12 Fisheries: catch quotas and effort
limitation for 2011
| (32173)
16068/10
COM(10) 658
| Draft Council Regulation fixing for 2011 the fishing opportunities for certain fish stocks and groups of fish stocks, applicable to Community waters and, for Community vessels, in waters where catch limitations are required
|
| Legal base | Article 43(3)TFEU; QMV
|
| Department | Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
|
| Basis of consideration | Minister's letter of 31 January 2011
|
| Previous Committee Report | HC 428-x (2010-11), chapter 6 (8 December 2010)
|
| Discussed in Council | 13-14 December 2010
|
| Committee's assessment | Politically important
|
| Committee's decision | Cleared
|
Background
12.1 The Total Allowable Catches (TACs) for particular fish
stocks in the following calendar year are based on advice provided
by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES),
and then by the Commission's Scientific, Technical and Economic
Committee for Fisheries (STECF). In those cases where particular
fisheries are jointly managed with third countries, the EU share
then has to be negotiated with the countries concerned; and the
relevant TACs for the EU as a whole agreed by the Fisheries Council
(and allocated between Member States according to a predetermined
key) on the basis of a proposal put forward by the Commission.
12.2 Since these proposals have to be agreed
before the start of the calendar year to which they apply, they
have habitually presented scrutiny difficulties, in that the need
to take into account the scientific advice means that official
texts have often been available too late for them to be considered
properly beforehand. Thus, as we noted in our Report of 8 December
2010, the current set of proposals for catches in 2011 for the
majority of stocks was not put forward by the Commission until
10 November 2010, and, as the annual negotiations with Norway
and other third countries were still in progress, many of the
quotas in question depended upon the agreement reached on shared
TACs and on the balance of fishing opportunities between the interested
parties. In the meantime, the Commission pointed out that the
scientific advice was that the majority of stocks across the EU
continue to be in a poor state, and that catch reductions were
therefore required in most, though not all, cases in order to
move towards the maximum sustainable yield.
12.3 In the case of species of principal interest
to the UK, the resultant catches for those stocks for which quotas
have been established were set out in Annex A of our previous
Report (which also recorded the views expressed by the Government
in its Explanatory Memorandum of 24 November 2010). That Report
also went on to note that there had been a three hour general
debate on fisheries in Westminster Hall on 2 December 2010,[59]
and, against that background, we said that we believed it would
premature to clear the document, but that we recognised that the
Council would, for good practical reasons, be seeking to adopt
the proposals at its meeting on 13-14 December. We therefore said
that we would not want to prevent the Government from agreeing
to this, if it was otherwise minded to do so, but that we would
like to receive as soon as possible after any such agreement had
been reached an account of the outcome, with an indication of
those areas where significant changes had been made to the Commission's
proposals. We added that we would at that stage consider whether
to release the document from scrutiny or recommend it for further
debate in European Committee.
Minister's letter of 31 January 2011
12.4 We have now received from the Minister for
the Natural Environment and Fisheries at the Department for Environment,
Food and Rural Affairs (Mr Richard Benyon) a letter of 31 January
2011, summarising the outcome of the Council. After recalling
the challenging background arising from the poor scientific outlook
for most stocks, and the need to balance conservation against
the livelihoods of fishing fleets and their local communities,
he reports that the Government was able to secure some "significant"
gains for the UK in line with the priorities it had set.
12.5 In particular, he says that:
- the UK successfully resisted
the division of the English Channel plaice fishery, which would
have created real problems for UK fishermen, by unreasonably restricting
both their fishing opportunities and their flexibility;
- it also obtained the Commission's commitment
to a fundamental and comprehensive review of the EU's Cod Recovery
Plan in 2011, which, at the UK's insistence, will look in particular
at exploring appropriate incentives to encourage fishermen to
participate further in more sustainable fishing activities and
developing novel ways of improving the long-term management of
EU fish stocks;
- the results of the recent EU/Norway agreement
were endorsed, with a welcome 12% increase in the amount of additional
North Sea cod quota available as part of an expanded catch quota
scheme, which will allow fishermen to land more of what they catch,
in return for more intensive monitoring of their fishing activities
and restrictions on discarding: an additional 5% was also subsequently
agreed for Western Channel sole to carry out a similar project,
and there were also increases in quota for both North Sea whiting
(+15%) and herring (+21%), reflecting improved scientific positions,
stemming in the former case from additional information provided
by the UK;
- elsewhere, the UK was able to resist the extension
of the cod recovery plan to the Celtic Sea, the Commission accepting
that this would have been unduly restrictive in a fishery where
cod represents only a very small proportion of total catches (and
where what is caught is predominantly non-quota species such as
squid, cuttlefish and red mullet): there was, however, a welcome
commitment to consider a more appropriate management regime next
year;
- in the South West, the UK was able to persuade
the Commission that a reduction in fishing effort was not in keeping
with the spirit of the Western Channel sole management plan and
would pose difficulties, given the 15% TAC increase that had been
agreed: as a result, the proposal was dropped;
- in the Irish Sea, the UK devoted a considerable
amount of time to ensuring further thought is given to the potential
for a Functional Unit management regime for Nephrops (langoustines)
next year, before any decision is reached: consequently, this
will not now apply in 2011, and the UK also ensured that the proposed
17% cut in TAC was reduced to 3% to better reflect the latest
scientific assessment for the stock, and that the Irish Sea herring
TAC was increased by 10%, following submission of more recent
scientific advice;
- in the West of Scotland, fishermen will have
10% more quota for megrim in 2011 and only 2% less for monkfish,
which are significant improvements on the Commission's original
proposals, reflecting improved science for both stocks;
- the UK again invoked Hague Preference on both
North Sea haddock and whiting to supplement significantly the
amounts otherwise available, and so ensure adequate fishing opportunities
for these stocks for fishermen in the North East and Scotland:
it also counter-invoked on those stocks of interest to the UK
(to the west of the British Isles), where Ireland applied its
own Hague Preference prerogative, thereby limiting the potential
damage.
Annex A contains a table listing the final position
on a fuller range of stocks of interest to the UK, with the initial
Commission proposal (where different) being shown in italics.
12.6 In relation to other aspects of the negotiations,
the Minister says that it is clear that 2011 will be a particularly
challenging year for the effort regime in the Irish Sea, North
Sea and West of Scotland, and that the UK will need to deliver
15% cuts in effort for the main gears in North Sea cod recovery
zone and a 25% cut in West of Scotland and Irish Sea, in line
with provisions of the management plan. As highlighted above,
this management plan will be subject to review during the year.
Having said that, the Minister suggests that, taken as a whole,
this was a very good result for all parts of the UK — and
one which shows that the UK is committed not only to the long-term
sustainability of the stocks in question, but also the economic
viability of its fleet. He believes this was a successful Council
during which the UK was able to make gains in a number of important
areas, with a package offering a fair deal in which UK fishermen
gain vital quota increases while enabling action to protect stocks
and cut waste. He says that he now looks forward to working with
the fishing industry in 2011 on the implementation of the provisions
agreed.
Conclusion
12.7 Whilst it is clear that the underlying
weaknesses of the Common Fisheries Policy remain, there does seem
to be a general recognition within the fishing industry that the
UK achieved, at the December 2010 Fisheries Council, as good an
outcome as could have been expected, given the Commission's original
proposals and the scientific advice on the state of the majority
of the stocks in question. Consequently, although we will undoubtedly
wish to return to some of the wider issues in the context of the
legislative proposals which the Commission is expected to put
forward later this year following its Green Paper[60]
on the reform of the CFP, we are content to clear the current
document on the basis of this further Report to the House.
Annex: Total Allowable Catches
in 2011
| TACs in 2011 (tonnes) |
2010
| UK quota
|
2011
| % change
|
North Sea
| | | |
|
| Cod | 33,552
| 13,067 | 26,279
tbc
| -10
tbc
|
| Haddock | 35,794
| 22,698 | 34,057
tbc
| -5
tbc
|
| Saithe | 107,044
| 8,435 | 93,318
tbc
| -13
tbc
|
| Whiting | 12,897
| 7,391 | 14,832
tbc
| +15
tbc
|
| Sole | 14,100
| 602 | 13,600*
| -3.5 |
| Plaice | 63,825
| 16,951 | 73,400
tbc
| +15
tbc
|
| Hake | 1,935
| 348 | 1,935
tbc
| 0
tbc
|
| Monkfish | 11,345
| 9,233 | 9,643*
| -15 |
| Annex: TACs in 2011 (tonnes) | 2010
| UK quota
|
2011
| % change
|
| | |
| |
| Megrim | 1,757
| 1,690 | 1,845
1,757
| +5
0
|
| Nephrops | 24,688
| 21,384 | 23,454
22,580
| -5
-8.5
|
| Eastern Channel |
| | |
|
| Cod | 1,955
| 181 | 1,564
tbc
| -20
tbc
|
| Plaice | 4,274
| 1,243 | 4,665
4,018
| +9
-9
|
| Sole | 4,219
| 811 | 4,852
4,156
| +15
-1.5
|
| Western Channel |
| | |
|
| Cod | 4,023
| 293 | 4,023
3,420
| 0
-15
|
| Haddock | 11,579
| 1,158 | 13,316
11,579
| +15
0
|
| Whiting | 14,407
| 1,463 | 16,568
14,407
| +15
0
|
| Hake | 30,900
| 5,553 | 30,900*
| 0 |
| Sole (English Channel) |
618 | 363
| 710* | +15
|
| Sole (Bristol channel) |
993 | 279
| 1,241* | +25
|
| Sole (Western approaches)
| 498 | 83
| 423* | -15
|
| Plaice (Bristol Channel)
| 451 | 63
| 410* | -9
|
| Plaice (Western approaches)
| 218 | 14
| 185* | -15
|
| Monkfish | 32,292
| 5,807 | 32,292
27,448
| 0
-15
|
| Megrim | 18,300
| 2,624 | 18,300
15,555
| 0
-15
|
| Irish Sea |
| | |
|
| Cod | 674
| 194 | 506
337
| -25
-50
|
| Haddock | 1,424
| 681 | 1,317
1,210
| -8
-15
|
| Whiting | 157
| 61 | 118*
| -25 |
| Plaice | 1,627
| 491 | 1,627*
| 0 |
| Sole | 402
| 83 | 390
320
| -3
-20
| |
| Nephrops | 22,432
| 7,358 | 21,759*
| -3 |
| West of Scotland
| | | |
|
| Cod | 240
| 145 | 180
120
| -25
-50
|
| Annex: TACs in 2011 (tonnes) | 2010
| UK quota
|
2011
| % change
|
| Whiting | 431
| 246 | 323
216
| -25
-50
|
| Haddock | 2,673
| 2,081 | 2,005*
| -25 |
| Monkfish | 5,567
| 1,713 | 5,456
3,748
| -2
-25
|
| Megrim | 3,079
| 966 | 3,387
3,079
| +10
0
|
| Nephrops | 16,057
| 15,677 | 13,681*
| -15 |
| Pelagic stocks |
| | |
|
| North Sea herring | 164,300
| 24,223 | 200,000
tbc
| +22
tbc
|
| Irish Sea herring | 4,800
| 3,550 | 5,240
4,800
| +10
0
|
| Clyde herring | 720
| 720 | To be set
| |
| West of Scotland herring
| 24,240 | 14,356
| 22,481* | -8
|
| Mackerel | 295,366
| 172,268 | 258,684
tbc
| -12
tbc
|
Tbc: Agreement to be reached with third countries.
*No change made to original Commission proposal.
59 HC Deb, 2 December
2010, cols 341WH-386WH. Back
60
(30556) 8977/09: see HC 19-xviii (2008-09), chapter 2 (3 June
2009). Back
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