The European Commission has rejected calls to delay plans for massive cuts in fishing in the Irish Sea, North Sea and off the west of Scotland from the start of next year.
EU fisheries ministers will be asked next week to approve cuts of up to 80 per cent in cod fishing in 2003 in a bid to revive stocks that are close to extinction.
|
|
EU fisheries commissioner Franz Fischler
|
EU fisheries commissioner Franz Fischler has ruled out delays, insisting a deal must be done at next week's talks to fix permitted catch levels and begin a major recovery programme, particularly for cod.
Mr Fischler told MEPs in Brussels he was already easing the fishing pain by disregarding scientific advice to close cod, haddock and whiting fisheries grounds next year. Instead of a moratorium, he is opting for a long-term recovery plan for cod and other species.
The deal that ministers will be asked to approve next week includes cutting cod catches by 63 per cent in the Irish Sea, 79 per cent off the west of Scotland and 66 per cent in the in North Sea.
The North Sea haddock take will be capped at just 70 per cent of this year's figure, with 49 per cent and 20 per cent reductions off the west of Scotland and in the Irish Sea, respectively. The whiting catch would drop by 76 per cent in the North Sea and by 60 per cent off the west of Scotland.
Coupled with cutting the amount of fishing time allowed by the fleets, and with governments required to report monthly to Brussels on their enforcement measures, Mr Fischler thinks the industry can pull back from the brink.
There would be money for early retirement, retraining and scrapping boats - and EU governments would step up labour-intensive, small-scale coastal fishing, reserving some fishing grounds for small vessels and saving jobs.
PA