In 2024, European fishing quotas will take into account threatened species, a first

2023-12-12 21:04:00

A novelty for the European fishing sector. This Tuesday, the member states of the European Union approved the 2024 fishing quotas in their waters as well as, for the first time, multi-annual quotas for certain stocks. In particular the pollack, a threatened population whose catches are significantly reduced.

After two days and a night of intense talks, the ministers responsible for fisheries stopped the ” total allowable catches » by species, which will apply from January 1, 2024 to European fishermen in the Atlantic, the North Sea, the Mediterranean and the Black Sea.

« This agreement will help maintain stocks at sustainable levels, while protecting the livelihoods of fishing fleets “, declared Spanish Minister Luis Planas, whose country holds the rotating presidency of the EU, welcoming ” a good balance ».

The 27 have adopted quotas covering not only 2024 but also 2025 or even 2026 for ten stocks (pollock, cod, etc.) in the Atlantic and the North Sea. This, following the green light from the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES), a leading scientific body.

Multi-annual quotas and consideration of threatened species

Unprecedented, these multi-annual quotas aim “ to provide fishing businesses with an increased degree of predictability “, observed Luis Planas. In the Atlantic and the North Sea, catch rates were noted for several improving stocks – hake, plaice (off the coast of Denmark), monkfish, etc. -, but sharply reduced for weakened populations: whiting in the Bay of Biscay, plaice in Iberian waters, langoustine in Portuguese waters…

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Above all, the quotas set provide for a drastic drop in pollack catches for next year, from 53% to 66% compared to 2023, depending on the area. Faced with the collapse of the population of this fish in the Channel and Celtic Sea, ICES recommended a total moratorium, a prospect which alarmed many small French fishermen, while the quotas on this species had remained unchanged this year.

Overfishing in the Western Mediterranean

The western Mediterranean, undermined by endemic overfishing far beyond scientific recommendations, has once once more been the subject of difficult negotiations, while a 2020-2025 management plan provides for drastic reductions to achieve sustainable management. The States approved a 9.5% reduction in the fishing effort of trawlers in this region, while maintaining a compensation mechanism allowing them additional fishing days. European ministers also endorsed the fishing quotas negotiated last week between the EU and the United Kingdom for their shared waters.

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The NGO Oceana welcomed “ a greater number of quotas set in accordance with scientific advice ”, but lamented that 13% of them were still above the recommended sustainable limits. In particular, she denounced “ green light for irresponsible overfishing of sensitive species such as Cattegat cod and eel, in critical danger of extinction ».

French fishermen helped

At the end of November, during a visit to the Assizes de la Mer in Nantes, the President of the Republic Emmanuel Macron announced the extension of fuel aid for French fishermen until the end of June 2024. These the latter did not fail to express their discontent, particularly in the Brittany region.

French fishermen will thus benefit from the extension of aid of 20 cents per liter of fuel – permitted within the European framework which authorizes it – until June 30, 2024, specified the Head of State. This aid, which expired on December 31 of this year, will apply up to a ceiling of 335,000 euros per company per year.


(With AFP)