Fisheries: Quotas
(asked on 4th January 2016) - View Source
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the effect of changes to fishing quotas announced at the December 2015 Fisheries and Agriculture Council meeting on the long-term sustainability of fish stocks in UK waters.
My provisional assessment of the effect of the changes to fishing quotas, agreed at the December 2015 Fisheries and Agriculture Council, is that 24 of the fish stocks in which the UK has an interest will be fished at or below maximum sustainable yield levels in 2016. This is an increase of 8 (50%) compared with the outcome of the 2014 negotiations.
Stocks fished at, or below, maximum sustainable yield in 2015:
1. North Sea haddock |
2. West of Scotland haddock |
3. Nephrops IV in Fladen ground |
4. North Sea plaice |
5. North Sea sprat |
6. North Sea autumn spawning herring |
7. Irish Sea herring |
8. Herring in Division VIa (North) |
9. Herring VIIa Celtic Sea and South of Ireland |
10. Herring in subareas I, II, V and sub areas Vi and VII |
11. Western Channel sole |
12. Horse Mackerel IIa. IVa. Vb. VIa. VIIa-c. e-k. VIII |
13. Whiting VII b-k |
14. Blue ling in Division Vb. and Subareas VI and VII |
15. NE Atlantic spurdog |
16. Roundnose grenadier in Vb, VI, VII |
Additional stocks which will be fished at, or below, maximum sustainable yield in 2016:
17.North Sea cod |
18.Nephrops in the Firth of Forth |
19.Nephrops in Moray Firth |
20.North Sea, West of Scotland and Rockall saithe |
21.Western Channel plaice |
22.Rockall haddock |
23. Megrim in Divisions IVa and Via |
24. Irish Sea sole |