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EC-Norway agreement on measures to conserve North Sea cod Following several days of difficult negotiations in Brussels, between 18 - 23 January, the European Community (EC) and Norway agreed on an emergency conservation strategy to help the recovery of severely depleted cod stocks in the North Sea. The two parties met again on 2 February to discuss the detail of some of the measures and further meetings are scheduled to take place in order to elaborate a long-term recovery plan for this stock. The cod stock in the North Sea, which is shared between the European Community and Norway, is traditionally one of the most important in the Northeast Atlantic. Some scientists, however, have been warning for a number of years that a collapse, similar to that of the “northern cod” stock off the east coast of Canada, was imminent and in November last year, the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) issued serious warnings that the cod stock was in a perilous state. As a result, the two parties agreed last year to set a much-reduced total allowable catch (TAC) for 2001 (a reduction of 40 per cent). Shortly after, in December, the EC Council of Fisheries Ministers asked the European Commission to elaborate emergency conservation measures and to develop a long-term strategy for the renewal of the stock. Following extensive consultations on both sides with scientists and representatives from the fisheries sector, negotiations took place between the EC and Norway in January. This led to the adoption on 24 January of an Agreed Record on Consultations between the European Community and Norway on the North Sea Crisis, which set out the framework for a plan to enable the recovery of the cod stock. A further meeting was held on 2 February and further meetings are planned for the future in order to elaborate and implement the details of the plan. As regards the Agreed Record itself, it can essentially be split into two parts: emergency measures in the short-term and long-term measures for rebuilding the cod stock. Emergency measures In the Agreed Record, the parties agree to implement, in conformity with their respective internal procedures within their respective areas of fisheries jurisdiction, the establishment of a temporary “controlled area” in the North Sea in which fishing will be closed for all types of fishing operations between 14 February and 30 April, with the exception of fisheries for pelagic species conducted with purse seines or trawls and fishing for sandeel. (The controlled area is delimited by the coordinates and statistical rectangles set out in an Appendix to the Agreed Record). The purpose of the controlled area, which corresponds to the areas where and the times when spawning of cod takes place, is to prevent any fishing operations which are likely to catch cod, in order to allow the maximum survival of fish from the reproductive activity of this year's spawning stock. The exception for the pelagic fisheries and sandeel are permitted because cod is a demersal species (i.e. one that lives near the bottom of the sea) and does not therefore mix with the mid-water pelagic species. The two parties also agreed on the need to elaborate appropriate control measures applicable to the area during the closure period. The Agreed Record specified a number of areas for elaboration and a further meeting took place on 2 February to discuss the necessary measures. The measures agreed include:
Each party is required to monitor the geographical distribution of fishing effort and catches of their fleets engaged in demersal fisheries in the North Sea during the closed period and to provide a report before 1 June 2001. Long-term cod recovery plan In addition to emergency measures in the short-term, the Agreed Record sets out the framework for the development of a long-term cod recovery plan. In particular, the parties acknowledged the need to implement technical measures to improve the selectivity of fishing gears in order to reduce discards and improve the exploitation pattern for cod and other demersal species (by reducing the numbers of young fish caught). To this end, consultations with fishermen, national administrations and scientists are continuing and a meeting of appropriate experts from the EC and Norway is schedules to take place at the beginning of March. Later in March, the two parties have agreed to meet again to discuss any new technical measures (in particular to enhance the selectivity of gears) and also any appropriate control measures, with a view to introducing and implementing additional measures by 1 May 2001 or as soon as possible thereafter. This will be the first stage of the long-term cod recovery plan, although the parties have also agreed that a comprehensive cod recovery plan should be developed and implemented not later than 1 January 2002. Whether or not these measures will turn out to be a case of “too little, too late” remains to be seen. They are not as far-reaching as some environmentalists would have liked, while, on the other hand, many in the fishing industry are unhappy because they consider the restrictions, which are likely to have a damaging effect on the industry in the short-term, to be too severe. Indeed, it is true that the measures concerned, notably the substantial reduction in the TAC and the establishment of a closed season/area designed to prevent not only direct catches but also by-catches of cod, are among the most drastic conservation measures ever taken between the European Community and Norway. It is evident, however, that such measures are warranted, given the state of the cod stock and the decision to take such measures, combined with the elaboration of a long-term recovery plan, does at least appear to underline a certain commitment to see the cod stock recover. Chris Hedley The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone. Nothing in this article is intended to represent the official position of the European Community and should not be construed as such. Further links Agreed Record of Consultations between the European Community and Norway on the North Sea Crisis (Current Materials) EC Press Release, 7 February 2001 |
