Brussels, 13/03/2014 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday 12 March, the European Union, Norway and the Faroe Isles reached an agreement in London on the management, over the next five years, of mackerel stocks in the waters of the north-east Atlantic. However, in a curious twist, Iceland, with which the EU seemed very close to an agreement, is not a party to the compromise on the division of the mackerel quotas.
“I am delighted that in extra time and following tough rounds of negotiations, we have set in place a common management of the mackerel stock between the three coastal states”, said the Norwegian minister for fisheries, Elisabeth Aspaker. “Obviously, I would have rather Iceland had joined the agreement, but an agreement between three is a great step in the right direction”, she said in a press release (our translation).
The agreement, which will be valid until 2018, allows the EU to catch 611,000 tonnes of mackerel (210,000 of which will be for Scottish fishermen), Norway 279,000 tonnes (total of 72% for the EU and Norway) and the Faroe Islands 156,000 tonnes (12.6%). A share of 15.6% remains for Iceland and Russia. “The door is still open for Iceland to join the other parties in the near future”, stressed European Commissioner for Fisheries and Maritime Affairs Maria Damanaki. A reserve quota has been set aside for any new adherents, the European Commission added.
EU-Norway bilateral agreement. On top of this, the EU and Norway have concluded their bilateral agreement for 2014 (http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-14-264_en.htm ), with an increase of 5% in the TAC for cod in the North Sea (27,799 tonnes, of which 23,073 tonnes will be for the EU) and a 15% increase for plaice. On the other hand, TACs will be down 15% for haddock, saithe and whiting and 2% for herring. (LC)