News / EU-Norway talks get under way
CRUCIAL talks between fisheries ministers from the EU and Norway are getting under way in Ireland on Tuesday. The aim is to set fish quotas for shared stocks in the North Sea.
Scottish Fishermen’s Federation chief executive Bertie Armstrong said the industry was determined to suffer quota cuts for mackerel as a result of the still-unresolved dispute with Iceland and Faroese.
The industry also wants to make progress for cod fishermen, and hopes the quota will simply be rolled over from 2012 to 2013 after averting a threatened 20 per cent reduction in the catch entitlement at the EU fisheries talks in December.
Armstrong said: “One of our main priorities at this week’s EU-Norway fisheries negotiations is to ensure that there is a sensible allocation of mackerel and that there is no move to adjust the quota so as to pander to the grossly irresponsible over-fishing of mackerel by Iceland and the Faroes.
“It would be perverse if our fleet, which has adopted sustainable fishing practices within an international management plan, was to suffer because of the piratical actions of other nations.”
He added that cod stocks were showing encouraging signs of recovery.
“It is imperative that the status quo is maintained on the North Sea cod quota. The science clearly indicates that the cod stock is recovering, and cutting the quota would simply lead to increased discarding because of the good quantities of fish that fishermen are encountering.”
Advice based on the EU-Norway management plan also recommends increases in quota for North Sea haddock, whiting, saithe and herring.
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