Ministers agreed a roll-over of Black Sea catch limits today, despite continued problems with illegal fishing of turbot. They also came to an agreement that essentially scraps the 2008 cod recovery plan which is widely judged to be ineffective.
The Fisheries Council meeting that began today will discuss the 2013 fishing opportunities for the majority of stocks in EU waters. An agreement was reached on quotas for some Black Sea stocks and on the future management of cod stocks in the North Sea.
In the Black Sea, only sprat and turbot are regulated through EU annual fishing opportunities and the quotas are shared between Romania and Bulgaria. The Council agreed on a roll-over of the 2012 quotas for both stocks, going against the Commission’s proposed reduction for turbot (COM 74 tonnes; Council 86,4 tonnes). There are problems with illegal and unreported landings in the Black Sea turbot fishery, and the Council has earlier agreed on measures to reinforce control and monitoring in the region.
The Council also came to an agreement on the future management of North Sea cod stocks, discussing proposed amendments to the long-term management plan that has been in place since 2008. The objectives set out in the plan have not been reached and recent evaluation by STECF (2011) has shown that it is flawed and ineffective, unlikely to deliver even by 2015. The fishery is also still riddled by high levels of bycatch and discarding.
The Council’s discussions were focused on the two main measures to limit fishing: effort and total allowable catches. The automatic reductions of both as long as stocks fail to recover were rejected today, essentially scrapping the recovery plan. This was seen as a great success by the UK government, as well as the Scottish industry.
The discussions will continue over the coming days. Ministers still have to agree on fishing limits for the majority of EU stocks for 2013, including cod, haddock, hake, sole and Norway lobster.
For further information: