Press Release: Fisheries: European Commissioner Fischler ‘alarmed’ by failure to reduce anarchic catches of blue whiting

The European Commission has again warned in February 2002 of the serious danger posed to blue whiting in the North East Atlantic by the fact that the coastal states concerned have failed to agree reductions to their catches. The Commission believes this failure is due to the excessive and unrealistic demands of other parties, based on catches which have tripled from 1998 to 2001, despite repeated warnings by scientists. In line with the scientific advice, the EU has kept catches under its responsibility stable (see graph in annex). As a first step towards a recovery plan recommended by ICES (International Council for the Exploration of the Sea), the EU has decided to reduce its catches by 35%.