Source: El Faro de Vigo
Most of the 27 European Union member states last week rejected a proposal from the European Commission (EC) to reduce by 25 percent the potential annual allowable catch of fish stocks for which there is insufficient scientific information about their current biological status.
The EU ministers discussed the reduction proposed by the EC Fisheries Commissioner, Maria Damanaki, and virtually all countries described the proposal as “excessive.â€
“We should reduce quotas by at least 25 percent until we know what catches are sustainable. In other parts of the world a zero tolerance approach is adopted. This is not what I am proposing, I only request that we should be careful and reduce the fishing volume until we have the missing information,†Damanaki said.
According to the EC, the new approach would facilitate the change from intensive fishing of scarce resources to a moderate capture in larger reserves.
The Spanish delegation –formed by the secretary general of Marine Affairs, Alicia Villauriz, and the Minister of Marine Affairs, Rosa Quintan- called for a more thorough study and analysis of the data on the species, coordinated by Brussels, to determine the fishing opportunities and avoid a “very strong social and economic impact†on the fleets.
Spain is one of the EU member states opposed to cuts in the quota when there is insufficient data, arguing that fishing quota cuts should never exceed 15 percent as “major reductions would be unbearable for the industry.â€
The EC proposed cut is part of a catch report on fishing opportunities in 2012 to ensure maximum sustainable yield; a fishing level that would enable fisheries to remain in good condition, despite catches.
Most member states support this approach “globallyâ€, although many fear that applying this proposal could put an excessive pressure on the fleet and cause social and financial damage. The Spanish Xunta proposes that its application of the cut be postponed from 2015 to “not earlier than 2020â€.