The German North Sea fishermen will be allowed to catch more cod, saithe and haddock in the coming year. The permitted catch for cod increases by 60 percent to almost 2000 tons, for haddock by 25 percent to almost 1600 tons and for pollock by 17 percent to a good 5000 tons, as the Federal Ministry of Agriculture announced on Tuesday after nightly negotiations with the other EU countries.
On the other hand, the catch of North Sea herring, which is important for German fisheries, will decrease. Around 37,500 tons and thus 9 percent less than this year may be caught in 2023.
No buffer for the climate crisis
In addition, the ministries agreed on strict protection of eels. The German Ministry of Agriculture spoke of “difficult negotiations”. For environmentalists, the results don’t go far enough. “The agreed catch levels lack a buffer to absorb the effects of the climate crisis,” complained Stella Nemecky, fish expert at the environmental and species protection organization WWF.
The significantly increased catch of North Sea cod endangers the growth of the stock. “The North Sea remains a high-risk area for cod,” said Nemecky. The Bund für Umwelt und Naturschutz Deutschland (BUND) basically rated the negotiations as an improvement compared to previous years, but progress comes too late for many fish populations.
Every year, the EU states determine the total allowable catches for certain waters. On this basis, the respective national catches are allocated to the individual countries using fixed distribution keys. The negotiations are based on a proposal from the EU Commission, which is primarily based on scientific recommendations. Many fish stocks are not doing well, in addition to fishing, they are suffering from environmental influences such as climate change.
The European eel should have a closed season
There should be new protective measures for the European eel, which is threatened with extinction, as said by EU Environment Commissioner Virginijus Sinkevicius. Money from EU pots is also available for this. The Commission had proposed a six-month grace period, which was extended by three months. Germany also supported this, the Ministry of Agriculture announced. However, there is some leeway in implementation. In addition, recreational fishermen should be prohibited from catching eel in coastal waters. BUND and WWF welcomed this. However, both organizations vehemently criticized the fact that such an endangered species should be caught at all.
BUND Managing Director Antje von Broock also expressed some appreciation for the work of Agriculture Minister Cem Özdemir (Greens). “After a year we can see the first signs of a green change in German fisheries policy,” she said.
According to EU information, bilateral negotiations with Great Britain and Norway are still ongoing. For jointly managed stocks, it was therefore initially agreed to extend the existing catches to the first three months of the coming year.
