EU announces 2014 fishing quota deductions
Ten European countries will face reduced fishing quotas in 45 fish stocks after the European Commission (EC) announced its annual fishing quota deductions. The ten countries to be face quota deductions are: Belgium, Denmark, Greece, Spain, France, Ireland, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal and United Kingdom.
The quota deductions apply to the same stocks that were overfished in the previous year, with extra deductions made for consecutive overfishing, overfishing above 5%, or if the stock concerned is subject to a multiannual plan.
"If we want to be serious in our fight against overfishing, we need to apply our rules by the book – and this includes the respect of quotas," said Maria Damanaki, Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries.
Compared to last year, the number of deductions made went down by 22%, said the EC. Commenting on the fall in overfishing, Damanaki said: "I'm glad to see that we did a better job in 2013 than in previous years when it comes to staying within quotas. That said, to achieve healthy fish stocks across Europe we also need efficient controls to enforce the rules in place."
A full list of thefishing quota deductions can be found here.
