As TACs most of the stocks are under management of EU waters, and some of the most threatened stocks, the Council meeting in December may be a decisive moment. It could be a tug-of-war over sustainable fisheries between Commissioner Maria Damanaki and some dominant fishing powers that have slowly been building up this autumn.
When the Commission presented its proposal on the 2011 TACs (Total Allowable Catches) in the Atlantic, the North Sea, and international waters, it noted that for some 72 percent of assessed stocks, overfishing is so serious that, to put it simply, more fish would be caught if there was less fishing, and only some 40 percent of assessed stocks are known to be fished sustainably.
According to the Commission there is concern about the conservation of cod, with stocks in the Kattegat, the Irish Sea and the west of Scotland “showing no signs of recovery”. The Commission also expressed grave concerns for the state of the North Sea cod, which is managed jointly by the EU and Norway. The Commission proposed quota increases for six stocks, quota decreases for 64 stocks and an unchanged quota for 23 stocks. The changes would amount to a reduction in quotas of 89,400 tonnes, or an overall 10 percent.
At the December meeting, the opposition will be joined by Great Britain, whose government has been under strong pressure from sector interests in Scotland who claim that the proposed decreases in TACs for cod would be a “devastating blow for an industry already struggling for survival”.
