Brussels, 19/11/2008 (Agence Europe) - In Brussels on Wednesday 19 November, EU fisheries ministers reached unanimous political agreement on the review of the cod recovery plan - the plan to rebuild cod stocks. Under pressure from a number of member states (the United Kingdom, Ireland and Belgium principally) the Commission withdrew the Celtic Sea from the revised plan, which will continue to be applied in the Kattegat, North Sea, Skagerrak, Eastern Channel, West Scotland and Irish Sea zones. A slightly different system is planned for the North Sea to take account of the fact that the state of the stock is improving and to negotiate with Norway a substantial increase in the total allowable catch (TAC) for cod in this zone. The new regulation will come into force on 1 January 2009.
Michel Barnier, President in office of the Council of European Fisheries Ministers, said that the final agreement would mean “a significant effort on the part of member states to reduce fishing effort in the zones covered” by the plan. The French minister said that the plan would mean that TACs “in line with the state of the resource” could be set so that greater increases in quotas were possible if the stock recovered, as is the case in the North Sea. A declaration says that, in negotiations with Norway on a bilateral fisheries agreement, the EU would “set a target” of an increased 2009 TAC for cod in the North Sea of between 35 and 44%. The compromise also provides for increased flexibility in how fishing effort is managed to take account of the activity of vessels not targeting cod in these zones.
Fisheries Commissioner Joe Borg said that the measures were meant to encourage fishermen to reduce cod discards. A Council statement acknowledges that the cod stock in the waters of the Celtic Sea is below safe biological limits. Every possible effort will be made to draw up a long-term cod management plan for the Celtic Sea.
Procedure for setting TACs. Instead of setting specific biomass levels that will perhaps never again be reached in the changing oceanic conditions, the plan now focuses on reducing fishing mortality (fish removed from the stock). TACs will have to meet the following conditions in most zones (with the exception of the North Sea): - if the stock level is lower than minimum spawning biomass levels, fishing mortality will be reduced by 25%; - if the size of the stock in the year before the year of application of the TAC is lower than precautionary spawning biomass levels, fishing mortality will be reduced by 15%; - if the stock level is above or equal to precautionary levels, fishing mortality is to be reduced by 10%. In the North Sea, the figures are set at 25%, 10% and 10% respectively.
Management of fishing effort. The current days at sea system has become much too complicated because of the number of exceptions. The new system is based on fishing effort ceilings managed nationally by member states. The maximum admissible fishing effort (per member state and per fishery) will be calculated in kW/days, with 2004-2006 or 2005-2007 being taken as the historic references. These figures will be annexed to the fisheries quotas regulation.
Reducing discards. Reducing discards is a major part of the revised plan. New mechanisms will be introduced to encourage fishermen to take part in cod avoidance programmes.
Weighing of cod. It will be for skippers of fishing vessels to ensure that all quantities of cod weighing more than 300 kilos caught in plan zones and landed in Community ports are weighed before sale or before leaving the port at which they are landed. (L.C./transl.rt)