Fisheries: Policy on quotas shows benefits but more efforts are needed for 2009

On 10 November, 2008, the European Commission tabled its proposal on fishing possibilities and fishing effort for 2009 for the main stocks in the North-East Atlantic, including the North Sea. This took account of the latest scientific advice on the state of fish stocks from the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES), advice from the Commission’s own Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee on Fisheries (STECF) and input from stakeholders. Most stocks of fish continue to be overfished in 2008. This means that in order to build a healthy industry for the future, we need to fish less in the short term. The Commission's policy is to rebuild fish stocks through long-term plans for the main fish stocks. For other stocks, a gradual approach is applied, changing quotas by 15% or less each year. This provides some stability for the fishermen while maintaining movement towards more ecologically sustainable fisheries.

European Commission: MEMO/08/687: European Commission’s proposal on fishing possibilities: why and how? http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=MEMO/08/687&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en

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