Cod fishing opportunities in the North Sea and the Celtic Sea, as well as sea bass fishing measures, will be the most difficult subjects to be negotiated between European ministers on Monday 16 and Tuesday 17 December in Brussels, on the setting of total allowable catches (TACs) and quotas for 2020 in Atlantic and North Sea waters.
In addition, the EU Council should reach a general approach on a regulation to help cod fishermen in the Eastern Baltic who are in crisis due to the depletion of the resource (see EUROPE 12361/9).
The EU Council is expected to reach a political agreement on Tuesday evening or Wednesday morning on a Regulation on TACs and quotas in 2020 for the main fish stocks in the Atlantic and North Sea (see EUROPE 12356/17).
Celtic Sea cod. As the stock situation is worrying, the Commission proposes a TAC of only 189 tonnes (only for by-catches) for all the countries concerned (France, United Kingdom, Ireland, Belgium, Netherlands).
These countries are working on technical measures (mesh size expansion) to spare cod as much as possible and to allow fishermen to continue to catch other species (haddock, Norway lobster). In exchange for these technical measures, they hope to obtain a higher quota of cod (by-catch).
Sea Bass. For the 'northern stock' of sea bass, the Commission proposes a renewal in 2020 of the current measures to ban directed fishing, while allowing by-catches.
For the 'southern stock' of sea bass, it is suggested that the two countries concerned (France and Spain) be left to manage a total TAC of 2,533 tonnes of by-catch fishing (professional and recreational fishing).
Other quotas. Portugal and Spain will try to avoid excessive reductions in the TACs of hake (north and south) and horse mackerel.
Denmark's priorities include Kattegat cod, Belgium is interested in sole and the Netherlands in sea bass.
Most national delegations support the achievement of the maximum sustainable yield (MSY) for all stocks by 2020, although some of them request exceptions in specific cases.
EU/Norway negotiations on 2020 quotas are still ongoing. They come up against cod and snow crab in particular. The Commission has therefore not yet been able to present the figures for many TACs in the North Sea, which are determined under this annual bilateral agreement. A third round of EU/Norway negotiations is scheduled to take place on Friday 13 December.
Baltic cod. In October, the Commission put forward a proposal (co-decision procedure) amending on the one hand the multi-annual plan for the management of stocks in the Baltic Sea (capacity limits for Eastern Baltic cod, data collection and control measures) and on the other hand the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) (aid for definitive withdrawal of vessels).
The Finnish Presidency of the Council suggested amending the original text to include cod and western Baltic herring. In addition, the compromise provides for the deletion of the paragraphs on controls and data collection.
The Commission is quite dissatisfied with the changes made.
Last October, the EU Council introduced a closure of the cod fishery in the Eastern Baltic. These restrictions are expected to lead to excess fleet capacity and serious socio-economic impacts for the coastal communities and fishing enterprises concerned. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)