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At 3.40 negotiations in Luxembourg concluded between EU ministers, who agreed to a compromise package on the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) by a qualified majority. The details of the agreement have yet to be published, but the Council agreement allows for 15% of the funds member states can access through the EMFF to be used for fleet restructuring until 2017. Significant increased funding for aquaculture has also been put forward, along with measures to improve control, data collection, selectivity and move toward low impact fishing techniques.

The agreed total allowable catches (TACs) for next year were broadly in line with proposals made by the Commission. At least three stocks will be managed at Fmsy next year, however, five of the ten agreed quotas exceeded scientific recommendations. For main basin salmon the quota will be more than double that suggested by ICES..The Council also moved away from the long-term management plan (LTMP) for western Baltic cod, cutting the TAC further than they were obliged, although well short of the maximum sustainable yield (MSY) transition target.

Last week the SARFISH briefing was distributed to EU fisheries decision makers, including some final recommendations for the possible agreement on the proposed European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) (COM(2011)804) and on the proposal for the 2013 fishing opportunities in the Baltic Sea (COM(2013)548) has been sent to the EU Fisheries Ministers and their advisors.

Under the Cypriot Presidency of the EU, the Council has agreed to the “Limassol Declaration” – purportedly to lay the foundations for a maritime agenda for growth and jobs, with a focus on the blue economy.

The Baltic Sea Regional Advisory Council (BS RAC) held a seminar on ecosystem based management (EBM) in Gdynia, Poland, at which a series of experts reflected on the integration of science and policy, to form the basis for improved implementation of EBM within the Baltic.

On 26-27 September, The Fisheries Secretariat (FISH) held a conference in Gdynia, Poland, looking at what further actions are needed in order to minimise the environmental impacts caused by fishing in the Baltic Sea. Solutions were discussed between stakeholders to facilitate the transition to low impact fishing, to pave the way for the Baltic to become a model region for low impact fishing practices.

A recent study published in Ocean and Coastal management reveals that on average the European fishing fleet catches up to 3.5 times more deep sea fish than the allocated quotas. In some between ten and twenty-eight times more fish is caught than what is allocated by the quotas. Deep Sea species, such as orange roughy, are often slow growing and long lived and are therefore very sensitive to overfishing.

The Baltic Sea provides a number of ecosystem services to the inhabitants of the region. Hitherto, economic models have tended not to place economic values on them though. BalticSTERN work to integrate these values as well as public opinion into their analyses. With regard to fisheries, their research indicates that low fishing mortalities will generate the highest long-term profitability as well as being best for the long-term resilience of the ecosystem.

A recent study, led by Christopher Costello, has attempted to provide insight into the status of “unassessed” fisheries from across the globe. By compiling the available data for such stocks, which comprise 80% of the world’s fisheries, the paper underlines the precarious state of the world’s fisheries and the benefits of rebuilding fish populations.

The Rodust (S&D, DE) report on the proposed basic regulation on the CFP – a fundamental part of the reform – has attracted over 2,500 amendments. It was up for vote in the Fisheries Committee on 9 October, but this has now been delayed until 28 November. In turn, the mid-November Plenary vote will also be postponed.