On Friday 23 March the European Commission presented its draft multiannual plan for demersal fish stocks in the Western Waters affecting the fleets of Belgium, Germany, France, Ireland, Spain, Portugal and the United Kingdom. The NGO Oceana has expressed its disappointment at the proposal.
The plan recommends setting catch limits (TACs) for 16 species based on scientific advice and contains safeguard measures that would be triggered if a stock were to fall below alert levels. Among the species are: hake, cod, haddock, whiting, sole, megrim, anglerfish, Norway lobster, red seabream and plaice. The new plan aims to replace five specific plans that are in place: herring in the west of Scotland, sole in the western Channel, sole in the Bay of Biscay, the northern hake stock and hake and Norway lobster in the Iberian Peninsula.
The plan will provide a degree of flexibility in setting fishing opportunities and the management of by-catches to take account, for example, of mixed fisheries.
According to Commission estimates, over 48,000 fishermen and 18,000 vessels operate in the Western Waters in both demersal and pelagic waters.
In 2018, the fishing opportunities in the Western Waters were set at over 400,000 tonnes under the EU common fisheries policy (CFP).
This multiannual plan is the fifth to be proposed, in line with the CFPO, by the European Commission, following on from those for the Baltic Sea, the North Sea, the Adriatic Sea and, most recently, the western Mediterranean (see EUROPE 11977).
The NGO Oceana says: “The European Commission is proposing to legalise overfishing certain species in the Atlantic in order to simplify paperwork”, by setting lower standards for by-catch stocks. Oceana argues further that, to be effective, the management plan should cover the whole marine environment, including essential fish habitats, and not just 16 species. According to Oceana’s calculations, catches for the above mentioned countries could increase by 88%, or 200,000 tonnes, in the North Atlantic and by 53%, or 110,000 tonnes, in the South Atlantic, if they were well managed.
The full proposal can be viewed at: http://bit.ly/2uhUdyh (Original version in French)