 
law (ref D) made that possession on board illegal, and 
increased/introduced penalties for other violations; that change is 
positively reflected in the court's finding.  (Italy will have to 
pay the EU a 14-million-euro penalty as a result of losing the case; 
with that payment, the case will be closed.)  According to 
Buonfiglio, this year the Port Captaincy stopped a significant 
number of vessels from leaving port, if they had the wrong equipment 
or otherwise did not have everything in order (see septel for 
detailed enforcement data).  Comment: this likely was facilitated by 
the 2008 change in law.  End comment. 
 
ICCAT gripes 
------------ 
 
¶9. (SBU) Buonfiglio and Starace complained bitterly about some 
measures approved at the ICCAT meeting in Recife, in particular 
permission for Spain to catch undersize fish under an exception for 
a traditional fishery and for some North African countries to use 
driftnets until 2012.  (Buonfiglio griped that Moroccans can fish 
with driftnets in waters 12.1 miles from the Italian coasts, while 
Italian fishermen are completely banned from using such nets, and 
asked how he was supposed to explain that to Italian fishermen.) 
Buonfiglio asked how Spain could have been excluded from the U.S. 
Moratorium Protection Act list.  He alleged that many other European 
countries use local, ferrettara-type nets. 
THORNE