Brussels, 31/05/2013 (Agence Europe) - Efforts made by fisheries and measures taken by the EU are beginning to bear fruit, although the objective of eliminating overfishing as set out in the reform has still to be reached. That is the lesson to be drawn from the consultation document on fishing quotas for 2014, adopted by the European Commission on Thursday 30 May.
Currently 39% of fish stocks in EU waters of the North-East Atlantic, for which an assessment has been carried out, have been overfished, compared to 47% last year and 95% in 2005, the document states. The Commission is of the view that “the policy is starting to show real benefits for the fishing industry”. In European waters, there are now 25 fish stocks known not to be overfished, compared to just 2 in 2005.
The scientific base for assessing fish stocks is improving. New methods introduced by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) have meant that advice is available for an extra 30 stocks compared to last year. Since 2011, there has been about a 40% increase in average net profits made by the EU fishing fleet, which shows that improvements in income for fishermen are following on from reductions in overfishing, even though fuel costs put an extra burden on the fleet.
For next year, the Commission wants the industry to stick to scientific advice. For stocks covered by the long-term management plans, TACs and effort levels should be fixed according to the plans in force (a legal requirement). For other fish stocks, not covered by the plans, the TACs should be based on scientific advice, with a goal of phasing out overfishing by 2015. Where no advice exists, the precautionary principle should be applied.
Fish stocks that were not overfished in 2012 include: blue whiting, cod (Celtic Sea and Channel, East Baltic), sole (Skagerrak, Kattegat and Baltic Sea, West Channel, South West Ireland, Celtic Sea), hake (North Sea, Skagerrak and Kattegat, Rockall, West Scotland), common herring, cardine, langoustine (Skagerrak and Kattegat, North Sea and West Scotland), plaice in the North Sea, whiting in the Celtic Sea and sprat in the Baltic. (LC/transl.jl)