European fisheries ministers decided in the early hours of Wednesday 19 December in Brussels, after two days of talks, to set up a quota exchange mechanism to overcome the difficulties arising from the full entry into force, as of 1 January 2019, on the obligation to land all catches, including by-catches.
Ministers provided, as part of the 2019 Regulation on Total Allowable Catches (TACs) and Quotas for 2019 in the Atlantic, Channel and North Sea, for a system of quota trading in a common pool, to enable Member States to ensure that their fishermen are not left without fishing opportunities.
With the new obligation to end discards at the beginning of 2019, the fear was that situations would arise in which vessels fishing for a certain species of fish would be prevented from working because, in the same area, other stocks would be limited or even non-existent, or because their Member State of origin would not have quotas for another species that might find themselves in their nets.
Main TACs. Ministers agreed on a significant reduction in cod quotas next year in the Celtic Sea (-48% to 1,610 tonnes, taking into account the new by-catch scheme), in the Skagerrak (-47% to 4,069 tonnes) and in the North Sea (-35%).
The TACs for sole in the North Sea (-20% to 12,555 tonnes) and the Eastern Channel (-26% to 2,515 tonnes) are down, as are many herring quotas (-36% for the northern stock, to 230,782 tonnes, -36% in the North Sea, -53% in the Celtic Sea) and some haddock stocks (-30% in the North Sea) or whiting (-49% in the North Sea).
TACs are increasing for hake (23% to 52,118 tonnes in the Bay of Biscay, 26% to 141,160 tonnes in the northern zone), haddock (20% in some areas) and horse mackerel, megrim and some Norway lobster stocks.
For blue whiting, the decrease is 20% for the main stock, to 319,727 tonnes.
Choke species. Ministers showed imagination in solving the complex problem of choke species in mixed fisheries. A ‘choke species' is defined as species with a low or zero quota and which can cause a vessel to stop fishing, even if it still has quotas for other species.
The Council used increased flexibility between areas and species and introduced a new mechanism for quota trading between EU countries, for the benefit of Member States without by-catch quotas, for five stocks: cod in the west of Scotland and cod in the Celtic Sea and Bay of Biscay/Iberian waters, whiting in the west of Scotland and the Irish Sea and plaice in the south of the Celtic Sea and south-west Ireland.
Eels. The Council decided to strengthen the protection of European eel by extending mandatory closures (for three months) to recreational fishing and glass eels. These measures will cover brackish waters such as estuaries and coastal lagoons and will be consistent with the measures on eel fishing in the Mediterranean Sea.
Bass. For the 'northern' stock of bass, commercial fishing will remain prohibited, with a few exceptions. Thus, catches will amount to 5.5 tonnes/boat for hooks and lines, 400 kg for two months for trawlers, 210 kg for seines and 1.4 tonnes per year for fixed gillnets.
For recreational fishing, the catch limit remains at one fish per day, but for 7 months.
Mr Vella welcomed the solidarity amongst Member States. “The agreed TACs and quotas will continue to make the European fishing sector very profitable in 2019 as well", commented Fisheries Commissioner Karmenu Vella. He considered that important decisions had been taken to help implement the ban on discarding fish overboard. "The landing obligation will come into effect in two weeks. Today, we have agreed on a number of practical ways to limit possible ‘choke’ situations”. He congratulated the Member States for the 'mutual solidarity' they had shown through these quota exchanges.
The number of stocks fished in accordance with the principle of maximum sustainable yield (MSY) will increase to 59 in 2019, from 53 at the end of 2017.
But NGOs such as Oceana and Our Fish felt that the decisions taken by the Council would result in continued overfishing. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)