MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

EC announces 2011 TAC with fishing cuts proposals for 64 species

Maria Damanaki, Commissioner of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries of the European Union

The European Commission (EC) has proposed fishing cuts for 64 species after having announced the new total allowable catch (TAC) for 2011 and fishing effort levels in the Atlantic Ocean, the North Sea and international waters regulated by regional fisheries management organizations.

The EC stressed that this new proposal is based on scientific reports regarding the amount of different species that can be caught in a sustainable manner, with the goal of a maximum sustainable yield (MSY) by 2015.

“We must not lose sight of the basic facts. The amount of fish in the sea is limited and the amount of fish that can be caught each year without putting the future of the stocks at risk is limited too. Each year we ask scientists to tell us what those limits are. The Commission is basing its proposal on that advice,” said Maria Damanaki, Commissioner of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries of the European Union (EU).

“I regret to say there will be disappointing news on some quota levels, but past experience has shown that those who think they can negotiate with nature will not have a long future in fishing,” she added.

According to experts at the Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee of Fisheries (STECF), many fish stocks in EU waters are in a poor state.

Within the scientific advice outlined by the Committee for 2011, approximately 72 per cent of the evaluated populations are over fished to such a severe extent that catching more fish would achieve less catches.

“Only 40 per cent of the evaluated populations are fished sustainably,” said the EC.

However, the EU commissioner said there had been some improvement over 2009, when those figures were 86 per cent and 31 per cent respectively.

The EC is particularly concerned about the conservation status of cod, for which there has been a management plan in effect since 2004; however resource stocks in Kattegat, the Irish Sea and west Scotland show no sign of recovery.

Therefore, Brussels proposed a reduction in TAC of 50 per cent and a revision of the management plan, with the help of the Member States.

Overall, the EC recommended for 2011 decreases for 64 species and fee increases for 6 stocks, and will not adjust catch quotas for 23 populations. These changes would mean an overall reduction of 89,400 tons in shares, ie 10 per cent. (FIS).-