The European Commission has adopted a proposal on fishing opportunities in 2019 for the commercially most important fish stocks in the Black Sea. The catch limit and quota for the two species, sprat and turbot, are shared between Bulgaria and Romania.
The first steps on an initiative to improve trade opportunities for Scottish seafood in the United States are being made today as representatives of catching and processing sectors join their counterparts from the salmon industry at a special roundtable meeting convened by US ambassador to the UK.
UK fishermen’s federations have welcomed the presentation of the Fisheries Bill to Parliament. Secretary of State for the Environment Michael Gove has stated that this will, for the first time since 1973, enable the UK to regenerate coastal communities.
In response to requests from its members for clarification on the situation, Dutch fishermen’s organisation de Nederlandse Vissersbond is telling members to prepare for a No Deal Brexit, which it warns could have disastrous consequences.
The EU and The Republic of The Gambia have signed a new Sustainable Fishing Partnership Agreement (SFPA) protocol, 22 years after the previous protocol expired. Both parties welcome the start of a new co-operation period in the fisheries sector.
ICES has advised an increase in the Atlanto-Scandian herring quota that is 53% up on last year’s 384,197 tonne recommendation, taking the 2019 advice to 588,562 tonnes.
Russia and Norway have between them decided on a 725,000 tonne quota for north-eastern Arctic cod for 2019. The quota is divided between Russia, Norway and third countries with fishing rights in the region.
The EU and Cape Verde have agreed to renew the current Sustainable Fishing Partnership Agreement (SFPA) protocol, which expires at the end of the year. The outcome of the negotiations is seen as a balanced deal, profitable to both parties.
European POs see challenging times ahead, as was made clear at the AGM of the European Association of Fish Producers Organisations (EAPO), held last week at Sopot in Poland and hosted by the organisation’s Polish membership.
Representatives of the NFFO and the Scottish Fishermen’s Federations recently joined forces for a lobby day in Parliament, ahead of key decisions on the UK’s withdrawal from the EU, and therefore the CFP, lobbying to underscore the importance of the decisions due to be taken for the UK fishing industry at national and local levels.