Press Release: Joe Borg welcomes “balanced Council agreement on fish quotas for 2007 in the Baltic Sea”

European Commissioner for Fisheries and Maritime Affairs, Joe Borg, has welcomed the adoption by the Fisheries Council, on 24 October 2006, of the fishing possibilities and related measures for 2007 in the Baltic Sea. The deal reached by Fisheries Ministers involves reductions in both the number of days spent at sea and fishing possibilities in all Baltic cod fisheries as well as strengthened control measures. Fishing days will be further reduced by 10%. The cuts in cod quotas have been set as an incentive for the rapid adoption of a long-term cod recovery plan. Thus, the cod quotas will be reduced by 10% and 6% subject to an agreement on the setting up of the cod recovery plan by 30 June 2007. If such agreement is not reached by that date, the reductions will automatically increase to 15% for the two stocks concerned. Sprat has been increased by 8% while catch possibilities on herring remain more or less the same. There is a 5% reduction in the number of salmon that can be caught (see IP/06/1147). The package of measures adopted will provide the necessary provisions and incentives to rebuild Baltic cod and to protect healthy fish stocks.