10 Fisheries: catch quotas and effort
limitation for 2014
| (a)
(35462)
15299/13
COM(13) 753
(b)
(35924)
8279/14
+ ADD 1
COM(14) 195
|
Draft Council Regulation fixing for 2014 the fishing opportunities for certain fish stocks and groups of fish stocks, applicable in EU waters and, for EU vessels, in certain non-EU waters
Draft Council Regulation amending Regulation (EU) No. 43/2014 as regards certain fishing opportunities
|
| Legal base
| Article 43(3)TFEU; QMV
|
| Document originated
| (b) 28 March 2014
|
| Deposited in parliament
| (b) 1 April 2014
|
| Department
| Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
|
| Basis of consideration
| EM of 7 April 2014
|
| Previous Committee Report
| (a) HC 83-xxii (2013-14), chapter 5 (27 November 2013)
(b) None
|
| Discussion in Council
| April 2014
|
| Committee's assessment
| Politically important
|
| Committee's decision
| Cleared |
Background
10.1 The EU Total Allowable Catches
(TACs) for particular fish stocks in the following calendar year
are based on scientific advice, and then have to beagreed by the
Fisheries Council following a proposal from the Commission. Since
it is desirable for agreement to be reached before the start of
the calendar year to which the proposal applies, this has habitually
presented scrutiny difficulties, in that the need to take into
account the scientific advice means that official texts haveoften
been available too late to be considered properly beforehand:
and this has been a particular problem for those stocks which
are jointly managed with third countries, notably Norway,since
the EU share has to be negotiated with the countries concerned.
10.2 Consequently, as we noted in our
Report of 27 November 2013, the proposal at document (a) which
the Commission put forward regarding TACs for 2014 contained no
figures for those stocks (including a number of importance to
the UK in the North Sea), and concentrated on those where the
EU had been able to act unilaterally. Our Report identified the
stocks of principal interest to the UK, and the fact that, according
to the Commission, the TACs proposed reflected both the scientific
advice, and the EU's commitment — first articulated following
the 2002 Johannesburg World Summit on Sustainable Development,
and now incorporated in the reformed Common Fisheries Policy —
to bring the stocks to levels which will achieve maximum sustainable
yields by 2015 (or 2020 at the latest). We also noted that, in
cases where the necessary data are limited, the Commission had
adopted a precautionary approach, involving a TAC reduction of
20%, and that, where appropriate, the TACs proposed were in line
with the multi-annual management plans which had been adopted
for a number of key stocks.
10.3 After highlighting the points to
which the Government had drawn attention, we commented that, since
it seemed unlikely that information on the jointly managed stocks
would be available much — if at all — in advance of
the December Fisheries Council when decisions were due to be taken,
the best we could do at that stage was to report the current position
to the House, and to ensure that as many Members as possible had
a chance to raise points before any decision was taken. We also
said that we understood the intention was to hold a general debate
on fisheries, and that, assuming this took place, we would be
prepared to grant a waiver under paragraph 3(b) of the Scrutiny
Reserve Resolution, in advance of the Council. However, we added
that we thought it right to hold the proposals under scrutiny,
pending any further information which the Government was able
to provide.
Subsequent developments
10.4 In the event, that debate took
place on the floor of the House[42]
on 12 December 2013, thereby triggering the scrutiny waiver, but,
because of continuing discussions between the EU, Norway and the
Faroe Islands on the management of North East Atlantic mackerel
stock, Regulation (EU) No. 43/2014, which the Council adopted
at its meeting on 16-17 December, dealt only with "internal"
EU stocks. However, the agreement which was finally reached on
that stock on 12 March paved the way for a wider bilateral agreement
with Norway, and the Commission has now brought forward the proposal
at document (b), which amends Regulation (EU) No. 43/2014 so as
to incorporate the TACs established as a result of that agreement
(and of a parallel agreement between the EU and the Faroes).
10.5 The TACs proposed for the stocks
of principal interest to the UK, together with the corresponding
figures for 2013 and the UK quotas, are set out in the Annex.
According to the Explanatory Memorandum of 7 April 2013, which
we have received from the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State
at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (George
Eustice), these generally follow the relevant scientific advice,
and take account of the objective to reach the Maximum Sustainable
Yield (MSY) by 2015 where possible (and by 2020 at the latest).
He notes that they provide an increase in fishing opportunities
for key stocks of interest to UK fishermen, including North Sea
cod (+5%), and Western mackerel (+82%), although they also include
cuts for North Sea haddock (-8%) and whiting (-11%), with the
agreement reached on mackerel also meaning that the EU has also
been able to reach a reciprocal agreement with the Faroe Islands,
giving it access and quotasfor the first time since 2010 in those
waters, which UK vessels have historically fished during the summer.
10.6 The Minister also draws attention
to two other aspects of the draft Regulation. First, it increases
the flexibility to catch the mackerel quota from the western component
of the North Sea, which is opposed by Denmark, but which would
help UK fishermen to plan activity better and reduce discarding.
Secondly, it proposes a TAC for blue whiting which was negotiated
as part of the EU-Norway agreement, and that, as this fishery
has a short catching season in March and April, this was —
with UK support —agreed at the Council on 24 March.
10.7 The Minister expects the package
which is finally agreed by the Council to be consistent with what
has beenagreed with Norway and the Faroe islands, but has identified
two issues requiring further discussion. First, although the proposal
reflects the agreement with Norway that the fully documented fisheries
scheme for discards should be extended to North Sea plaice, several
other Member States are suggesting that this should not be transposed
into EU law. The UK will argue strongly for its inclusion, on
the grounds that the EU-Norway agreement should be viewed and
implemented as a package, and is supported in that view by the
Commission. Secondly, the proposal permits Member States to borrow
up to 5% of quota from 2015, which is in line with the current
Control Regulation, but does not incorporate the 10% flexibility
agreed for certain stocks in the EU-Norway agreement. The Minister
says that the facility to borrow only up to 5% from 2015 is unlikely
in practice to impact significantly on overall fishing operations
for 2014, but the UK is pressing the Commission to address this
anomaly for the future.
Conclusion
10.8 We note that the changes which
document (b) makes to the proposal (document (a)) which we reported
to the House on 27 November 2013 reflect the subsequent outcome
of the negotiations with Norway (and the Faroe Islands), notably
in relation to a number of important stocks in the North Sea.
We are therefore drawing these to the attention of the House,
but see no further need to hold either document under scrutiny.We
are therefore clearing them.
Annex: EU TACs and UK quotas
in 2014
| EU TACs and UK quotas in 2014 (tonnes)
| 2013
| 2014
| UK
quota
| %
change
|
North Sea
| |
| |
|
| Cod | 21,974
| 23,077 |
10,827 | +5
|
| Haddock |
34,681 | 32,079
| 27,002 |
-8 |
| Saithe |
43,486 | 36,917
| 6,175 |
-15 |
| Whiting |
17,039 | 15,233
| 10,193 |
-10 |
| Sole | 13,970
| 11,800 |
510 | -15
|
| Plaice |
91,225 | 104,117
| 29,633 |
+14 |
| Hake | 1,935
| 2,874 |
518 | +49
|
| Monkfish |
8,703 | 6,962
| 5,666 |
-20 |
| Megrim |
1,937 | 2,083
| 2,006 |
+8 |
| Dab and flounder
| 18,434 |
14,747 | 1,270
| -20
|
| Lemon sole
| 6,391 |
5,924 | 3,617
| -7
|
| Ling | 2,428
| 2,428 |
1,869 | 0
|
| Turbot and brill
| 4,642 |
4,642 | 717
| 0
|
| Nephrops |
17,350 | 15,038
| 13,024 |
-13 |
| Northern prawn
| 3,058 |
2,446 | 538
| -20
|
| Sprat |
151,500 | 135,000
| 5,103 |
-10 |
| Eastern Channel
| |
| |
|
| Cod | 1,543
| 1,620 |
150 | +5
|
| Plaice |
6,400 | 5,322
| 1,548 |
-17 |
| Sole | 5,900
| 3,251 |
625 | -45
|
| Western Channel
| |
| |
|
| Cod | 10,200
| 6,848 |
540 | -33
|
| Haddock |
14,148 | 3,602
| 360 | -75
|
| Whiting |
24,500 | 20,668
| 2,218 |
-15 |
| Hake | 30,900
| 45,896 |
8,248 | +49
|
| Pollack |
13,495 | 10,796
| 1,882 |
-20 |
| Sole (English Channel)
| 894 | 832
| 490 | -7
|
| Sole (Bristol channel)
| 1,100 |
920 | 259
| -16
|
| Sole (Western approaches)
| 402 | 322
| 54 | -20
|
| Plaice (Bristol Channel)
| 369 | 443
| 104 | -20
|
| Plaice (Western approaches)
| 141 | 135
| 17 | -4
|
| Monkfish |
29,144 | 29,144
| 5,241 |
0 |
| Megrim |
17,385 | 13,908
| 1,994 |
-20 |
| Irish Sea
| |
| |
|
| Cod | 285
| 228 | 97
| -20
|
| Haddock |
1,189 | 951
| 455 | -20
|
| Whiting |
84 | 67
| 35 | -20
|
| Plaice |
1,627 | 1,220
| 312 | -25
|
| Sole | 140
| 95 | 21
| -32 |
|
| Nephrops |
23,064 | 20,989
| 6,885 |
-9 |
| West of Scotland
| |
| |
|
| Cod | 0
| 0 | 0
| 0
|
| Whiting |
292 | 234
| 134 | -20
|
| Haddock |
4,211 | 3,998
| 3,214 |
-5 |
| Monkfish |
4,924 | 3,939
| 1,212 |
-20 |
| Plaice |
658 | 658
| 400 | 0
|
| Megrim |
3,387 | 4,074
| 1,278 |
+20 |
| Nephrops |
16,690 | 15,287
| 6,885 |
-9 |
| Saithe |
8,694 | 7,545
| 3,128 |
-15 |
| Pelagic stocks
| |
| |
|
| North Sea herring
| 286,800 |
282,022 | 65,022
| -2
|
| Eastern Channel herring
| 52,580 |
51,704 | 4,969
| -2
|
| Irish Sea herring
| 4,993 |
5,251 | 3,884
| +5
|
| West of Scotland herring
| 27,480 |
28,067 | 16,959
| +2
|
| Blue whiting
| 116,023 |
185,525 | 36,751
| +60
|
| Mackerel |
368,633 | 791,906
| 462,899 |
+215 |
| Norwegian waters
| |
| |
|
| Herring |
40,297 | 27,244
| 5,968 |
-22 |
| Cod | 19,971
| 20,524 |
9,622 | +2
|
| Haddock |
1,481 | 1,200
| 789 | -9
|
| Faroese waters
| |
| |
|
| Cod and haddock
| 0 | 950
| 817 | N/A
|
| Saithe |
0 | 3,000
| 696 | N/A
|
42 HCDeb, 12 December
2013, Cols. 378-418. Back
|
