MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Spain denies it's the worst CFP offender

Spain's Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food's (MAPA) Maritime Fisheries General Secretariat said that offences against the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) mentioned in a report released by the European Commission (EC) refer to data gathered in 2003.

Furthermore "the number of serious offences committed by the Spanish fleet has significantly declined in 2004".

In the Third Annual Chart of Indicators on the Compliance with the Common Fisheries Policy, published January 19, Spain and Ireland are mentioned as leading in the number of violations of fishing quotas set for 2004.

However, in terms of serious offences to the CFP, the Spanish Government clarified that this information refers to 2003 data, and matches the information forwarded European Union (EU) authorities.

MAPA insists that whereas in 2003, a total of 3,158 serious offences to the CFP were reported, a year later the final number had dropped to 2,396 offences. Moreover, the number of unlicensed fishing offences went down from 677 in 2003 to 462 in 2004, and unauthorised fishing violations dropped from 674 to 475.

Spanish authorities have also pointed out that although Spain has reported a declining number of serious offences to the CFP in 2004, the combined EU number of infractions has increased from 9,502 in 2003 to 9,660 a year later. EU Commissioner of Fisheries, Joe Borg, has warned that non compliance with fisheries rules poses a threat to the fishing industry interests, "as it leads to overfishing, fisheries stock depletion, declined catches and lower revenues". (FIS/MP).-