On Tuesday 14 December, after a night of difficult negotiations, EU fisheries ministers reached a political agreement on total allowable catches (TACs) and quotas for 2022 in the Atlantic, Channel, and North Sea, and on a 6% reduction in fishing effort for trawlers operating in the western Mediterranean.
With regard to the catch limits agreed for the Atlantic and North Sea, EU Fisheries Commissioner Virginijus Sinkevičius explained to the press that, for cod in the Kattegat, the EU Council had agreed a catch limit of 97 tonnes (of which 60 tonnes for Denmark) for unavoidable catches taken in other fisheries, and an allowance (+30%) for fishermen “who are taking part in remote electronic monitoring projects to bring fisheries control into the 21st century”.
For the Bay of Biscay area, the Ministers took the “very difficult” decision to reduce the TAC for sole by 36% in order to reach maximum sustainable yield (MSY), the Commissioner added.
He noted “positive points” for fishermen in Iberian waters, with TAC increases for megrim (+13%), anglerfish (+5%) and horse mackerel (+12%). “These increases show that conservation efforts are paying off.”
Spain managed to mitigate the decrease in the TAC for southern hake (-8% to 7,836 tonnes).
Mediterranean. Regarding fishing opportunities in the Mediterranean, “we have taken crucial steps towards a new and improved fisheries governance in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea”, said Virginijus Sinkevičius.
He acknowledged the “intensive discussions” that had taken place in the EU Council on the implementation of the stock management plan in the Western Mediterranean. “While we observe a slight improvement for some stocks, the situation continues to be dire for most stocks, such as hake and blue and red shrimps”.
He welcomed the “realistic” approach endorsed by the EU Council: a 6% reduction in trawling effort. “Having carefully listened to Ministers’ comments and suggestions, we have proposed a mechanism rewarding the increase of selectivity and the protection of juveniles and spawners”, explained the Commissioner.
Spain, France and Italy obtained a smaller reduction than originally proposed (-7.5%). In addition, an increase of 2% in fishing days is foreseen, provided that criteria are met (increased selectivity or effectiveness of closed areas).
With regard to longline fishing, also in the Mediterranean, the Ministers agreed to introduce an effort regime based on the number of fishing days between 1 January 2015 and 31 December 2017.
The Ministers agreed (for the first time) to TACs for blue and red shrimp as well as giant red shrimp.
“Taking these decisions now will allow us to avoid even more drastic measures in the years to come”, the Commissioner concluded.
Provisional quotas with the UK. Furthermore, in the absence of an EU/UK agreement on fishing opportunities for 2022 for the 65 TACs in shared waters, Ministers accepted the European Commission’s proposal to establish provisional quotas. It was decided to extend the 2021 quotas (i.e. 25% of the 2021 TACs) for 3 months (January-March), with slightly higher volumes for species that are mainly fished in the first months of each year. The European Commission and the UK are continuing consultations with a view to reaching final TACs by 2022.
Disgruntled NGOs. According to Oceana, more than a third of the adopted quotas exceed the maximums recommended by scientists (southern hake, sole from the Iberian Atlantic coast, and red mullet in the Mediterranean). “Using socioeconomic needs as an excuse fails to understand that protecting stocks is in the interest of fishermen”, added Seas At Risk. ClientEarth is concerned that stocks shared with the UK, such as cod in the Celtic Sea or Scottish waters, remain untouched while scientists call for a fishing ban. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)