A meeting of North-East Atlantic coastal states held in London to discuss management of pelagic stocks only got as far as talking about blue whiting, coming to a close before other stocks could be put on the agenda.
The proposal put forward by the European Union that would have given the EU and the Faroe Islands the largest share of the blue whiting fishery was more than Norwegian negotiators in particular could stomach. Under the EU proposal, the Norwegian share would have fallen from 26.2% to just 5.8%.
A furious Audun Maråk, director of Norwegian vessel operators’ federation Fiskebåt, has accused the European Union of ‘sabotaging progress in the negotiations by provoking and creating expectations that are not rooted in reality.’
‘The EU’s frivolous and factually unfounded proposal for the distribution of the blue whiting quota is a step backwards in terms of reaching an agreement, not only for blue whiting, but also for mackerel and Atlanto-Scandian herring. This could also have consequences for future fisheries cooperation between Norway and the EU,’ he stated.
The outcome is that it seems any agreemen ton blue whiting is further off than ever from being reached, after a decade of disagreement under which coastal states have set their own quotas based on what they believe is the share they deserve. This has resulted in catch levels that have consistently exceeded scientific advice for blue whiting, mackeral and Atlanto-Scandian herring.
