Fishing bans threaten EU white fish fleets; EU gives way to Peruvian sardines; Russian Far East stocks under pressure; ICCAT accuses EU of overfishing tuna; Slower growth in Chilean salmon industry; Fishmeal catches hit by Peruvian ban

摘要

The International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) has issued its bleakest ever advice on the state of the EU's cod stocks, and Fisheries Commissioner Franz Fischler has warned that the Commission is likely to propose zero TACs for cod,haddock and whiting next year. There would also be substantial quota reductions for plaice and nephrops in order to minimise the bycatch of cod. The EU has accepted a World Trade Organisation (WTO) ruling that sardines from Peru are the same species asthose caught in Europe, and must be admitted to the EU market as such. However, the EU has expressed disappointment with the WTO ruling. There is heavy fishing pressure on valuable commercial fish stocks in the Russian Far East, and they have fallen sharply since the mid-1980s, Russian scientists say. Meanwhile, many other stocks are under-exploited due to a lack of suitable fishing vessels. A report by the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tuna (ICCAT) says that current levels of bluefin tuna fishing in the Eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean are unsustainable. A major factor in the overfishing is the proliferation of tuna fattening farms, mainly in Spain. The Chilean salmon farming industry is expected to grow at rates of 6-10percent annually over the next few years, but exports could be hit in the near term by EU 'anti-dumping' action. Some improvement in the Japanese market is noted. Catches by the world's top five fishmeal producers dropped to the lowest level for 15 yearsin August, mainly due to a prolonged anchovy fishing moratorium in Peru. The ban is due to be lifted on November 2.