1 Fisheries: opportunities
for deep-sea species for 2005 and 2006
| (26191)
15390/04
COM(04) 746
| Draft Council Regulation fixing for 2005 and 2006 the fishing opportunities for Community fishing vessels for certain deep-sea stocks, amending Regulation (EC) No. 2347/2002
|
| Legal base | Article 37EC; QMV
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| Department | Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
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| Basis of consideration | Minister's letters of 18 January, 9 February and 28 February 2005
|
| Previous Committee Report | HC 38-iv (2004-05), para 1 (19 January 2005)
|
| Discussed in Council | 21-22 December 2004
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| Committee's assessment | Politically important
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| Committee's decision | For debate in European Standing Committee A (decision reported on 19 January 2005)
|
Background
1.1 On 19 January 2005, we reported to the House on the proposals
which the Commission had put forward setting the total allowable
catches (TACs) and quotas available under the Common Fisheries
Policy (CFP) to Community vessels fishing for so-called deep-water
species in 2005 and 2006, drawing particular attention in Annex
1.1 of our Report to the likely impact on the main species caught
by UK fishermen. Although we recognised that the quantities of
fish involved might not, in absolute terms, be that great, we
felt that there were a number of disquieting features about the
proposal, notably the Government's suggestion that any reduction
now in the effort deployed on these deep-water species could well
be diverted to other, more conventional species, some of which
are themselves under pressure, and the possibility that the arrangements
proposed for certain species, involving combined management for
the North Sea and the West of Scotland, might result in some Member
States obtaining a quota entitlement in the North Sea for the
first time. We therefore recommended that these proposals should
be debated in European Standing Committee A, together with the
proposals dealing with catch quotas and effort limitation for
2005.[1] We also pointed
out that such a debate was now likely to concentrate, not so much
on the original Commission proposal, as on the outcome of the
Council on 21-22 December 2004, on which we were awaiting further
information from the Government.
1.2 We subsequently received a letter of 18 January
from the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
(Mrs Margaret Beckett), which simply said that the Council had
reached agreement on cuts in fishing effort and quotas on these
stocks, but which made no detailed attempt to identify these.
We therefore asked her to provide further information, particularly
on those species of main interest to the UK.
Minister's letter of 9 February 2005
1.3 We subsequently received a letter of 9 February
2005 from the Minister for Nature Conservation and Fisheries at
the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Mr Ben
Bradshaw), saying that, in formulating its proposals, the Commission
had been keen to adhere to the precautionary approach, and that
it also wanted to apply TACs and quotas to new deep-sea stocks.
The Minister added that the relevant advice from the International
Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) had recommended
a reduction in the overall level of exploitation, but had not
specified the level of cut required, other than to indicate that
it should be larger, rather than smaller. Consistently with this
advice, ICES had recommended an immediate reduction in established
deep-sea fisheries, unless they could be shown to be sustainable.
1.4 The Minister also said that, although he would
have preferred greater restrictions in effort rather than the
continuation of TACs, he considered that the reductions made would
go some way towards the sustainable management of these fisheries.
He also suggested that more information was needed on these species,
and said that a considerable amount of work had been done in the
North East Atlantic Fisheries Commission (NEAFC) to establish
a wide-ranging data collection system and hence a reliable and
detailed database.
1.5 Whilst noting these points, we observed that,
in the tables he had enclosed setting out the outcome of the Council,
the Minister had provided conflicting information in the case
of a number of the deep-sea stocks, We therefore asked for an
explanation of these apparent inconsistencies, and for an indication
in each case of the correct figure.
Minister's letter of 28 February 2005
1.6 We have now received a letter of 28 February
2005 from the Minister in which he says:
"Finally, you sought clarification on the level
of TACs for greater silver smelt in western waters, ling in the
North Sea, ling in western waters and Greenland halibut in the
North Sea and western waters. These are not discrepancies. When
the Commission published its original proposal on 2005 and 2006
TACs for deep water species, the draft regulation included greater
silver smelt, ling and Greenland halibut. However, in the course
of the negotiations the Commission agreed to transfer these species
to the main TACs and quotas regulation based on Member States'
arguments that they were not true deep water species. Hence, the
table I sent you showing the TACs and quotas for deep sea species
showed the final outcome for these three species as zero in the
context of the deep sea species proposal. The figures that you
quoted in your letter (5,310 tonnes for greater silver smelt in
western waters, 3,966 tonnes for ling in the North Sea, 14,966
tonnes of ling in western waters and 1,042 tonnes of Greenland
halibut in the North Sea and Western waters)."
Conclusion
1.7 Whilst we note what the Minister has said,
we find it unconvincing, since the fact remains that he did originally
provide two different sets of figures for a number of these species,
without indicating why, or which ones were correct. Our view that
his whole approach to this issue has been unacceptably slipshod
is reinforced by the fact that the final sentence of his most
recent explanation is not only incomplete, but refers to a TAC
of 1,342 tonnes for Greenland halibut, whereas the table attached
to his letter gives the (correct, it seems to us) TAC of 1,042
tonnes. As it is, we can at this stage do no more than draw our
dissatisfaction to the attention of the House in advance of the
debate on this document (and on the main TACs for 2005), which
is to be held in European Standing Committee A on 8 March 2005.
ANNEX 1.1
TACs OF MAIN INTEREST TO THE UK (TONNES)
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN OUTCOME AND PROPOSAL
| Species | Area
| TACs
(2002 & 2003)
| TACs
(2005 & 2006)
| UK quota (2005 & 2006)
Proposed Agreed
|
| Deep sea sharks | Western waters
| None |
6,763 | 780
| 1,518 |
| Black scabbardfish | Western waters
| 3,110 |
3,042 | 108
| 173 |
| Great silver smelt | Western waters
| 6,247 |
5,310 | 125
| 297 |
| Tusk | North Sea
| 370 |
317 | 54
| 218 |
| Tusk | Western waters
| 710 |
604 | 78
| 170 |
| Roundnose grenadier | Western waters
| 5,106 |
5,257 | 111
| 219 |
| Blue ling | North Sea
| 138 |
119 | 23
| 31 |
| Blue ling | Western waters
| 3,678 |
3,137 | 448
| 603 |
| Ling | North Sea
| 4,666 |
3,966 | 1312
| 3,052 |
| Ling | Western waters
| 14,966
| 14,966
| 2,369 |
5,063 |
| Forkbeards | Western waters
| None |
2,028 | 835
| 814 |
| Greenland halibut | Western waters
and North Sea
| None |
1,042 | 497
| 661 |
Sources: Council Regulation, EM and Minister's letters.
1 (26217) 15237/04; see para 2 of this Report. Back
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