Brussels, 20/08/2013 (Agence Europe) - The European Commission is taking an increasingly tough line against the Faroe Islands in an effort to ensure the sustainable fishing of Atlanto-Scandinavian herring. On Tuesday, 20 August it adopted tougher measures to protect fish stocks because the Faroe Islands have tripled their fishing quota this year and have withdrawn from the long-term management plan and pre-established shares of the Total Allowable Catch (TAC) with Norway, Russia, Iceland and the EU.
The different parties failed to reach a negotiated settlement and the Commission therefore decided to include the ban of imports of herring and mackerel from the Atlanto-Scandinavian stocks that has been caught under the control of the Faroe Islands as well as fishery products containing or made of such fish. The measures also include restrictions on the use of EU ports by vessels fishing for the herring and mackerel stocks under the control of the Faroe Islands (except in emergency situations). The European Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Maria Damanaki, explained that these measures have been taken in the last resort and that, “the European Union was determined to use all the tools at its disposal to protect the long-term sustainability of stocks”. (MD/transl.fl)