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Bid to end mackerel dispute ends in failure


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#1 Barry McCrindle

Barry McCrindle

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Posted 10 December 2011 - 07:21 PM

From www.fishnewseu.com

Quote

HOPES for an end to the bitter mackerel dispute were dashed tonight when Iceland’s Fisheries Ministry said that no agreement was reached on quota allocation in mackerel fisheries in the Northeast-Atlantic next year at a meeting of the four coastal states, Iceland, the EU, Norway and Faroe at Clonakilty, Ireland.   

In a statement, the Fisheries Ministry said that at the meeting the EU and Norway submitted a proposal on the allocation of quotas between the four coastal States. The Ministry went on:

“The proposal was totally unrealistic, represented a step backwards from recent meetings and was therefore very disappointing to the Icelandic authorities. Since it did not seem possible to reach an agreement on the future management of mackerel fisheries, Iceland proposed an interim arrangement in order to ensure conservation of the stock.

“According to the arrangement, the parties would respect the total allowable catch recommended by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) for 2012, 639,000 tonnes, and keep their current percentage shares in the fishery. The other parties were not willing to accept the proposal.

“In light of the aforementioned, Iceland will have an unchanged share in the mackerel fisheries in 2012, around 16%, but Iceland´s quota will take into account a small reduction in the total allowable catch recommended by ICES.

“Iceland encourages the other coastal states to take this into account in their quota decisions for 2012. The quotas determined by the EU and Norway for 2011 amounted to more than 90% of the recommended total allowable catch. Thereby, these parties disregarded the legitimate interests of the other coastal States, Iceland and the Faroe Islands, and those of Russia. The quota decision of the EU and Norway was in fact a prescription of overfishing from the mackerel stock and the Icelandic authorities strongly criticised it. It is hoped that this will not be repeated.   

“The Icelandic authorities continue to place emphasis on the need to reach an agreement on the management of mackerel fisheries in order to ensure sustainable fisheries and prevent further overfishing from the stock. Iceland is therefore committed to continue contributing to reaching an agreement in cooperation with the other coastal States. The aforementioned decision is subject to review, should an agreement be reached between the parties"

Scottish Fisheries Secretary Richard Lochhead said later :

“Following more marathon talks to try and reach a new deal for mackerel fishing in the year ahead, it’s disappointing we have not yet come to an agreement. However, it’s vital that dialogue continues and I welcome that further talks will take place next month, as we pursue every opportunity of securing an international deal to safeguard the future of the stock.

“Mackerel is the Scottish fleet's most valuable stock. It is in all the interests of all parties for the fishery to be both profitable and sustainable, which is why the Scottish Government has been clear that our priority is to seek a new agreement to protect the stock in the long-term and therefore the viability of our pelagic fleet – however we cannot do a deal at any cost.

“The longer we continue without a coastal states agreement, the greater the threat to the mackerel stock. If fishing continues at the levels we have seen over the past two years, we face the possibility of the stock falling below safe limits as early as 2014. We cannot afford to let this happen.”

Statistics for 2010 indicate that mackerel remains Scotland's most valuable catch, worth 113 million pounds to the Scottish economy.

*In 2011 the Faroe Islands unilaterally set themselves a mackerel catch of 150,000 tonnes, up 75 per cent on 2010 and more than five times their internationally agreed share in 2009. Meanwhile, Iceland, who caught very little mackerel prior to 2008, set their own increased TAC of around 147,000 tonnes earlier this year.


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