The two sides failed to reach an agreement on key North Sea fish quotas before Christmas. (Map: Stock File/ FIS)

EU, Norway give quota talks another chance

UNITED KINGDOM
Thursday, January 21, 2010, 01:50 (GMT + 9)

The talks to determine the critical quotas for Scottish fishers in the North Sea in 2010 began in Brussels on Tuesday.

Last month, three negotiations between the European Union (EU) and Norway to fix the quotas for many of the Scottish fishing fleet’s mainstay catches all failed, leading to a fight over fishing rights.

The December EU Fish Council thus set interim fisheries management measures in place in the North Sea for lucrative species such as cod, haddock and whiting. This key agreement includes a lowered transfer of blue whiting quotas from the EU to the Faroes and a rollover in quotas for nearly all of the major whitefish stocks, STV reports.

Norway had refused to compromise on the allocation of quotas in the North Sea in response to Scotland’s closure of mackerel grounds in its waters to Norwegian trawlers. The Norwegian Government said this ban was a violation of the bilateral fisheries agreement between the two parties.

Scotland has since been banned from Norwegian fishing grounds, while Norwegian vessels are banned from Scottish fishing grounds. Up to last month’s talks, both countries were allowed to fish in each other’s waters.

This week's talks are will seek to end the animosity in a compromise on new catch limits of cod, whiting, haddock, herring and mackerel.

"We are fairly confident that an agreement between the EU and Norway will be reached this week, which will hopefully bring to an end the current period of uncertainty over the final quota levels for 2010,” Ian Gatt, the president of the Scottish Fishermen's Federation (SFF), said. “It will also enable Scottish boats to gain access to Norwegian waters and vice versa."

Negotiators also refused to budge in December over access arrangements for the Faroese to fish for mackerel in EU waters until a full agreement is reached by the Coastal States. The next meeting will reconvene in March.

Norway and the Faroes reached an agreement on shared stocks separately, which encourages success at this week’s meetings for many people.

Related article:

- EU-Norway fish talks: 'a missed opportunity'

By Natalia Real
[email protected]
www.seafood.media

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