Javier Garat, Cepesca Secretary General. (Photo: YouTube/Maattoledo)
'Fishing opportunities for 2013 are still inadequate,' warns Cepesca
SPAIN
Friday, December 21, 2012, 23:00 (GMT + 9)
The Spanish Fisheries Confederation (Cepesca) argues that fishing opportunities, total allowable catches (TACs) and quotas for 2013 agreed by the EU Fisheries Council of Ministers improve the initial intentions, but "are still insufficient for the Spanish fleet ".
Cepesca Secretary General, Javier Garat, and the head of the National Association of Fishing Vessel Owners in Gran Sol (Anasol), Hugo Gonzalez, acknowledged the work of the Spanish delegation in the Council.
They attended the meeting with a strategy based on sound scientific argumentation and could "substantially improve the EC’s initial proposal, which was extremely harmful to the interests of the Spanish fishing sector," Cepesca explained.
But Garat regreted the inflexible and uncompromising attitude of the EU Commissioner of Fisheries , Maria Damanaki, who only partially recognised the scientific evidence presented.
"We will have to deal with important reductions in species relevant to the fleet operating in the national fishing grounds, as monkfish (25 per cent) or Norwegian lobster (10 per cent in the Cantabrian and 9 per cent in the Gulf of Cádiz) or the fleet fishing in Gran Sol, with cuts of 5 per cent in monkfish or 10 per cent in ray," he continued.
Anyway, it was possible to improve the conditions for some important resources for Spain, as the northern hake, which will keep the quota of 2012 although the EC had proposed a 32 per cent reduction.
It was also achieved 43 per cent TAC increase for the crayfish and the opportunities for fishing megrim could also be mantained off Gran Sol, against the 40 per cent cut proposed by the EC.
Regarding the national fishing grounds, Garat highlighted the increase of 15 per cent of the fishing opportunities for southern hake.
And in the Gulf of Cadiz, the anchovy had an increase of 5 per cent, the blue whiting in Andalusia and Cantabria, a rise of 13 per cent, and the megrim, sole and codfish kept their quotas.
But Garat was also regretful for the catch reductions for Iberian waters monkfish, Northwestern Cantabrian and Gulf of Cadiz Norwegian lobster, and the horse mackerel from the waters of that gulf.
"Less catches mean less income," lamented Garat.
Cepesca Secretary General criticised the fact that every year negotiations begin with "very restrictive, unjustified and catastrophic proposals which end up after a marketing process with less kilos of fish for the industry."
By Analia Murias
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www.seafood.media
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