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The EU countries have reached an agreement on fishing in the Baltic Sea on Tuesday, where there will still be room to fish pressured stocks despite warnings from biological advice and the EU Commission.
Minister for Food, Agriculture and Fisheries Jacob Jensen (V) acknowledges that the environmental condition “is under pressure.” At the same time, he is pleased that quotas for some of the vulnerable species have been maintained.
– I am glad that we, as the presidency country, have managed to reach a compromise with broad support among the member states, says Jacob Jensen in a press release.
The Danish Minister of Fisheries has led the negotiations in the EU under the Danish EU presidency.
The EU Commission had proposed a significant reduction for, among others, cod and herring based on scientific advice.
Despite the advice, the countries have decided to maintain fishing for herring and cod with bycatch quotas at the same level as this year in the western Baltic Sea.
Fishing for herring with real quotas – not bycatch – has been maintained in three other areas of the Baltic Sea.
At the same time, the quota for sprat increases by 41 percent. Sprat is a herring fish mainly used to produce fishmeal and fish oil. It is also sold as boneless herring.
The quota for plaice is reduced by three percent. Here, the countries have chosen to follow the advice of biologists and the EU Commission.
– For me, the compromise reflects the right balances, where we enable fishing for the species and in the quantities that the advice allows. But at the same time, we take care of the fish stocks that are under great pressure, says Jacob Jensen.
It has been decided to maintain the ban on recreational cod fishing, and fishing for cod is completely closed during the fish’s spawning period throughout the Baltic Sea.