Good deal for Wales – 2016 fishing quota agreement reached

Deputy Minister for Farming and Food, Rebecca Evans has welcomed a “strong and fair” deal for the Welsh fishing industry which will increase quotas and ensure sustainable stocks for years to come.

Rebecca Evans helped secure the deal as part of the UK Ministerial negotiating team at the EU Fisheries Council in Brussels which concluded early this morning (16 December).

The Deputy Minister was clear throughout the negotiations that the measures agreed should safeguard the sustainability of the stock while also being fair to those coastal communities who depend on the sea for their living.

Following the Council meeting, the Deputy Minister said:

“Striking the right balance in these negotiations is always challenging, and I am grateful to those who represent the catching sector and the recreational sector for meeting with me in advance of the negotiations to discuss the likely impact of the initial proposals.

“The package we have negotiated for them is in line with what we discussed, while still protecting the environment and safeguarding the stock.”

The original proposal for a blanket ban to prohibit fishing for sea bass for the first six months of the year for commercial and recreational fishers has now been changed.  Sport anglers who want to continue to “catch and release” their bass at all times can continue to do so. Small inshore vessels that use hook and line or fixed nets that are selective will be able to fish outside of February and March – the period when the fish are spawning. The assessment suggests that these measures are on target to achieve Maximum Sustainable Yield by 2018.

However, the science on the state of the bass stock is compelling, and other types of gear (seine netting, drift netting and trawling) will be prohibited when fishing for sea bass for the first 6 months of the year.

Following representations made by the Deputy Minister, the Commission decided against applying an arbitrary cut to data limited stock but instead agreed to follow the science that suggested a roll-over of the current years fishing opportunity levels.  In Wales, this means that Skate and Ray catch limits will remain unchanged.

“Overall, a strong and fair balance has been struck between protecting the economic interests of small scale fishers and the need to move stocks toward the position where they can be fished sustainably in the future”