MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

North Sea cod quota 11% hike leaves most EU satisfied

European Union fisheries ministers decided Wednesday in Brussels to allow fishermen to catch more threatened fish like cod in 2008 against the recommendations of scientists and environmentalists.

Under the deal reached after all-night negotiations, the quota for North Sea cod increased by 11%, a hike welcomed by the fishing industry following years of reductions. Cuts in other sectors for cod were also less than was urged by scientists. But in the North Atlantic cod quotas were cut between 9 and 18%. Anyhow ministers said the stocks would be sufficiently protected because fishermen will be forced to reduce the days they can spend at sea and measures will be taken to reduce by-catches of unwanted fish and discards of un-sellable fish. "With hard work, we have managed to keep to the policy of sustainability," said Portuguese Farm Minister Jaime Silva, who chaired the meeting. The 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," British Fisheries Minister Jonathan Shaw said. The year-end meeting again turned into a bartering session pitting the interests of conservationists against those of fishermen. Portugal, which chaired the meeting, said that stock levels would allow for a good balance between protecting fish and guaranteeing the livelihoods of fishermen. Young cod in the North Sea were plentiful after the 2005 spawning season and scientists said increased fishing was possible for the first time in years. However the WWF environmental group warned though that it was not time to increase fishing quotas since the overall stocks was still extremely fragile. The environmentalists had demanded cuts of up to 50% in Europe's fishing regions where the EU head office had proposed cuts of 25%. The ministers, wary of a backlash from the industry, limited it to 18%. EU Fisheries Commissioner Joe Borg said that cod fishermen would have to cut their days in the area by 10% to protect the stocks. Overall, some three-quarters of the stocks remained over-fished. At the same time, along Europe's Atlantic and Baltic coasts, the industry is complaining that years of stringent quotas have brought them to the brink of bankruptcy. And in France, fishermen have gone on strike to protest rising fuel costs, which have cut further into their profit margins. 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". 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 jeopardized 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 decide on 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", adding that "we are not badly treated compared to some other countries". But French fishermen did not share official satisfaction: "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.