European Union fisheries ministers have agreed to slash the North Sea cod quota by nearly half for 2001. They have also announced a 10 per cent reduction in quotas for many other species.
鈥淭hese are the most drastic cuts we鈥檝e had since quotas were introduced,鈥� EU Farm and Fisheries Commissioner Franz Fischler said.
The announcement came early on Friday morning after more than 12 hours of talks.
Advertisement
But the revised quotas may have come to late for the North Sea cod, says John Shepherd of Southampton University. 鈥淐od have been fished out and we鈥檙e grinding along at rock bottom,鈥� he told 快猫短视频. 鈥淐utting the quota in itself won鈥檛 achieve much.鈥�
Shepherd says: 鈥淎round Newfoundland, there has been a moratorium on cod fishing for more than ten years and that stock has not come back. In the long term, the prospects for the cod industry are not good.鈥�
Representatives of the British fishing industry have warned that the cuts will devastate fishing communities.
The ministers approved cuts for several fish species in other areas, such as the Bay of Biscay.
But 鈥渃od is the real horror story鈥�, says Shepherd. Last year, fishermen managed to catch only 60 per cent of their quota. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 very bad news. It means the fish are just not there to be found.鈥�
Fisherman will be allowed to catch only 48,000 tonnes of cod next year, down from 80,000 tonnes.
Shepherd agrees that the cut is 鈥渁bout right鈥�.
鈥淭he problem is that it鈥檚 very difficult to avoid catching cod if you鈥檙e going to catch anything else. Cod are often caught unintentionally. If you set the quota too low, fishermen will have to throw dead cod back into the sea.鈥�
Fishing for several fish species, such as haddock, involves unintentional cod catches. Earlier this month, the European Commission proposed cuts of 20 per cent in quotas for these species. But the ministers agreed a cut of only 10 per cent.
Shepherd thinks much tougher action will have to be taken if North Sea cod stocks are ever to recover. 鈥淚 think the EC will have to try stopping fishing altogether in certain areas 鈥� where there are large numbers of young cod, for example.鈥�
Peter Hooley of the British Ministry of Agriculture Fisheries and Food thinks it is possible that this will happen. 鈥淭he North Sea situation is very serious,鈥� he told 快猫短视频. 鈥淭emporary closure of certain areas might be part of the solution. And there have been some calls for the decommissioning of boats.鈥�
Hooley admits this would not be popular but says the current size and sophistication of the fishing fleet would quickly deplete even the high stock levels of many years ago.