Brussels, 05/05/2003 (Agence Europe) - The European Commission adopted on Tuesday a proposal instituting multi-annual programmes for cod restocking in Kattegat and Skagerrak, the North Sea, the eastern English Channel, western Scotland and the Irish Sea. The Commission estimates that restocking will take between five and ten years. Measures for hake restocking will be announced at a later date.
The Commission's strategy comprises the following planks:
- Objective of the restocking plan: The Commission proposes a restocking plan which should allow quantities of adult cod to be increased to a minimum of 10,500 tonnes for Kattegat cod, 150,000 tonnes for North Sea, Skagerrak and eastern English Channel cod, 22,000 tonnes for cod fished in western Scotland, and 10,000 tonnes for Irish Sea cod. If the Commission notes that the volume level for all stock in question is reached for two consecutive years, the Council will take the decision to withdraw this stock from the application of the regulation.
- Setting the TACs: The annual Total Allowable Catch (TACs) are to be set at levels allowing an increase by 30% of adult fish quantities. In this way, the TAC will help to preserve the following quantities of adult cod: 6,400 tonnes of Kattegat cod, 70,000 tonnes for North Sea, Skagerrak and eastern English Channel cod, 14,000 tonnes for western Scottish cod and 6,000 tonnes for Irish Sea cod. The Commission also hopes to respect the principle by which the greatest annual modification, upwards or downwards, in any TAC, cannot be greater than 15% after the first year of the implementation of the restocking plan.
- Fishing mortality rate: The Council must commit to adopting no TAC with a fishing mortality rate equal to or higher than the following values: 0.60 for Kattegat and western Scotland cod, o.65 for North Sea, Skagerrak and eastern English Channel cod, and 0.72 for Irish Sea cod.
- Limitation of fishing effort: The Commission proposes a simplified system to limit the fishing effort (measures which limit the time ships may spend fishing). Limitations to the fishing effort, expressed in kilowatt-days, will be shared by the Member States among their fleets within the geographical zones occupied by the respective cod stocks. They can be transferred in their entirety and used at any time of the year. The system will also take account of the exact definition of a day of absence from port and exceptional (climatic) circumstances which justify not including certain days of fishing.
- Improvement of checks and inspections: The Commission has provided for the strengthening of checks and inspections which apply to ships covered by the management system of the effort. The measures proposed include specifications on: prior notice, the requirement to unload cod in designated ports and under stowage and transport conditions.