At their meeting in Luxembourg, during the evening of Monday 15 October, fisheries ministers of the European member states are expected to reach a political agreement on total allowable catches (TAC) and quotas for 2019 in the waters of the Baltic.
Debates will essentially focus on herring in the western Baltic and on the two stocks of cod (see EUROPE 12086).
The European Commission has proposed a 63% reduction in herring catches in the western Baltic (zero TAC recommended by scientific opinion). Some countries, like Germany and Denmark, hope to attenuate the drop in fishing opportunities for this stock.
Cod. The Commission has proposed to reduce cod catches in the eastern Baltic by 15%. The Baltic States may agree to such a reduction, subject to conditions. Some countries, such as Sweden and Finland, are hoping for larger reductions.
The Commission suggests a 31% increase in cod catches in the western Baltic basin. Germany and Denmark are said to be in favour of slightly higher increases.
The NGO Oceana recommends that the increase should not exceed 20% for cod in the western part of the Baltic Sea and that herring fishing should be closed in the western Baltic.
Norway. Ministers will hold an exchange of views on the annual consultations between the EU and Norway with a view to finding an agreement on next year’s quotas. Negotiations between the parties are to take place between November and December.
As each year, two issues are important: joint stock management and quota exchange. To sum up, the EU is above all seeking to obtain Arctic cod, and, in exchange, Norway is hoping to have a large quota for blue whiting.
Bluefin tuna. The Council is also to discuss its position ahead of the annual extraordinary meeting of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), to be held in Dubrovnik (Croatia) from 12 to 19 November.
Discussions will, in particular, focus on two species: bluefin tuna (adoption of a management plan that is less strict than the current plan, as resources have improved), and bigeye tuna (measures are needed as the stock is suffering). (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)