Tough talking sets new fish quotas for 2010

North sea cod, haddock and whiting, fish quotas have been cut by 10 percent for 2010 after European fisheries ministers ended two days of tough talking late last night.

Final quotas for shared stocks with non-EU member Norway will not be set until January after those negotiations stalled last week. As always trying to balance sustainable fish stocks while preserving a profitable fishing industry was difficult.

“There are some promising signs for the States of European’s fisheries,” said Fisheries Commissioner, Joe Borg. “ A small but increasing number of stocks are now being fished at maximum sustainable yields. Some stocks are more stable, and there are indications that over fishing is declining. Continuing that trend will require discipline. So that we can plan properly for the long term,” said Borg.

A break through for Spain and France was the ok to reopen anchovy fishing in the bay of Biscay.
That has been banned since 2005 but now a quota has been set for six months after Spain produced evidence that stocks had recovered.

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