New deal on fishing after all-night talks

A new European fishing deal was secured today after 30 hours of gruelling talks in Brussels.

Agreement came after all-night negotiations as fisheries ministers fought to head off another round of drastic cuts to avoid the collapse of cod stocks.

Longer term recovery programmes for cod and for hake were also agreed in a bid to establish sustainable conservation measures which will avoid the need for the current annual bartering in future.

The deal followed hours of bitter wrangling over how seriously to take expert scientific advice that nothing short of a total ban on cod fishing would ensure stock recovery, particularly in the North Sea, Irish Sea and off the west coast of Scotland.

Existing restrictions on fishing are being extended in the Irish Sea, but most ministers were relieved that the cuts and limits on fishing time were not as drastic as feared.

Only Germany and Sweden held out in the end for a tougher deal, arguing that Europe ignored the scientific advice at its peril.

But EU Fisheries Commissioner Franz Fischler said it was a “balanced” agreement giving fishermen already facing severe threats to their livelihoods another lifeline.

He said agreements on next year’s catches kept the industry alive, while the “basic principle” of long-term recovery plans for cod and for hake had been set.

The Commissioner declared: “Germany and Sweden thought this deal was too generous and the catch quotas too high.

“But a lot of people wanted more flexibility, to establish a balance in fishing, and this is what we have been able to achieve.

“We have got a fishing policy which offers the chance of long-term recovery as well as agreeing the immediate fishing needs for next year.”

The key will be enforcement to avoid a repeat of blatant over-fishing in some waters.

Mr Fischler began the talks warning that no-one would benefit from a political deal to boost catches in the face of the grimmest warnings ever about the plight of stocks.

But even he stopped short of recommending that EU governments adopt the views of the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) – that only total closure of key fishing grounds will ensure long-term survival for the fishing industry.