Europe has some simple and very effective rules to deal with overfishing If you catch too many one year, that is over and above the amount you were allowed to under your quota, you will have the amount deducted from next year’s quota. And, if you have been very reckless and caught really a very large amount above what you were allowed to, the Commission will deduct it from your quota over a few years.
So, I was interested to see this Parliamentary Question from the Spanish Social Democrat José Blanco López .
I had to read it a few times.
It seems to be saying. that the Galacian fleet is doign a far better job in overfishing than it used to. It’s still overfishing, but a lot less than it used to, so could the Euroepan Commission be less tough in applying the law.
Now, the rule of law sometimes seems an alien concept for those working at sea. But, the pay back rules have been applied for several years. The rule was applied in a bag way against the French, Spanish and Italian Blue Fin Tuna fleet a few years back. They had problems about landing the correct quota.
The UK and Irish Government who had voluntarily disclosed the overfishing of their own fleets a few years earlier and had asked for the pay back rules to be applied thought that the rule of law should apply. After a tense fisheries council down in Luxembourg the rules were applied.
Fishermen can catch over their quota. It’s just next year they need to pay back all the catch. Of course, the alternative would be stop fishing when they reached their quota!
Why this should be varied is not clear from the Question.
Parliamentary questions 2 September 2014 E-006474-14
Question for written answer to the Commission Rule 130 José Blanco López (S&D)
Subject: Quota deductions due to overfishing
On 11 August 2014, the Commission published the quota deductions applicable to those Member States which had declared having exceeded their 2013 fishing quotas
. These deductions are down by 22% compared with last year, which has given the Commission cause to note that ‘we did a better job in 2013 than in previous years’.
In the case of Spain, the fishing sector’s commitment to staying within its quotas and to efficient and sustainable fisheries management has led to a reduction in overfishing, as shown by the fact that the country’s quota deductions for 2014 have been reduced by more than the EU average.
In light of this and the limited fishing opportunities and current difficulties faced by the fishing sector, could the Commission consider smaller quota deductions or measures to alleviate these, given the situation faced by the sector and the impact which a reduction in fishing opportunities may have on employment and the viability of fishing activity in regions particularly dependent on fishing, such as Galicia?