According to the environmental NGO Oceana, more than one-third of the quota received exceeds the maximum limit recommended by scientists.

The 27-year-old on Tuesday approved fishing quotas in the EU for 2022, which have been widely criticized by environmental NGOs despite further declines in the Mediterranean Sea, while tough negotiations continue with London for a quota on water shared with the British.

After an overnight final discussion in Brussels, the ministers responsible for fisheries received “total permissible catches” of species applicable to European fishermen in the Atlantic, North Sea, Mediterranean and Black Sea from 1 January.

We want to ensure that fishing communities are able to survive with profitable economic conditions and that resources are exploited in a sustainable (…) way, “said Slovenian Minister Jose Podgorzek, who chaired the meeting.

A terrible condition for beaks and shrimp

The encirclement of the western Mediterranean by overfishing has once again been the subject of difficult debate. As part of a management plan adopted in 2019, it plans to reduce fishing efforts by up to 40% between 2020 and 2025 to achieve sustainable management of stocks.

After a 10% decline in 2020 and a further 7.5% in 2021, the Commission recommended an additional 7.5% in troll fishing efforts in 2022. Countries with tolerance for selected catches eventually accepted a 6% reduction.

“The situation for hake and shrimp remains critical (…). Failure to take action now could lead to the collapse of stocks and dramatic losses for fishermen over the next two years,” recalled European Commissioner Virginius Cinkevius.

36% drop in single catches

Spanish Minister Louis Planes lamented the lack of strong scientific studies on the impact of the measures already taken in the first two years of the Management Plan and their economic and social implications.

For the Bay of Biscay, ministers blocked a 36% drop in Seoul’s catches, whose stocks are considered risky: offsetting “significant efforts” with an “extraordinary support scheme” funded by European funds, the French minister said. Annie Girardin.

The quotas for the western part of Ireland were renewed, reducing the southern hawk by 8% in the Biscay Bay and Portuguese waters. The code maintains a fishing ban by cutting the 21% quota for accidental fishing in the Scandinavian Gulf.

NGO

According to environmental NGO Oceana, one-third of the quota received exceeds the maximum recommended level by scientists: “Fishing will continue from the South Atlantic, off the Iberian Atlantic coast or from the Red Mullet in the western Mediterranean,” she believes.

“Pretending to be socio-economic needs does not mean that stocks are protecting the interests of fishermen,” added Andrea Ripoll, who is at risk.

On the other hand, negotiations are underway with London to ratify the 2022 quotas on shared water between the European Union and the United Kingdom by the end of December. As a precaution, Europeans have approved an “emergency measure to extend the 2021 quota to three months (January-March).”

Something that frightened Jenny Grossman of ClientEarth: “This means that the fate of shared stocks, such as the Code in the Celtic Sea or Scottish waters, remains in suspense, while scientists say they should be stopped altogether.”

Ax