Mackeral shoals have moved much further west
Nov 12, 2009 12:01:27 GMT -1
Post by SEAJUNKY on Nov 12, 2009 12:01:27 GMT -1
For some reason the mackeral shoals have moved much further west this year, taking them out of the legal reach of the Norwegian boats
www.europeanvoice.com/article/imported/mackerel-migration-causes-row/66386.aspx
FISHERIES Quotas
Mackerel migration causes row
By Jennifer Rankin
12.11.2009 / 05:17 CET
EU and Norway at odds over fishing quotas.
The migration of mackerel in the North Sea is causing tension between the European Union and Norway over fishing rights.
Negotiations between the EU and Norway over fishing quotas are to begin next week (20 November) and officials from both sides are preparing for the most difficult discussions for several years. The purpose of the talks is to set catch-quotas for cod, haddock, plaice, herring and other species that swim in their shared sea, but the row over mackerel is likely to frustrate an early deal.
If we do not have an agreement before Christmas, it means that we cannot fish in each other's waters
Agreement
Norway accuses the EU of breaking a 1994 agreement that allows Norwegian boats to catch mackerel in EU waters. When Norway tried to take advantage of this rule for the first time in 2009, after large numbers of mackerel had migrated, the EU refused the boats permission, according to Ann-Kristin Westberg, Norway's chief negotiator.
“This is a very serious breach of the agreement and obviously that will overshadow this year's negotiations,” said Westberg. “The EU does not usually break agreements. This is unusual.”
The European Commission does not agree that it has breached the agreement and believes that Norway is trying to muscle into its part of the sea.
A Commission spokeswoman said: “There are divergent views on the interpretation of the relevant arrangements in the EU-Norway agreement.”
Officials start their first round of negotiations in Bergen next week, with a second round scheduled for 4 December.
Westberg said she did not know if the two sides would be able to reach an agreement by this deadline. She said: “If we do not have an agreement before Christmas, it means that we cannot fish in each other's waters.”
Last year Norway and the EU set a quota of 64,000 tonnes of mackerel, with a 65%-35% split.
Another problem for Norway is ‘discarded' fish that are thrown back into the sea dead or dying because they have little economic value or cannot be caught. Norway banned discards two decades ago, but remains concerned that the EU has not taken enough action, despite its promise to reduce discards last year. “Discards have been very high on the EU side,” Westberg said.
Joe Borg, the European commissioner for fisheries and maritime affairs, will brief EU fisheries ministers on the negotiations next week in Brussels (19 November).
Dead birds
Borg will also raise the problem of birds killed by EU's fishing fleets. Campaigners estimate that 200,000 birds are killed every year, either entangled in nets and cables, or feeding on baited long-line hooks. Species at risk include albatrosses and shearwaters.
Agriculture ministers are to meet on Friday (20 November) to discuss simplifying the Common Agricultural Policy and the future of the EU's rural development policy.
www.europeanvoice.com/article/imported/mackerel-migration-causes-row/66386.aspx
FISHERIES Quotas
Mackerel migration causes row
By Jennifer Rankin
12.11.2009 / 05:17 CET
EU and Norway at odds over fishing quotas.
The migration of mackerel in the North Sea is causing tension between the European Union and Norway over fishing rights.
Negotiations between the EU and Norway over fishing quotas are to begin next week (20 November) and officials from both sides are preparing for the most difficult discussions for several years. The purpose of the talks is to set catch-quotas for cod, haddock, plaice, herring and other species that swim in their shared sea, but the row over mackerel is likely to frustrate an early deal.
If we do not have an agreement before Christmas, it means that we cannot fish in each other's waters
Agreement
Norway accuses the EU of breaking a 1994 agreement that allows Norwegian boats to catch mackerel in EU waters. When Norway tried to take advantage of this rule for the first time in 2009, after large numbers of mackerel had migrated, the EU refused the boats permission, according to Ann-Kristin Westberg, Norway's chief negotiator.
“This is a very serious breach of the agreement and obviously that will overshadow this year's negotiations,” said Westberg. “The EU does not usually break agreements. This is unusual.”
The European Commission does not agree that it has breached the agreement and believes that Norway is trying to muscle into its part of the sea.
A Commission spokeswoman said: “There are divergent views on the interpretation of the relevant arrangements in the EU-Norway agreement.”
Officials start their first round of negotiations in Bergen next week, with a second round scheduled for 4 December.
Westberg said she did not know if the two sides would be able to reach an agreement by this deadline. She said: “If we do not have an agreement before Christmas, it means that we cannot fish in each other's waters.”
Last year Norway and the EU set a quota of 64,000 tonnes of mackerel, with a 65%-35% split.
Another problem for Norway is ‘discarded' fish that are thrown back into the sea dead or dying because they have little economic value or cannot be caught. Norway banned discards two decades ago, but remains concerned that the EU has not taken enough action, despite its promise to reduce discards last year. “Discards have been very high on the EU side,” Westberg said.
Joe Borg, the European commissioner for fisheries and maritime affairs, will brief EU fisheries ministers on the negotiations next week in Brussels (19 November).
Dead birds
Borg will also raise the problem of birds killed by EU's fishing fleets. Campaigners estimate that 200,000 birds are killed every year, either entangled in nets and cables, or feeding on baited long-line hooks. Species at risk include albatrosses and shearwaters.
Agriculture ministers are to meet on Friday (20 November) to discuss simplifying the Common Agricultural Policy and the future of the EU's rural development policy.