Luxembourg, 27/10/2010 (Agence Europe) - A compromise was reached in the evening of Tuesday 26 October on fishing quotas for next year in the Baltic Sea. The European Commission, however, was unhappy with what was agreed for sprat, where it would like to have seen more severe fishing restrictions. Reductions in catch limits for herring, salmon and sprat were agreed, as well as increases in cod.
EU fisheries ministers, meeting in Luxembourg, reached political agreement on an amended text from the Belgian Presidency on total allowable catches (TACs) and quotas in the Baltic Sea for 2011. For the first time since 2004, ministers were unanimous in their decision against the Commission proposal for a 30% reduction (compared with 2010) in fishing opportunities for sprat. The Council agreed a 24% decrease, to 288,766 tonnes, with a clause allowing for review of the TAC in the light of further scientific information on fishing mortality (rate of exploitation of the resource). The countries pushing for a lower reduction in catches of sprat included Poland, the Baltic States and Finland.
European Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Commissioner Maria Damanaki did not hide her disappointment at this part of the agreement. She said that a 24% reduction in the sprat TAC would not lead to a fall in fishing mortality and that was why she had continued to argue for a 30% decrease. “I maintain my reservations” over this decision, she said in the press conference. She was happier, however, with the other decisions: “For the first time, a coherent result has been achieved, which respects the commitment to reach the Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY) by 2015 while also achieving reduction in fishing mortality for all stocks but one”.
In line with the multiannual recovery plan for cod stocks in the Baltic, the Council decided to accept the Commission's proposals: a 15% increase in the TAC for cod in the Eastern Baltic (to 58,957 tonnes) and a 6% increase in the Western Baltic cod stock (to 18,800 tonnes). The Council agreed a 10% cut in authorised days at sea for fishing cod (to 163 days in the Western Baltic and 160 days in the Eastern Baltic). A statement also speaks of the Commission's commitment to review the arrangements in the Baltic cod recovery plan.
A compromise was found on herring quotas that allowed the adoption of: - a 1% increase compared with 2010 in the TAC for the Gulf of Bothnia stock (to 104,369 tonnes) though the Commission originally proposed a 12% cut; - roll-over of the current TAC of 36,400 tonnes for the Gulf of Riga stock (the Commission proposed a 10% decrease); - a 30% reduction of the Western stock, to 15,884 tonnes, as sought by the Commission; - a 15% decrease to 107,420 tonnes for the Central stock, with the Commission proposing a 28% reduction.
The 15% reduction for salmon (to 250,109 individuals, not tonnes as for the other species) proposed by the Commission for the main basin was accepted by ministers. The salmon TAC in the Gulf of Finland remained unchanged at 15,419 individuals. The plaice TAC for 2011 will be 3,041 tonnes, unchanged from 2010. (L.C./transl.rt)