European Union member states will argue late into the night next week (18 December) over quotas for Atlantic fish stocks in 2013, with a European Commission proposal to reduce sharply the quotas for several threatened species likely to be meet strong resistance.

The Commission says that stocks of certain types of fish found off the west coasts of of Scotland and Ireland are falling, and quotas should reflect this. That would affect Ireland and the UK, but Spain and France are also concerned about a potential reduction in allowable catches. The controversial proposal includes an 80% reduction for common sole in the Irish Sea, a 50% cut for Atlantic haddock, and a 40% cut for megrim off the north-west coast of Scotland.

Discussions on fish quotas in the North Sea are expected to be less controversial, with no proposals for drastic reductions because of recovering stocks.

Saskia Richartz, of environmental group Greenpeace, said the improvements in the North Sea are because member states accepted the strict quotas set by the Commission in the past. “We hope that this trend could be carried over to the Atlantic,” she said.

The ministers will also discuss some types of fish found in the Black Sea that are now regulated as part of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP).

Demonstration

A protest by small-scale fishermen will take place outside the Council of Ministers’ Justus Lipsius building during the fisheries meeting. The fishermen – from France, Germany, Greece, the Netherlands, Spain and the UK – say the CFP quota system is biased towards large industrial fishing operations. They want the CFP reformed to end harmful subsidies and to grant special rights to boats that fish using sustainable methods. However, CFP reform will not be discussed at next week’s meeting.

The Commission’s CFP reform proposal will, however, be discussed by members of the European Parliament’s fisheries committee, which will vote on the basic elements of the plan on the same day (18 December). More than 100 compromise amendments have been agreed, but MEPs are split over the plans.

“The margins are very narrow, but at the moment they are in favour of more substantial reform than the Council has adopted,” said Greenpeace’s Richartz.

She said that the committee is expected to give small-scale fishermen who fish sustainably priority access to fishing sites. The Council reached a general approach agreement on the proposal in June.

Cod stocks

Ministers are aiming to reach agreement on changes to the Commission’s long-term plan to improve cod stocks. The initial plan, drawn up in 2008, set objectives for 2015, but these will not be met. The ministers will discuss proposed changes to the plan, including limiting its scope and clarifying procedures.