Brussels, 29/10/2012 (Agence Europe) - Europeche, which represents the catch sector in Europe, considers that the Commission proposals on the 2013 total allowable catches (TACs) and quotas in the Atlantic and the North Sea are exaggerated and unbalanced (see EUROPE 10717). In the view of Javier Garat, the president of Europeche, it is “regrettable that the European Commission continues to propose reductions of more than 15% of TACs and/or fishing effort when few data are available or when scientific opinions are lacking”.
In the opinion of Europeche, the Commission is presenting proposals which go beyond scientific opinions and once again favour the recommendations of environmentalists, at the expense of economic and social factors. The reductions in TACs for many stocks “will definitely affect the viability of the undertakings in the sector and lead to a reduction in the number of jobs across the entire industry”, Europeche says. The organisation also considers that the Commission's firm objective of achieving sustainable levels of exploitation of all stocks by 2015 (in other words, a maximum sustainable yield) “does not make sense” - on the one hand because the Johannesburg 2002 implementation plan refers to depleted stocks and mentions the date of 2015 “if possible”, and on the other hand because the ongoing discussions on the reform of the common fisheries policy (CFP) show that there is now a desired flexibility with respect to this objective between now and 2020. (LC/transl.fl)