Brussels, 28/10/2002 (Agence Europe) - In the light of the latest scientific advice from the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES), the European Commission can see no alternative than to introduce a moratorium on cod fishing, for the near future at least, and for associated species like haddock and whiting, along with substantial reductions in TACs (Total Allowable Catches) for plaice and nephrops, announced Commissioner Franz Fischler on Monday. The fisheries covered by the ban would be the Eastern Channel, Skagerrak, North Sea, the Irish Sea, the west of Scotland and the Bay of Biscay. Fischler explained that "Previous data were distorted by misreporting of catches and illegal landings" (the Member States concerned are the UK, Denmark, Ireland, Sweden, Germany the Netherlands and Belgium). The most recent ICES advice (that the numbers of young fish joining the stock has been very low in recent years, mostly due to he fact that there are few adult fish left to spawn eggs) took account of this false reporting.
The Commission explained that the Commission's Scientific and Technical Committee is in the process of studying the ICES recommendation and would be publishing its views on 11 November. "Unless it says anything different, which is very unlikely, I can see no other solution in the short term than to propose for 2003 a zero TAC for cod, haddock and whiting and substantial reductions for plaice and nephrops", said Fischler. At the same time, the Commission will put pressure on Member States to adopt changes to the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) by the end of the year concerning multi-annual management plans with very significant reductions in fishing, the strict enforcement of closed areas and significantly improved control.
Some fishing representatives say that we should simply forget cod today because it's too late to reconstitute stocks. They reckon we should continue to fish, concentrating on other species, said Fischler, noting that he could not accept their view and did not even want to discuss it. He hammered home that there was a moral obligation towards fishermen and their families to all that is possible to reconstitute cod stocks that have been the main source of livelihood for numerous fishermen throughout the EU for centuries. Fischler recognised that if the ICES advice were followed to the letter it "literally would leave many coastal areas in deep trouble".
Fischler announced that the Commission would be considering next week how to change the regulation on the Financial Instrument for Fisheries Guidance (FIFG) to take account of new requirements for reforming the CFP (cofinancing of early retirement schemes, individual compensatory payments to fishermen in case of permanent withdrawal of their vessel, payments to fishermen to help them retrain or diversify their activities outside marine fisheries, or the introduction by Member States of nationally financed measures for fishermen in order to facilitate temporary cessation of fishing activities ). He also stressed that in the context of the reform of the CFP, an Action Plan to cushion the social effect of the proposed measures should be implemented. The Commission has proposed that financial aid currently earmarked for the renewal and modernisation of the fleet be reprogrammed by Member States to help fishermen retrain, reconvert to other jobs or retire early.