The European Commission has tabled its proposal on fishing possibilities and fishing effort for 2009 for the main stocks in the North-East Atlantic, including the North Sea.
The highlights of the Commission's proposal are:
Whitefish stocks: In the area west of Scotland, the stocks of cod, haddock and whiting are overfished and catches have fallen steeply over the last 10 years. The Commission is proposing to give “breathing space” to these stocks so they can rebuild and is proposing 25% reductions in both quotas and fishing intensity on those stocks. The proposal also introduces a system of effort limitations for cod fisheries measured by kilowatt-day ceilings instead of the 'days-at-sea' system applied in 2008.
Herring: According to the Commission, a substantial reduction in herring quotas is needed in order to prevent the further decline of stock. Therefore the Commission is proposing a 25% reduction in quotas for the West Scotland stock.
North Sea sole: The North Sea sole stock is managed under a long-term management plan, which this year points to a 7% increase in the quotas.
Spurdog and porbeagle: The recent scientific advice on these stocks of deep sea sharks confirms their extremely poor biological condition, so the Commission is proposing a zero TAC.
Blue ling: Following the scientific advice and consultation with stakeholders, the Commission is now proposing measures to protect blue ling spawning aggregations through the introduction of two protection zones in the area west of Scotland.
Short-lived species: In-year management systems will be applied again for short-lived species such as anchovy in the Bay of Biscay and sandeel, Norway pout and sprat in the North Sea. In the case of anchovy, the fishery will remain closed, subject to revision when data on spring abundance of the stock becomes available.
The proposal also includes measures transposing the EU's obligations in the context of Regional Fisheries Management Organisations, and in particular, measures to implement the scheme on port State measures to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing in the area of the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean.
The Commission's proposal will be debated by the Council of Fisheries Ministers when they meet on 17-19 December so that they can apply from 1 January 2009.
