Fishermen face whitefish ban

Irish fishermen are set to face a ban on catching whitefish as EC today moved toward banning cod, haddock and whiting fishing next year.

The move comes as the Commission cited new data about overfishing, dubious reporting of catches and illegal sales that have depleted stocks beyond what was believed until now.

Fisheries Commissioner Franz Fischler said he will make a decision on November 11, after assessing a recommendation for a total fishing ban by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea.

Unless the European Commission comes to a different view, "which is very unlikely, I can see no other solution in the short term than to propose for 2003" a ban on cod, haddock and whiting catches in EU waters, Fischler said in Brussels.

He said he also leaned toward proposing deep cuts in plaice catches.

Last year, the EU nations agreed to cuts of up to 55% in cod quotas, but Fischler said today the latest scientific data was worse that previously believed.

"I don’t want to say ’I told you so’. But it is galling, after repeatedly warning of the dire consequences of inaction, to see our worst fears realised," he said.

He said the European Commission had a "moral responsibility" to protect fishermen and their industry.

A one year ban on cod, haddock and whiting fishing will have enormous impact on fishing communities not only in Ireland but also in Britain, Denmark, Sweden, Germany and Belgium whose fishermen are most active in the Northeast Atlantic.

“The advice from ICES is to close all fisheries catching cod either as a target species or as by-catch in the Eastern Channel, Skagerrak, North Sea, Irish Sea and west of Scotland,” Fischler said.

Fischler blamed governments for ignoring pleas to protect stocks and fishermen for consistent overfishing, misstating their catches or skewing data by selling catches in foreign ports.

“Cod catches have been higher than those reported … The numbers of young fish joining the stock has been very low in recent years, mostly due to the fact that there are few adult fish left to spawn eggs.”

The Swedish government, which is seeking to implement a unilateral ban on cod fishing in the Baltic Sea effective from January 1, has run into strong protests from local fishermen.

Fischler said a business-as-usual attitude would be lethal. "The economic, social and ethical implications of failing to prevent the disappearance of such an important food resource as cod would be very serious indeed."

The dire warnings about fast-declining cod, haddock, whiting and plaice stocks come one month before EU governments are to endorse broad reforms of a Common Fisheries Policy.

Those reforms deal with wholesale changes beyond tougher quotas to keep their national fishing sectors alive. They include fishing bans in huge zones during spawning, better satellite monitoring of vessels to prevent illegal catches and tougher sanctions for skippers who break the rules.

Also under discussion are proposals for social aid to those among the EU’s 200,000 fishermen who are bound to lose their jobs if the new restrictions take place.