Brussels, 16/10/2006 (Agence Europe) - The International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) announced on 16 October that for 2007, it recommends that fishing for cod and sand eels be closed in the North Sea and that fishing for anchovies be banned in the Bay of Biscay. ICES, whose work helps the European Commission to finalise its proposals on fishing quotas, has nonetheless announced some good news: Norwegian herring is doing well and reconstitution measures for stocks of northern hake are starting to show results. The latest scientific opinions of ICES will be published on 20 October and immediately sent to the Commission. Upon analysis of these data by the scientific, technical and economic committee for fisheries (an EU consultative group), the Commission will present, "at the end of the month of November, or early in December", its proposal on fishing possibilities for 2007.
ICES has called for fishing of cod to be closed next year in most Community areas (North Sea, Irish Sea, the Western Scottish waters and the Danish waters). The stock reconstitution plan for cod, which has been in force in these zones since 2003, has thus failed to keep its promises. Stock remains at rock-bottom levels, whilst mortality rates (of the species) by fishing activities has been increasing steadily. Against this backdrop, Joe Borg, the Commissioner for Fisheries, is committed to "carry out a complete revision" of the reconstitution measures for cod "in order to ensure positive results". The opinions of ICES are better for cod in the Barents Sea and around Iceland. Fishing for sand eels in the North Sea should also be banned in 2007, in the view of ICES, because the stocks have shown no sign of rebuilding themselves since 2005. Nor does ICES believe that anchovies in the Bay of Biscay should be exploited in 2007. This fishery was already closed in July 2005 (until the end of 2005) and in July 2006 (until the end of that year).
ICES recommends quota reductions for plaice in the North Sea (32,000 tonnes in 2007, compared to 57,000 tonnes in 2006), sole in the North Sea (10,800t in 2007, compared to 16,617 2006), blue whiting (980,000t as against 2.1 million in 2006) and recommends that catches of lobsters should not be increased. In the other hand, ICES proposes increases for northern hake (from 43,900t in 2006 to 50,500 in 2007), Norwegian herring (1,280 million tonnes in 2007, up from 967,000 in 2006) and mackerel (between 390,000 and 509,000 in 2007, compared to 444,000 tonnes in 2006). (lc)