Brussels, 11/11/2008 (Agence Europe) - On Monday 10 November, the European Commission adopted its proposal on total allowable catches (TACs) and fishing quotas for 2009 in the waters of the north-east Atlantic, including the North Sea. The Commission will put major reductions to the limits for catches of cod (-25% in most cases), herring (-25%) in Western Scotland, megrims (-15%), whiting (up to -25%) and haddock (up to -25%) to the ministers, who will make the final decision at their traditional end-of-year Council (17-19 December).
Most fish stocks continue to have been over-exploited in 2008. In order to create the foundations for a healthy industry for the future, "we must therefore fish less in the short term", the Commission explained.
"We have made real progress in fisheries management over the last six years, and we are starting to see positive results- such as the recovery in certain stocks on the long-term management plans. But this good news remains the exception, not the rule", commented Joe Borg, European Commissioner for Fisheries.
White fish stocks. In the "Western Scotland" zone, stocks of cod, haddock and whiting are over-fished and catches have dropped sharply over the last 10 years. The Commission proposes to give these stocks the rest they need in order to recover. In other words, it suggests putting an end to the targeted fishing of these species and bringing in new types of fishing engines, which allow fish to escape whilst allowing fishermen to continue catching prawns and anglerfish, which are the more valuable catches. Stocks of cod remain very low in most of the zones, although there are fry in the North Sea under protection to allow them to reproduce. The Commission has suggested a number of improvements to its recovery plan and, in line with this new plan, has proposed to reduce quotas by 25% and the intensity of fishing for these stocks. Today's proposal also brings in a system to limit fishing efforts for cod, measured by means of kilowatt-day limits rather than by using the "days at sea" system applied in 2008.
Herring. A substantial reduction of herring quotas is necessary to prevent the stocks from diminishing further. For the "Western Scotland" stock, the Commission proposes a reduction in quotas by 25%.
North Sea sole. The stocks of North Sea sole are managed as part of a long-term management plan, which will see an increase in quotas of 7% this year.
Spurdog and porbeagle. The most recent scientific opinion on deep-sea shark stocks confirms their extremely poor biological condition. The Commission therefore proposes a TAC of zero for spurdog and porbeagle.
Blue ling. The Commission proposes new measures to protect blue ling spawning grounds by introducing two areas closed to fishing in the "Western Scotland" zone.
Short-lived species. Management systems for quotas over the year will once again be applied to short-lived species such as anchovies in the Bay of Biscay and sand-eels, Norway pout and sprat in the North Sea. For anchovies, fishing will remain closed in 2009, subject to a re-examination as soon as data on stock levels are available in the spring.
The proposal also provides for measures transposing the obligations of the EU in the context of regional fishing management organisations and, in particularly, provisions designed to implement the regime of port State measures to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing in the area of the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean.
The proposal also lays down the following proposed TACs: - argentine (renewal of 2009 TAC); - tusk (-15%); -anglerfish or monkfish (-8% in the English Channel, Celtic Sea and Bay of Biscay); - pollack (-15% in the English Channel and the Celtic Sea); - saithe (-15%); - hake (-5% to 10%); - lemon sole and witch flounder (microstomus kii and Glyptocephalus cynoglossus) (-10%); -blue ling (-15%); - ling (-15%); -Norway lobster (-10% in the North Sea, -15% in Western Scotland, the English Channel, the Celtic Sea and the Bay of Biscay); -plaice (-22% in the Irish Sea, -12.5% in the English Channel); - turbot and brill (psetta maxima and scopthalmus rhombus) (-10%); - skate (status quo remains in place in the North Sea); - sole (-20% in the eastern English Channel, -15% in the Western English Channel, +5% in the Bay of Biscay); - horse mackerel (-38% in the Portuguese waters). (L.C./trans.fl)