EU fisheries ministers were moving towards a political agreement on Monday 19 November in Brussels in the late evening on the 2019 and 2020 quotas for deep-sea fish in the North-East Atlantic (see EUROPE 12138).
Discussions included total allowable catches (TACs) for red sea bream, roundnose grenadier, black scabbardfish and by-catches of deep-sea sharks.
Several countries, including France, Spain and the Baltic States, have asked to find a solution to mandatory landings (due to the rule on the end of discards) of red sea bream in a context of significantly reduced or even almost zero quotas. Indeed, the fisherman would be in violation if a fish were caught in the nets once there is no more quota.
The Commission proposes to reduce the amount of by-catch for deep-sea sharks from 10 to 7 tonnes, a proposal contested by Portugal. France, in particular, has requested a stabilisation of the TACs for black scabbardfish and roundnose grenadiers.
For alfonsino, the Commission proposes a 20% reduction, but delegations, including Spain, are calling for a smaller reduction. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)