Cut the cod catch
Sep 24th, 2009 | By ssacn | Category: CommercialProducer Organisations are being urged to almost halve the amount of cod landed from North Sea area IV (a,b,c ) – from the current 272 tonnes to around 155 tonnes – or face severe restrictions on the fishing gear they use for the rest of the year.
The Marine & Fisheries Agency and the other Fisheries Administrations are putting in place the following measures :
- The North Sea cod fishery will be closed to individual vessels which have reached their quota entitlement.
- The North Sea fishery will then be closed to Producer Organisations as soon as they have reached 85 per cent of their 2009 cod allocation.
- The North Sea cod fishery will be re-opened to individual vessels after November 15 should sufficient quota allocation remain.
The MFA warns unless the slowdown in North Sea cod landings is achieved gear restrictions will be imposed for the rest of the year and the UK could face demands from Norway in current negotiations for further technical controls in 2010.
The MFA letter in full:
Dear Sir/Madam,
I am writing to advise you of management measure which Fisheries Administrations are putting in place with immediate effect to ensure that UK uptake of North Sea cod does not reach 90% by 15 November.
The co‐operation of all POs is necessary to ensure that this aim is met.
Failure to meet this aim will mean that the gear selectivity measures mentioned below will need to be adopted by all vessels fishing in the North Sea for the remainder of the year.
What is more, it will leave us exposed to the risk of pressure for further technical controls in the forthcoming negotiations with the Norwegians – who are expecting the EU to have delivered real improvements in selectivity and discard reduction this year.
Background
As you know, as part of the requirements under Annex III, Part A of Council Regulation) No. 43/2009 (the 2009 TAC Regs), Member States were required to set targets for the utilisation of its North Sea cod quotas by the end of each quarter of 2009, and if uptake exceeded these targets (which they have not so far in 2009 for the UK), introduce management measures to reduce the rate of landings.
In addition, if 90% of the North Sea cod quota is utilised before 15 November 2009, any vessels using bottom trawls, Danish seines and similar towed gear (except for beam trawls) with a mesh size of over 80mm will need to use a sorting grid or any other gear with a proven equivalent escapement capacity if they wish to continue fishing in the North Sea for the remainder of the year. Such arrangements would also affect vessels targeting North Sea nephrops.
The requirements under Annex III, Part A of Council Regulation) No. 43/2009 also allow Members States to apply these measures to individual vessels or groups of vessels (essentially POs) that, at any time before 15 November 2009, have used 90% of their allocation of North Sea cod.
To date, UK quota managers have chosen to monitor uptake at a UK level only and not to take action at an individual PO level.
However, given the implications for all vessels fishing in the North Sea should UK uptake of North Sea cod reach 90% by 15 November, it is important that POs recognise what this may mean for their management plans for the remainder of the year and for the individual vessels in their membership.
Consideration
This week’s uptake monitoring spreadsheet showed no difference in the recorded weekly average of North Sea cod landings at a UK level (272 tonnes).
If this rate is maintained over the next 9 weeks (i.e. to 15 Nov), then around 2448 tonnes of landings will have been recorded. Added to the 8015 tonnes already recorded against the UK, that would result in landings of 10463 tonnes – almost 92% uptake.
Rather than aiming to achieve, say, 89% uptake by 15 November (which would give us very little room for error), Fisheries Administrations believe that, in the current circumstances, it would be prudent to aim for UK uptake of around 85% by 15 November. 85% of the current UK quota (including 15 tonnes due to be gained from the Netherlands) is 9677 tonnes.
With current UK landings at 8280 tonnes, getting to 85% uptake by 15 Nov implies no more than 1400 tonnes being recorded in the next 9 weeks.
This would mean weekly landings coming down (from next week) from the current 272 tonnes to around 155 tonnes and maintained at that level for the next 9 weeks.
Fisheries Administrations recognise, however, that this is unlikely to happen immediately but we hope that POs understand what we are seeking to achieve.
Measures to be adopted
In order, therefore, to slow down the rate of recorded landings both at PO, and thus, UK level, Fisheries Administrations intend to adopt the following two measures with early effect :
Close the North Sea cod fishery to individual vessels (by licence variation) which their PO has advised have exceeded their North Sea cod entitlement ; and, thereafter,
Close any PO (i.e. licence variation to all remaining vessels) whose uptake of North Sea cod reaches 85% of their allocation with a view to re‐opening the fishery to named vessels after 15 November should sufficient quota allocation remain or at least until such time as Fisheries Administrations are entirely confident that the 90% uptake threshold will not be reached by 15 November.
In adopting the first measure above, Fisheries Administrations recognise that this cuts across current policy whereby closes/opening of fisheries are effected at PO level only.
However, given the exceptional nature of these arrangements, we believe it is both reasonable and prudent to, in effect, assist POs in managing their uptake of North Sea cod at an individual vessel level until the year end.
For those POs which have already exceeded uptake of 85% of their North Sea cod allocation, they will be closed with early effect or, if already closed, the closure will be maintained until 15 November or until such time as Fisheries Administrations are entirely confident that the 90% uptake threshold will not be reached by 15 November.
Action required of POs now
In order that we may issue the necessary licence variations to close the North Sea cod fishery to those individual vessels which have either taken or exceeded their quota entitlement, I would be grateful if you would provide me with a list of these vessels by close next Monday (21 Sept). We will aim to issue the necessary variations on Tuesday 22 Sept.
In order to assist Fisheries Administrations, it would be extremely helpful that POs aim to constrain the effort of their members in the coming weeks and not seek to increase their uptake simply because other POs may be closed.
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