closed The deal allows you to keep the volume of catches of 2018

Will remain in 9.257 tonnes for the EU, 5.923 to Spain

Represents a cut to zero compared to what was set forth in the EC

After four successive years of cuts, the Spanish fleet will be able to maintain for the first time their catches of hake in the waters on the peninsula in 2019, following the agreement reached by the ministers of the European Union (EU), that puts an end to this decline in the fisheries quota of greater commercial interest to Spain.

The fishing of hake in the bay of Biscay and in the waters of Galicia, portugal and Gulf of Cadiz may stay in 9.257 tonnes in 2019 to the EU as a whole, of which 5.923 to Spain, said the Spanish minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Luis Planas, after more than 16 hours of negotiations with his european counterparts.

“it is With satisfaction I can say that we have managed to maintain exactly the same fishing opportunities that we had in the year 2018,” said the minister at a press conference at the end of the negotiation.

in Front of the initial crop proposed by the European Commission (EC), 9.258 to 7.963 tons, closed the deal allows you to keep the volume of catches of 2018, a red line for Spain in the negotiation since the fishing of hake in these waters is essential for 650 vessels and 3,500 fishermen.

This represents a cut to zero compared to that posed by the EC, in its proposal for allocation of Total Allowable Catches (TACS) and quotas for the Atlantic and the North sea by 2019 target was a reduction of 14%.

The cuts of the last four years -15%, 23%, 1.5% and 12%- have allowed this species is placed in the objective of Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY, the optimal level of catch that can be extracted from a fish population each year without causing harm to the stock) of this population by 2020.

“fishing is a fishing operation but is also of conservation; without such conservation would have no future,” he said Flat.

In terms of the hake in northern waters, the proposal retains the increase of the fee, 22.7% for waters for non-Spanish in the bay of Biscay and a 27.5% in waters of the Great Sun, which implies a total catch of 131.880 tonnes for the EU, of which 39.549 correspond to Spain.

it Is however the closure to fishing of norway lobster in the waters of the bay of Biscay (VIIIc), with a limit of two tons for scientific research, after the latest reports of the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES), which force you to close this fishery for the third consecutive year, the margin of the exploration campaign.

for norway lobster in the waters of Galicia, Portugal, and Gulf of Cadiz (areas 9 and 10), increases the fee a rise of 5.2%, with 100 tonnes for Spain 401 approved for the whole of the EU.

on the other hand, the EU has decided to raise the quota of cock in the waters of scotland (6.4 per cent), the Big Sun (47,3%), in the gulf of Biscay (40 %) and in waters to the south (35 %), with a limit of total catch for Spain 8.768 tons.

In the case of rape, it also goes up the quota in waters of the south iberian (5%) and in northern waters, of the 1.5% and 7%, according to different fishing grounds, said the minister.

The horse mackerel also comes in the species for which the EU will increase the quota, with an increase of 18 % in the waters to the west and 17.9% in the waters of the bay of Biscay.

The EU maintains a quota for anchovy in the bay of Biscay, with 33,000 tonnes total, of which 29.770 are for the Spanish ships.

The Spanish fishing fleet has managed to also calm down another of his concerns, to find a solution to the ban of discards (throwing away the sea unwanted catches) which especially affected the ships of the Great Sun caught species for which they have no quota, and which until now threw themselves to the sea.

The EU has agreed to establish bag common of the species called accessory to that Spain does not have quota, in particular of cod, whiting and plaice, with the countries to which they have transferred 6% of their catch to the Spanish ships, and Dutch.

According to the minister’s Flat, this bag of catches to maintain the activity of the Spanish fleet.

“I can assure you that on the basis of the agreement reached today, we will be able to achieve the needs of our fleet,” he said.

catches of 53 populations in european waters are situated now at a level of maximum sustainable yield, compared to only 5 in 2009 and 44 in 2017, and this agreement will allow the figure to climb to 59.

The goal is that these amount to 89 by 2020, in line with the objectives of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP)

According to the criteria of

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