Image copyright Getty ImagesThe cod which can be legally caught by the UK’s fishermen will be halved next year.
Talks on fishing quotas for 2020 concluded in Brussels early on Wednesday.
Representatives of Scottish trawlermen had agreed to a 50% reduction in the cod catch in an effort to preserve stocks prior to the talks.
The UK government said that in order to protect the future of the industry it had to fish sustainably.
Mike Park of the Scottish White Fish Producers Association said the next year would be “extremely challenging”.
Speaking on the BBC’s Good Morning Scotland programme, he said: “It’s a stock that’s quite prolific in the northern North Sea.
“There’s been significant changes over the whole of the North Sea but essentially next year that will cause the fleet problems which is now our focus to try and resolve that.”
No representation
Britain is preparing to leave the Common Fisheries Policy regime as a result of Brexit.
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Mr Park said he had hoped the European Commission would have allowed a more gradual reduction in the total allowable catch.
He added: “In the next year, as the UK prepares to leave the Common Fisheries Policy, it is vital that the right scientific work is done to improve our understanding of the current status of the stock to enable better decisions to be taken on fishing opportunities for 2021.”
Image copyright Getty Images
Scottish Fishermen’s Federation chief executive Elspeth Macdonald added: “Because the UK did not have its own seat in those negotiations, it was very hard to make the case for our industry.
“When the UK leaves the EU and becomes an independent coastal state, we will take our rightful place at the table and be able to negotiate in our own right.”
Brexit deal
Speaking after the talks concluded, UK fisheries minister George Eustice said: “This year there has been some very challenging science for cod stocks in many parts of the North East Atlantic and we have responded to conserve stocks.
“I know that some of the quota reductions will be very difficult for some sectors of the industry and there has been considerable debate this year about the importance of bycatch allowances to support the delivery of the discard ban.
“However, we also know that to protect the profitability of fisheries in the future, we must fish sustainably today.”
Last year, the UK government set out its plans for the future of fishing after Brexit.
It said devolved nations would have a say in setting annual quotas for third countries, but the environment secretary’s decision was final.
It intends to move to a system of quota management which it believes will guarantee a fairer share of the fish in UK waters for UK registered boats.
The rules of the EU’s Common Fisheries Policy will continue to apply until December 2020.
Mr Eustice claimed some of the challenges faced by the UK fishing industry are a result of EU rules.
“Some of the problems have been exacerbated by the fact that the EU’s outdated method for sharing quota between member states means that the UK gets a very small share of the cod in our own waters,” he said.
Original Article : HERE ;
from MetNews https://metnews.pw/fishing-quotas-will-see-cod-landings-cut-by-half/
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