News
December 19, 2008
EU Ministers defy scientific advice, raise TAC’s
Acting against an ICES call for a total ban, the EU Council has allowed cod quotas for the North Sea to be raised by 30 per cent. The decision, announced on the Swedish Ministry of Agriculture website, was made as the EU Agriculture and Fisheries Ministers were gathered in Brussels to decide next year’s Total … Continued
December 18, 2008
Council to set 2009 TAC’s
Fisheries issues will dominate as the EU Agriculture and Fisheries Ministers meet in Brussels Thursday and Friday. The main item at the Council meeting will be 2009 catch quotas and permitted levels of fishing activities for the main commercial stocks in EU waters of the North-East Atlantic. Total Allowable Catches (TAC’s) and quotas for the … Continued
December 15, 2008
EU agrees on unique high-grading ban
As part of a fishing opportunities agreement with Norway, the EU has for the first time included a high-grading ban. The new agreement for the North Sea and the Skagerrak/Kattegat, which also includes next year’s catch quotas for cod, haddock, saithe, whiting, plaice, shrimp, herring and sprat, will be put into operation on Jan.1. The … Continued
December 10, 2008
Restricted daily catches for Swedish fishermen
A new proposal from the Swedish Board of Fisheries sets roofs for daily landings of cod, saithe and Norway lobster (Nephrops norvegicus) along the West Coast. The proposal also includes a ban of discards, for those three species as well as some other important catches, e.g. herring, sprat and mackerel. A single vessel would be … Continued
December 9, 2008
Former UN bigwig connects illegal fishing to decline in respect for International Law
A basic condition for dealing with the problem of global illegal fishing is to “restore respect for international law”, the former UN Under-Secretary-General and Legal Counsel said at a seminar in Stockholm. Hans Corell added that, in that sense, the situation had “totally deteriorated” over the last few years. “When big nations and Security Council … Continued
December 9, 2008
Green Paper on CFP to be expected in April
The much-awaited Green Paper on the Common Fisheries Policy will be presented next April, the EU Commission reveals in its work programme for 2009. On issues concerning the Baltic, the Commission foresees the adoption of a proposed multi-annual plan for salmon in those waters during the third quarter of 2009.
December 2, 2008
New route for controversial pipeline
Following heated protests from shipping and fisheries interests, the Nord Stream company has proposed a new route for the planned offshore gas pipeline connecting Russia and Germany. The re-directed section of the controversial 1,220 kilometre pipeline from Vyborg in the Bay of Finland to Greifswald on the Oder outlet will pass the Bornholm island south … Continued
November 28, 2008
Sweden and Denmark to launch no-fishing zone to save cod
In a ”historic” move, Sweden’s and Denmark’s Ministers for Fisheries have decided on a no-fishing zone in the Kattegat. There was no set date for the ban, but Axel Wennblad, Director General of the Swedish Board of Fisheries, said the “extremely gratifying” step would be implemented “as soon as possible”. “The plan is necessary in … Continued
November 27, 2008
Critical subsidies report summarised in English
In a highly critical report earlier in November, Sweden’s Auditor General described her government’s support to the fishing industry as “artificial breathing”. A summary of the report is now available in English, the full report to be presented in translation in late January.
November 26, 2008
EU Parliament highlights discards
Responding to the EU Commission’s latest cod recovery plan, debated in the Council earlier in November, the European Parliament chose to emphasise the issue of discards. MEPs called for all cod caught to be landed, rather than discarded, so as to enable proper scientific evaluation of stocks. They also agreed to the inclusion of the … Continued