Brussels, 31/08/2009 (Agence Europe) - The European Commission will shortly adopt its proposal on total allowable catches (TACs) and quotas to be allocated for 2010 to fishermen in the waters of the Baltic Sea. It is likely to propose a 15% increase in cod catches in the Eastern and Western Baltic, a 20% reduction in herring catches in the western zone and a 15% reduction in salmon (at least in the main basin) and sprat. EU fisheries ministers are expected to reach agreement on quotas for the Baltic at their October meeting.
The Commission has every reason to be satisfied that the cod recovery plan in the Baltic is beginning to bear fruit. It is suggesting a 15% increase in cod catches for 2010 in the Eastern Baltic (to 51,267 tonnes, with 13,561 tonnes for Poland, 11,932 for Sweden, 11,777 for Denmark, 4,685 for Germany and 4,379 for Latvia) and in the Western Baltic (to 17,700 tonnes, with 7,726 for Denmark, 3,777 for Germany and 2,067 for Poland). This improvement in fishing rights will be proposed after recent scientific advice said that cod stocks were showing “signs of recovery”, the Commission says.
The cod recovery plan also contains a fishing effort limitation section setting a maximum number of authorised fishing days. The Commission will propose that there be no reduction in the number of fishing days for cod in the Eastern Baltic (a total of 160 days “absent from port”) but that there be a 10% reduction in fishing effort (authorised fishing days) in the Western Baltic (181 days proposed for 2010, compared with 201 days in 2009).
Herring. Herring is suffering the effects of overfishing in the Western Baltic and in division IIIa (spring spawning). Given the slow rate of renewal of the population, “it was revealed that there had been a rapid decline in the stocks, so it is essential to significantly reduce fishing mortality to bring the stock back up to viable levels,” say officials of Joe Borg, European Fisheries Commissioner. The scientific opinion recommends a 31% reduction in the TAC, but the Commission is, for the moment, sticking to a reduction of only 21% in 2010, to 21,469 tonnes (with 11,845 tonnes for Germany, 3,820 for Sweden, 3,009 for Denmark and 2,793 for Poland). The Commission has not ruled out increasing the reduction to 31%, however.
The Commission will suggest, too, a 15% reduction in 2010 in the herring TAC in the Central Baltic (to 122,068 tonnes, with 40,828 tonnes for Sweden and 30,412 for Poland) and a 4% increase in the TAC for herring caught in the Gulf of Riga.
Scientists have recommended reducing the sprat TAC by 24%. With the exact state of the stock not being known, the Commission will propose a 15% reduction only (to 339,960 tonnes, with 99,810 for Poland and 64,829 for Sweden).
Salmon. The situation for certain stocks and certain rivers is rather good, but is less so in other zones. Scientists suggest that the TAC for salmon in the main basin be reduced to real catch levels. A 15% reduction in the 2010 TAC will, then, be proposed by the Commission, taking it down to 263,273 tonnes, with 73,745 individual fish (not tonnes) for Sweden, 68,028 for Finland, 54,556 for Denmark and 34,700 for Latvia. In the Gulf of Finland, scientists advise that there should be no catches of wild Estonian salmon. A reduction in the TAC is not the answer, according to the Commission, since the problem arises mainly from the state of the rivers and fishing grounds. The 2010 TAC will, therefore, remain unchanged (15,419 individual fish, with 13,838 for Finland, and 1,581 for Estonia) given, the Commission says, that the issue should be resolved at national level and as part of the forthcoming salmon stock management plan. The Commission will propose keeping the plaice TAC in the Baltic at the same level as in 2009: 3,041 tonnes, with 2,179 tonnes for Denmark and 456 for Poland.
Discards. In order to reduce discards, the Commission will propose introducing a ban on high grading (retaining only the highest value fish and discarding the rest). Thus, any fish under quota caught in fishing operations will have to be brought on board the vessels and subsequently landed. (L.C./transl.rt)