According to the European Commission it has adopted a proposal ( ~ 36 Kb) for a Council regulation to adapt the cod fishing quotas allocated to Poland in the eastern Baltic over the period 2008-2011. The Commission has taken the step after thorough analysis of an official catch report. Based on that report the Polish quota for eastern Baltic cod in 2007 was exceeded by 8000 tonnes.
The Commission informed that the main aims for this overshoot were a deficient control and enforcement scheme and a fleet whose capacity to catch cod is disproportionate with the available fishing opportunities. The Commision said that the payback be staggered over four years from 2008 to 2011 considering the Polish authorities commitment to remedying this situation and the severe socio-economic consequences which would be suffered by the Polish fishing fleet if it were required to pay back the entire overshoot in a single year.
However, the step taken by the Commission is conditional on Poland taking adequate action to improve control and enforcement in this fishery and to reduce fleet overcapacity. The Commission said that the progress towards these goals will be subject to annual review. As per Commission proposal Poland will pay back 10 percent of the amount overfished in 2008, and a further 30% in each of the years 2009, 2010 and 2011.
It is no denying fact that the eastern Baltic cod stock has been in a seriously depleted state for many years, and the fishery is plagued by problems of non-compliance with catch limits and under-declaration of landings. Based on that a multi-annual management plan for Baltic cod came into force on 1 January 2008, with the aims of restoring both the eastern and western stocks to full health. The main purpose of this plan is to improve control and compliance and look after this Community Fisheries Control Agency (CFCA) has been established.
