Fishing vessels off the Canary Islands. (Photo: T.Ezcurra)
SPAINMonday, December 15, 2014, 22:20 (GMT + 9)
Fisheries Ministers of the 28 Member States of the European Union (EU) have today started negotiations to determine the fishing opportunities for the EU fleet over the next year.
The European Commission (EC) proposes including reductions for southern hake for the first time in years and advocates the decline in catches of this species in northern waters.
Spain does not oppose the hake quota reduction in the case of the southern fishing grounds, as it believes that it is a "consistent" proposal with the advice given by the scientists and the recovery plan for southern hake.
By contrast, the 4.1 per cent reduction requested by Brussels for the northern hake does not convince the Spanish Government, as it was indicated by the diplomatic sources consulted by Europa Press.
In this case, the Spanish Government considers that there is room for improvement without affecting the biomass of the species, so it is expected that it will defend a 26 per cent increase during the negotiations.
The Council of Ministers will also be attended by the head of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Environment (MAGRAMA), Isabel García Tejerina, who will defend other improvements:
- 10 per cent increase in fishing for monkfish and megrim in the waters of Gran Sol and the Bay of Biscay, while Brussels prefers a 11 per cent and 20 per cent reduction, respectively;
- 10 per cent increase in fishing for anchovy in the Bay of Cadiz, although the EC is in favour of maintaining the current level of catches;
- In waters of Cadiz, the aim is to increase by 15 per cent of Norway lobster catches while Brussels will defend the idea of reducing them by 10 per cent.
On the other hand, the EU Fisheries Commissioner, Karmenu Vella, will defend a plan inherited from his predecessor, Maria Damanaki, which includes other reductions in species of interest to Spain, such as the megrim in the Cantabrian Sea and in waters of the south (55 per cent).
In this case, Spain will seek to minimize the reduction and set it between 20 per cent and 40 per cent, based on "socio-economic data," which aims for them to be valued by scientific reports.
The 27 per cent reduction provided by Brussels for horse mackerel of the Cantabrian is not satisfactory to the Spanish Government, which will seek to limit the reduction of 20 per cent.
The anchovy fishing in the Bay of Biscay will be subject to further discussion between ministers of EU fisheries. Following an agreement between the Spanish and French fleets, the European ministers will have to set a quota from January to December.
Scientists believe that the current situation of the anchovy is "extraordinary". Last year, the set catch amounted to 20,100 tonnes between 1 July 2014 and 30 June 2015 but Spain expects the total allowable catch (TAC) amounts to 33,000 tonnes in 2015.