The main outcomes of the Council are as follows:
For areas outside the North Sea, a reduction in fishing mortality of 25% for 2009 with lesser reduction in 2010 and 2011 has been agreed. This reduction in fishing mortality will impact on both TACs and days at sea but in significantly different ways. Importantly, this reduction will be accompanied by a facility through which member states can “buy back” days at sea for its fleets through various cod avoidance measures. The UK’s aim is to design a UK cod avoidance plan that will buy back almost as much of the 25% reduction as possible. In principle the full 25% reduction could be bought back.
The TAC for the North Sea will be agreed within the context of the EU/Norway negotiations but it can be taken as read that the 25% reduction will apply to days at sea for the 100mm+ and 70mm to 99mm gear categories. The start that the NFFO has made on cod avoidance plans and the real time closures applied in 2008 will be central to the UK Cod Avoidance Plan that will be submitted to the Commission by 1st March to buy back days in 2009.
The Celtic Sea has been excluded from the cod recovery zone and therefore the cod recovery plan – including effort control and the TAC setting mechanism. This very welcome decision has bought a breathing space to design and implement alternative measures to supplement the Trevose Closure. It will be important for us to demonstrate that mortality, effort and biomass trends are continuing to move in the right direction if we are to secure the Celtic Seas’ permanent exclusion from the Cod Recovery Zone.
The “French line” to the west of Scotland has been moved west to cover areas in which there are significant catches of cod.
The Regulation confirmed the move to a system of KW days in which member states are allocated a number of KW days per gear category to manage in the way that they see fit. The UK days for 2008 will be based on the reference period 2004 to 2006, which suits the UK better than the other reference periods on offer. Nevertheless almost the whole headroom that the UK enjoyed in 2008 will evaporate. This means that any reductions in days will be applied to the current level of usage. Those member states who wish to use a 2005 to 2007 were free to do so to establish their effort baselines.
A clause in the Regulation allows vessels on trips with a catch to be allocated additional effort by the member state.
A clause allows the Regulation to be revisited if the level of effort allocation causes difficulties in uptake of quota by member states
The Trevose and Irish Sea closures and technical measures in the Irish Sea are maintained by the Regulation
The Eastern Channel is part of the cod recovery zone for both effort and TAC setting purposes.
Discards are in future factored in to the process of setting TACs on the basis of STECF forecasts
The fishing mortality target for all cod fisheries under the plan except the North Sea was set at F0.4. More ambitious targets in earlier drafts were dropped. The North Sea target is set in relation to the EU Norway agreed management plan. Once these targets have been reached the Council will decide an appropriate exploitation rate consistent with maximum sustainable yield.
Member states may modify their effort allocations by transferring fishing effort and capacity between geographical areas subject to various constraints.
