On Monday 29 August, the European Commission adopted its proposal on Baltic Sea fishing opportunities for 2017. It is, nonetheless, continuing with consultations before putting any firm measures for protecting Western Cod stocks, on the table.
The Commission proposes to increase Total Allowable Catches (TAC) to 6 out of 10 fish stocks in the Baltic: Central Baltic herring (+8% to 191,129 t) and western Baltic stocks (+8% as well) Bothnia Gulf herring (+17% to 140,998 t), sprat (+40% to 82,349 t), plaice (+95% to 7862 t) and main basin salmon (+10% to 105,696 individual fish). It is also proposing to reduce TAC for two stocks: Riga Gulf herring (-21%) and Finland gulf Salmon (-28%).
The Commission wants to consult fishermen and the member states, as well as obtain additional information, before proposing TAC for the two other stocks: Western and Eastern cod. Member states will set out the 2017 quotas for the Baltic Sea, next October, in Luxembourg.
Services for the European Commissioner for Fisheries, Karmenu Vella, said that the Commission proposal should improve the overall economic performances of the Baltic Sea as a whole, despite the significant differences between segments of the fleet and the different fishing industries. The Commission explained "This proposal could increase both profits by €13 million and employment at sea basin level". The biggest proposed increase concerns plaice, whose catch limit under this proposal would rise by 95%. This reflects the good shape of the stock, which has been growing since 2008. It is also due to the fact that, from 2017 onwards, fishermen will have to land all plaice they catch in an effort to eliminate the wasteful practice of discarding.
Concerns about western cod. The state of the Western Baltic cod does not seem to have improved this year, according to the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES). It is recommending a cut of more than 90% in this TAC. Fishing pressure from commercial and recreational fisheries remains high, and past measures have not had the desired effect in helping the stock to recover, explained the Commission.
The Oceana NGO has expressed regret that the Commission has not yet suggested restrictions for saving this stock and is advocating the closure of cod fishing in the western part of the Baltic Sea. The Commission indicated that it is “examining with national authorities and stakeholders – including commercial and recreational fishermen – which steps are needed to give this stock a chance to recover, while also ensuring the economic viability of the fishing industry". It also explained that Member States could use allocations from the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) to support fishermen through a period of necessary quota reductions. The Commission has already provided assurances of its support in making such funding available quickly and efficiently. In addition, the Commission has asked its scientific advisory body, the Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries (STECF) to analyse the impact of recreational fishing on Baltic cod stocks and assess different possible stock management measures. The Commission will propose catch limits for the Baltic cod stocks (Western and Eastern) once these clarifications are available. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)