European Commission calls for major Baltic cod quota cuts

Sep 3, 2007, 13:54 GMT

Brussels - The European Commission proposed Monday that its quotas for catches of Baltic Sea cod be cut by up to a third in 2008, amidst ongoing concerns over the sustainability of fish stocks.

Under the proposal, quotas for cod catches in the western Baltic - roughly the area of sea off the German, Danish and western Swedish coasts - would be slashed by 33 per cent, while catches in the eastern part of the sea would be cut by 23 per cent.

'The condition of the two cod stocks (in the eastern and western Baltic) continues to give serious cause for concern, with the western stock, which was formerly the stronger of the two, having again fallen outside safe biological limits,' an EC press release said.

The proposals are likely to spark a fierce debate in member states, where decreasing fishing quotas are seen as having a key impact on both the fishing industry and the wider coastal economy.

But they fall short of a June proposal made by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) to close the eastern Baltic cod fishery and to halve the quota in the western Baltic.

The EC also proposed a 15-per-cent cut for salmon catches in most sea areas, a 5-per-cent cut for sprats and cuts of up to 20 per cent for herring. However, the herring quota in the sea's central basin, from the Swedish coast to St Petersburg, is raised by 11 per cent.

The proposals are due to be discussed by member states when the European Union's Fisheries Council meets on October 22, the EC said.