Brussels, 06/06/2007 (Agence Europe) - On Thursday 7 June, the European Commission is due to adopt its policy statement on likely fishing possibilities for 2008. It shows that little progress has been made since the 2002 reform of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP), and prepares the sector for further restrictions next year to protect endangered fish stocks. European Fisheries Commissioner Joe Borg also says that over the next few months a process of reflection on the review of the cod recovery plan will be launched. The new recovery plan will not be adopted before next year, however.
Stakeholders and member states are invited to become involved in the debate on this document until the end of July, to allow the Commission to prepare its proposals on total allowable catches (TACs) and quotas for 2008. In September, the Commission intends to adopt proposals on fishing rights in the Baltic Sea, and in November, it will adopt proposals for fishing possibilities in the other Community waters.
Here are the Commission's main conclusions on how the situation has developed since 2002:
Fish stocks are not rebuilding or increasing within safe biological limits, the Commission acknowledges. The sector remains seriously threatened. The situation is worrying for demersal species (which live close to the sea floor, such as cod, hake, sole, haddock and sand eel) and even more so for stocks of small pelagic fish (anchovy). The number of stocks in danger has remained stable, the Commission says, with around 80% of stocks outside safe biological limits and only three EU fish stocks (North Sea haddock, North Sea saithe and Bay of Biscay megrim) out of 33 for which their status is known, are fished consistently with the commitment to manage for maximum sustainable yield given at the UN World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg in 2002. By continuing to set TACs that are substantially higher than those recommended by scientists, fisheries have been put at great risk, particularly since many TACs are overshot because the regulation is poorly implemented, the Commission says in its document.
Since the reform, limits on the number of authorised fishing days have been set notably for species for which there are recovery plans (cod, hake and sole) and deep-water species (roundnose grenadier, orange roughy, ling, deep-water sharks, etc.). According to the Commissionm limiting days at sea is still not enough to contribute to recovery of stocks. However, the system of a maximum number of days at sea has, in some cases, encouraged the use of more selective fishing gear. From the data provided by member states, overall fishing effort in 2005, compared with 2000, fell by around 15% in Kattegat, by around 20% in the North Sea, Skagerrak and the Eastern Channel, and by around 35% in West Scotland and the Irish Sea. Although total fishing effort is tending to fall, the Commission notes an increased use of smaller mesh gear (70-89mm), which could explain the rise in catches of small cod.
The trawler fleet, which uses a great deal of fuel, has seen its economic situation deteriorate the most over the last few years because of increases in the price of oil. Vessels using more fuel efficient methods have managed to improve their balance sheets, the Commission says. According to the very latest economic data, some European fleets are increasing in productivity. Along with increased prices on some markets, this upturn in productivity could give the required impetus and allow hope for improved economic results, the Commission says.
The state of European stocks has not sufficiently improved since 2002, so further considerable efforts will be required on management of TACs and fishing effort, the Commission says. It will seek to simplify the rules on the number of fishing days to make control easier. It also wants new recovery and management plans for species whose stocks have dramatically fallen. Current plans have brought encouraging results, except for cod: northern hake stocks have recovered and TACs on Bay of Biscay and Eastern Channel sole were slightly increased in 2007, without endangering the species.
The Commission gives some indication of the way it intends to set fishing quotas for 2008. For volumes of catches applicable to stocks which are outside safe biological limits, it acknowledges that it is sometimes necessary to impose reductions of over 15% from one year to another (as for cod in West Scotland).
The Commission invites stakeholders to reflect on other ways to establish fishing possibilities. As far as cod stocks are concerned, the Commission will be proposing fishing possibilities for 2008 in line with the cod stock recovery plan. Cod preservation measures will be re-examined in 2007. A new regulation will not be proposed until 2008, but lessons learned from the review process will be taken into account in the proposal for 2008 TACs and quotas. The Commission confirms its intention to extend cod fishing restrictions to the Irish Sea.
Furthermore, the Commission does not rule out the possibility of putting forward certain measures under the 2008 regulation for reducing the dumping of fish waste at sea. It also stipulates that TACs should be imposed for the exploitation of rock salmon and that a regional fisheries organisation be recommended for taking measures to protect stocks of porbeagle. (lc)