BELGIUM: EUROPE'S FISHERIES CHIEF HAS UNVEILED A LONG-TERM PLAN TO REBUILD COD STOCKS

Record ID: 646797

  • Title: BELGIUM: EUROPE'S FISHERIES CHIEF HAS UNVEILED A LONG-TERM PLAN TO REBUILD COD STOCKS
  • Date: 6th May 2003
  • Summary: (W5) NORTH SEA (RECENT)(EUROPEAN COMMISSION VNR - ACCESS ALL) 1. CU/SV/SLV OF FISHERMAN LANDING CATCH ON BOAT (12 SHOTS) 0.27 (W5) BRUSSELS, BELGIUM (MAY 6 2003)(REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 2. CU EXTERIORS OF THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION (2 SHOTS) 0.33 3. PAN NEWS CONFERENCE GIVEN BY FARM COMMISSIONER FRANZ FISCHLER 0.42 4. MCU (German) FISCHLER SAYING: "We want to guarantee the future of our fishermen by establishing the basis for their existence -- that is to say, stocks, and to allow for their recovery. Short-term drastic measures necessary for certain stocks will sadly mean social hardship for a number of fishermen -- I fully appreciate that, but the alternative is not simply to abandon stock recovery efforts but the hardship cases are helped. Here, member states obviously need to assumeresponsibility for their own social policies and assist fishermen and their families. We in the Community, of course, can co-finance such measures and all I can do is appeal to member states that they live up to their responsibility and make more funds available for such initiatives in their structural programmes." 1.55 (W5) NORTH SEA (RECENT)(EUROPEAN COMMISSION VNR - ACCESS ALL) 5. SLV/LV BOATS AT PORT AND SEA (6 SHOTS) 2.18 (W5) BRUSSELS, BELGIUM (MAY 6, 2003)(REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 6. PAN/SV FISCHLER NEWS CONFERENCE/JOURNALISTS (2 SHOTS) 2.36 7. MCU (English) FISCHLER SAYING: "The quotas remain. There's no change in the quota fixingt this stage, because first, it is necessary that we can agree on this multi-annual recovery plan and only then we are only able to decide what the quota for the future should be." 2.58 (W5) NORTH SEA (RECENT)(EUROPEAN COMMISSION VNR - ACCESS ALL) 8. CU/SV FISH ON SALE AT AN UNIDENTIFIED NORTH SEA PORT (6 SHOTS) 3.08 9. SV/LV OF FISHERMEN AT PORT (2 SHOTS) 3.12 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 21st May 2003 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: BRUSSELS, BELGIUM
  • Country: Belgium
  • Reuters ID: LVA199JHAL1LK8AZ0M7GJRXHMWAL
  • Story Text: Europe's fisheries chief has unveiled a long-term plan
    to rebuild cod stocks floundering at record lows after years
    of over exploitation, by curbing quotas and limiting days that
    trawlers may spend at sea.



    The plan announced on Tuesday (May 6) would apply for
    five to 10 years as a key part of the EU executives strategy
    to reverse cod plundering, and aims for a 30 per cent rise in
    stocks every year.

    At present, more fish are taken from stocks than replaced
    by reproduction.

    "For the first time, we're going to have long-term
    tailormade plans for threatened species", said EU Fisheries
    Commissioner Franz Fischler.

    "We want to guarantee the future for fishermen by
    guaranteeing the reason for their existence: that is, stocks.

    This plan opens a new era in our fishing policy," he told a
    news conference.

    "It allows nature to let the cod population recover. Given
    the catastrophic situation in the North Sea, we are not
    talking about months, but years," he added.

    Europe's worst-hit areas are the North Sea, western
    Scotland and Irish Sea where scientists say stocks of cod, a
    culinary staple in several European countries, are at their
    lowest ever.

    Last year, they called for a total ban on cod fishing -- a
    drastic measure that the European Commission avoided in order
    to minimise the social and economic impact on coastal
    communities.

    If approved by EU ministers later this month, the plan
    would combine sharp cuts in the overall cod catches assigned
    annually to each EU member state with separate allocations of
    amounts of time that vessels may spend at sea, depending on
    engine power.

    This calculation would give allocations of kilowatt-days
    which governments would then distribute among their vessels.

    In the next few weeks, the Commission will issue similar stock
    recovery plans for hake, sole, haddock and Norway lobster.

    The idea of tying up large numbers of boats for weeks on
    end has raised the hackles of countries such as Spain and
    France, which are home to the EUs largest and second largest fleets.

    In December, ministers agreed to phase out public aid for
    building new vessels from the end of 2004.

    While subsidies would still continue until then, they would be
    conditional on member states cutting back more ships than are added
    to the fleet.



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