Brussels, 20/08/2014 (Agence Europe) - The eleven member states that declared that they exceeded their fishing quotas in 2013 will face reduced fishing quotas for those stocks in 2014.
In early August, the European Commission announced these deductions on a yearly basis to immediately address the damage done to the stocks overfished in the previous year and ensure sustainable use by the member states of common fishery resources. Compared to last year, the number of deductions made was down by 22%.
Maria Damanaki, the European Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, announced that she is “glad to see that we did a better job in 2013 than in previous years when it comes to staying within quotas”. “That said, to achieve healthy fish stocks across Europe, we also need efficient controls to enforce the rules in place”, she added.
Belgium (herring, whiting, plaice, skate), Denmark (herring, mackerel, sandeel), Greece (bluefin tuna), Spain (deep-water species, cod, whiting, lobster, pollack, sole, and others), France (halibut, plaice, redfish), Ireland (whiting, plaice), the Netherlands (hake, skate), Poland (salmon, sprat), Portugal (monkfish, whiting, mackerel, saithe, and others) the United Kingdom (herring, whiting, plaice, sole and particularly mackerel) and Lithuania are the countries hit by quota deductions (45 fish stocks are concerned) for this year. The greatest deductions per stock target Denmark (6,028 tonnes less in 2014 for sandeel), Poland (5,215 tonnes of sprat) and the United Kingdom (6,269 tonnes of mackerel).
The quota deductions will apply to the stock which was overfished in the previous year and additional deductions will apply in the event of subsequent overfishing, in the event that quotas are exceeded by more than 5% or if the stock in question comes under a multi-annual plan.
If, however, a member state should have no fishing quota available to “pay back” their overfishing, these quantities will be deducted from an alternative stock in the same geographical area, taking into account the need to avoid discards in mixed fisheries. Deductions on alternative stocks are decided in consultation with the member states concerned and will be published in a separate regulation later this year. However, if the quota available is not sufficient to fully operate the said deductions, the remaining quantities are carried over to the following year.
The legal basis for deductions is Regulation 1224/2009 establishing a Community control regime to ensure that the rules of the common fisheries policy is observed. Under this regulation, the Commission is responsible for making deductions from the future quotas of the member states that have overfished. Certain multiplying factors apply, with a view to ensuring the sustainability of the stocks. (LC)