News Story

04 July 2009 16:55 BST

EU reaches fishing quota decision

The EU has reached a decision on fishing quotas for 2007 with a balance between conservation and the protection of fishing income.

Ministers, including the UK's fisheries minister Ben Bradshaw, worked throughout the night on the contentious issue before announcing a 14 per cent cut in cod quota limits at the end of the 12-hour talks.

Cod populations will be further protected by a seven to ten per cent reduction in the number of fishing days.

UK fishermen will have their income protected through an increase in the maximum fishing quotas for other fish species including prawns, haddock, mackerel and monkfish. This, coupled with increasing fish prices, is set to keep fishing income afloat.

Speaking from Brussels this morning Mr Bradshaw said he thought it was "a good deal in the circumstances".

"The cuts on cod vary from 15 per cent in the North Sea to 25 per cent off the west of Scotland and off the south-west of England, but in terms of income for fishermen, they'll probably be more than over-compensated for by the increases in prawns, haddock and monkfish, all of which are nowadays more important to UK fishermen than cod," he told the Today programme.

"The fishermen as usual wouldn't have liked to see any cuts in cod at all, but I think given the very dire scientific advice and the still very poor state of the stock, we have to take some action on cod.

"To do nothing would have been irresponsible and unrealistic. I think it was a more moderate cut than I think many had feared, but I think enough to hopefully continue to build on the small cod recovery we're already seeing."

Environmentalists and members of the scientific community had been campaigning for a total ban of cod fishing to protect the species from extinction in European seas.

EU ministers made it clear at the outset of the talks that a total ban would be out of the question. Instead the 2007 reductions will build on previous cuts to help the species replenish.