On Wednesday morning, 18 December, the EU Member States’ fisheries ministers reached unanimous political agreement on total allowable catches (TACs) and 2020 quotas for the Atlantic and North Sea. Discussions have long stumbled over the modalities of the very limited fisheries for cod in the waters of the Celtic Sea.
The year 2020 marks an important moment for European fisheries: the EU has set itself the objective, within the framework of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP), that all fish stocks be fished in accordance with the ‘maximum sustainable yield’ by 2020 at the latest.
“Today we reached an agreement proving our credibility to deliver on the maximum sustainable yield objective [...]. Next year the EU Member States’ fleet will fish at the level that would not hinder the regeneration of the stocks”, said Fisheries Commissioner Virginijus Sinkevičius. He pointed out that the EU had decided to stop targeting cod in the Celtic Sea and to allow only limited by-catches, “where it is unavoidable in the fishery of the other stocks”. This will also apply to cod in the west of Scotland, whiting in the Irish Sea and whiting in the Celtic Sea.
Celtic Sea cod. The Commission proposed to reduce the TAC (to a total of only 189 tonnes) of cod in the Celtic Sea by 88% in 2020. The EU Council agreed to a 50% reduction to 805 t (by-catches). In return, Member States have introduced fairly strict selectivity measures for fishermen: increasing the mesh size of nets to allow cod to pass through and the technical measure (optional) of lifting the net one metre off the ground to spare certain species.
France states that it has obtained a transitional period of 5 months (until 1 June) “allowing affected fishermen to identify other selectivity measures to protect cod”.
Bass fishery. For the northern stock, France notes positive trends (percentage of by-catches) for the line trades, trawlers and seiners. For recreational fishing, it was possible to increase the ceiling from one to two bass per day per person for 9 months in 2020.
For southern hake, permits for recreational fishing are reduced from three to two bass per day per person and the catch ceiling for professionals is reduced from 2,150 to 2,032 tonnes per year for France.
The TAC for monkfish has increased by 7% in zone 7 (Celtic Sea and Channel) and by 8% in the Bay of Biscay. Haddock TACs are generally increasing (+23% in some areas and even +30% in the Celtic Sea).
France welcomed in particular a 5% increase in catch limits for skates and a renewal in 2020 of the current volumes for whiting and pollock in the Bay of Biscay. The TAC for Norway lobster is down by 15% in the Channel and Celtic Sea. Sole TACs are generally increasing, except in the Bay of Biscay and Iberian and Portuguese waters.
Spain welcomes a good agreement. The Spanish Minister Luis Planas welcomed “a good agreement for the country’s fleet. The TAC for southern hake is reduced by 5% (the Commission proposed a 20% cut), “an excellent result”, he said. In the case of northern hake (waters of Scotland and Ireland, Bay of Biscay), the 2020 TAC will decrease by 20% (to 112,903 tonnes), but “it will be sufficient to cover the needs of the Spanish fleet”, according to Mr Planas.
In the case of southern horse mackerel, Spain managed, in the negotiations, to move from a 50% reduction (initially proposed) to a 24% increase. The TAC cut for Cantabrian horse mackerel is 40.7%, but with flexibility measures for Spain. In addition, mackerel quotas in the Cantabrian Sea will increase by 41% and megrim and monkfish quotas will remain at the same level as in 2019.
To consult the 2020 TAC table: http://bit.ly/2r8pdjw (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)