According to the Scottish Fisheries Secretary, the EU and Norway reached an agreement on the respective fisheries opportunities for 2020 on 13 December. However, the European Commission, for its part, assures that the EU/Norway fisheries negotiations are still ongoing.
The Commission still needs to add the figures from this EU/Norway agreement (see EUROPE 12389/9) to the proposals on 2020 quotas in the Atlantic and North Sea.
Fergus Ewing, Scottish Fisheries Secretary, expressed his “disappointment” at the outcome of the fisheries negotiations between Norway and the EU, after a third round of negotiations between the parties on Friday 13 December in Brussels.
A "significant" 50% reduction in the total allowable catch (TAC) of cod in North Sea waters for 2020 has been decided, “reflecting scientific advice on declining numbers”, according to a statement from the Scottish Ministry of Fisheries.
Other elements of the bilateral agreement include a 15% reduction (compared to 2019) in the saithe TAC, a 13% reduction in catch volumes for whiting, increases in TACs for haddock (23%) and plaice (17%) and a rollover for catches for herring.
In addition, the following have also been allegedly decided: – seasonal closures (in the first quarter of 2020) to protect North Sea cod during the spawning season; – the creation of a new EU/Norway working party that will develop new management measures in early 2020 to reduce cod catches to support stock recovery. In addition, the quota exchange between Norway and the EU has been renewed without any change compared to last year. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)