Fishing - North Sea fishermen may bring more fish ashore in 2024
Good news for North Sea fishermen: they will be allowed to catch significantly more fish next year than in 2023, with a significant increase of 30 percent for herring in particular, as announced by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture in Brussels on Tuesday following negotiations with the other EU states. This means that a total of around 48,500 tons of the stock may be brought ashore. There is also an increase for saithe, cod, haddock and plaice. However, with catches of between a good 2,200 and just under 6,000 tons, the quantity of all these fish stocks is significantly lower than that of herring.
The background to the restrictions is that many stocks are in a poor state. Overfishing, climate change and other factors are affecting the animals.
This is why the EU Commission draws up catch limits every year on the basis of scientific recommendations, which are designed to ensure that stocks do not come under too much pressure. However, the EU fisheries ministers have the final say when it comes to stocks that are only fished by EU states. Catches in other sea areas must be negotiated with third countries such as Great Britain or Norway.
The environmental organization Oceana criticized that not all stocks for which an agreement was reached on Tuesday complied with scientific recommendations. In the view of Deutsche Umwelthilfe, the specifications for the North Sea are "completely inadequate for the protection of important fish populations." The quota for North Sea cod, for example, is significantly higher than the scientific recommendation.
The responsible State Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Silvia Bender, however, emphasized: "With the results of the negotiations, we are fulfilling our responsibility to sustainably manage and rebuild fish stocks." The ministry also emphasized that protective measures are still in place for the endangered European eel. These were agreed last year. These included a six-month closed season. In addition, anglers are prohibited from catching eel in marine areas.
BMEL statement
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- The European Union (EU) states, including Germany, have agreed on increased catch limits for various fish stocks in the North Sea, as announced by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture in Brussels.
- The environmental organization Oceana expresses concern about the compliance of some stock quotas with scientific recommendations, particularly the North Sea cod quota, which they deem as "completely inadequate for the protection of important fish populations."
- Germany, as part of the EU, is involved in negotiations with third countries like Great Britain and Norway for catch limits in other sea areas, not just the North Sea.
- The Federal Ministry of Agriculture in Germany is responsible for implementing protective measures for endangered species, such as the European eel, with measures such as a six-month closed season and a ban on catching eel in marine areas.
Source: www.stern.de
