EU cuts cod fishing in Atlantic

Yacine Le Forestier Yahoo News 20 Dec 07;

EU fisheries ministers netted a deal in the early hours of Wednesday to reduce fishing quotas next year although environmentalists warned that the cuts did not go far enough to save stocks.

In marathon talks in Brussels, the ministers agreed to cut cod quotas by between nine and 18 percent in the North Atlantic, the European Union's Portuguese presidency said.

However, the cod cut is lower than the 25 percent the European Commission had been seeking initially and falls short of demands from environmentalists alarmed by dwindling stocks.

Greenpeace marine policy expert Saskia Richartz slammed the deal, which she said "continues a three-decade long trend of ministerial incompetence that is dragging Europe's seas towards a point of no return.

"The fisheries ministers simply cannot be trusted and more than ever Europe's environment ministers need to be included in future negotiations," she added.

The deal also reduces the number of days fisherman can cast their nets at sea by 10 percent but this only covers cod caught in the Atlantic and so excludes the North Sea.

An agreement on an 11 percent increase in cod quotas in the North Sea had already been reached as part of a separate deal with Norway.

Although cod has become considerably rarer in European waters for some years, prompting plans for its protection, recent studies suggest that stocks have begun to recover in some zones.

The cod-loving countries of Britain, France, Ireland, Belgium and Denmark -- the biggest cod fishing nation in the EU -- had seized on evidence of a recovery in hope of minimising the quota cuts.

Some environmentalists argue that fisheries should be closed entirely. Greenpeace protestors on Monday sealed off the entrances to the meeting, erecting a brick wall sprayed with slogans in front of the main entrance.

World Wildlife Fund fisheries expert Carol Phua criticized the ministers' failure to make obligatory measures aimed at protecting young fish.

"2008 will be earmarked as the year when cod had a chance to recover but was jeopardised due to lack of will to put in place clear measures to reduce cod by-catch," she said, referring to the capture of smaller, immature fish.

With European fish stocks under growing pressure, the annual negotiations between fisheries ministers to divvy up the quotas have become a tradition in Brussels, frequently with the haggling dragging on late into the night.

The ministers also agreed to deep cuts in quotas for fish such as blue whiting, herring and plaice.

They decided to keep a ban on anchovy fishing in the Bay of Biscay, which has often been a source of conflict between Spain and France, while waiting for scientists to say whether it should be reopened in July.

Some of Europe's big fishing nations, such as France and Spain, voiced satisfaction with the deal, which in some cases led to quota increases.

"Spain's satisfied," said Spanish Fisheries Minister Elena Espinosa. "Above all the Spanish fleet is satisfied because it can start 2008 keeping its quotas steady and even increasing some."

French Agriculture Minister Michel Barnier stressed that the deal, which won unanimous backing, was a "balanced compromise".

"We are not badly treated compared to some other countries," said one French diplomat.

However, French fishermen were not of the same opinion.

"It's been a bad meeting for France. We haven't been hit this hard for five years," said Pierre-George Dachicourt, president of France's National Fisheries Committee.

EU cod fishing quotas up after stocks improve
Charles Clover, Telegraph 19 Dec 07;

Fishermen will be allowed to catch more cod in the North Sea next year and for the first time will be able to boost their livelihoods by avoiding dumping dead fish over the side, EU ministers have announced.

The annual negotiation on next year's catch quotas ended at dawn with an agreement which partially offsets further cutbacks in fishing effort by drawing the trawlermen themselves into the long-term revival of dwindling stocks of cod.

The deal also delivers the first significant rewards after years of belt-tightening by fishermen - an 11 per cent increase in permitted North Sea cod catches in 2008 to reflect a scientifically-acknowledged upturn in cod numbers but with less time to catch them in.

Elsewhere - off the West of Scotland and in the Irish Sea - fishermen must absorb yet more cod fishing reductions of up to 25 per cent.

And they face reduced "fishing effort" - the number of days at sea - as part of the deal.

Britain and the European Commission insisted that the plan was consistent with scientific advice, despite conservationists' insistence that the increase in quota for the North Sea was far more than the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea recommended for a cod recovery.

The newest element to the deal was the British proposal to allow fishing vessels to "earn" around 12 more days at sea by adopting voluntary measures such as "real time closures" where juvenile fish congregate and separator trawls which allow the catching of haddock but allow cod to escape.

Jonathan Shaw, the fisheries minister said that the deal was a fair one for Britain and made a start at tackling the "immoral" dumping of dead fish back in the sea.

"Today's agreement acknowledges efforts by our fishermen to find new ways to safeguard stocks and to prevent large amounts of the fish they catch having to be thrown back dead into the sea.

"Everyone worked together for a fair deal that has benefits for fishermen throughout the UK."

As well as an 11 per cent rise in the North Sea cod quota, the deal offers a 50 per cent increase in Rockall haddock catches, a five per cent increase in Irish Sea haddock quota and an eight per cent increase in North Sea megrim.

Richard Lochhead, Scottish Fisheries Minister, hailed the deal as a new approach to fisheries conservation.

He said it included a "historic" agreement giving Scotland flexibility to decide how to allocate days at sea - with more for vessels that practised conservation.

He said: "Scotland has blazed a trail for the whole of Europe by adopting sustainable fishing practices."

Helen McLachlan, senior marine policy officer at WWF said: "This is the fishing industry's big chance to show they can deliver on their claims of being able to fish more selectively and sustainably.

"If successful the 2008 measures will give the much needed break that cod needs and help the stock replenish. However if the fishermen fail to implement cod avoidance plans, we will have wasted the only chance at recovery since 1997. The stakes are high - let's hope they can deliver."

Dr Euan Dunn, head of marine policy at the RSPB said: "It is a scandal that the Fisheries Council consistently fails to make tried-and-tested gear selectivity measures - that would assist young cod to escape from nets - mandatory across all Community fleets.

"We still need to make basic conservation measures compulsory for all to deliver a really fair deal for fish stocks and dependent fishing communities."

Willie Mackenzie of Greenpeace said: "The EU's own scientists have said that North Sea cod stocks are in such trouble that the quota must be reduced. And yet, by ignoring the scientists and announcing an increase in this quota, these bungling bureaucrats are displaying breathtaking stupidity.

"Today's announcement is disastrous for the fishing industry. The cod quota could literally lead to fishermen fishing themselves out of a job, because these catch levels could see an end to North Sea cod.

"It's clear that these quota decisions have to be taken out of the hands of fisheries ministers if there is to be any chance of real recovery for Europe's decimated fish stocks."