25 Oct
2006 - Brussels/Luxembourg - EU Fisheries Ministers
have written off cod from the Baltic Sea last
night in Luxembourg. WWF, the global conservation
organisation, denounces the decision of the Council
on fishing opportunities in the Baltic for the
coming year as irresponsible.
Deaf to repeated scientific
advice asking for a ban, the Ministers have refused
to close the collapsing cod fisheries in the eastern
Baltic and have cut quota by only 10 per cent
for 2007. As a result, the eastern Baltic cod
is likely to remain overexploited, with no chance
for a proper recovery. With yesterday’s decision,
the western stock of Baltic cod is also on the
black list: quota will only be reduced by 6 per
cent.
“The EU Ministers have condemned
Baltic cod for the sake of short-term economic
interests. Based on the harsh economic reality
caused by the collapse of cod in the North Atlantic,
we know just how short-sighted this decision is”,
says Carol Phua, Fisheries Policy Officer at WWF
European Policy Office. “The chances for Baltic
cod to recover in these conditions are very limited.
While we had hoped the EU understood the urgency
to follow scientific recommendations, they clearly
have, once again, turned their back on science
as well as common sense. It is truly appalling”.
The EU Member States have also
agreed to weaken the Commission proposal on control
and monitoring measures for fisheries in the Baltic
Sea, which is a breach in the fight against illegal
and unreported fisheries, a serious problem in
the region.
Caroline Alibert, WWF
European Policy Office
