The Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Luis Planas, has considered «unacceptable» the reduction of fishing days in the Mediterranean for 2023 proposed by the European Commission.
«Spain cannot support a reduction of fishing days as the one proposed. We are talking about an additional reduction of three weeks per vessel,» he said.
The minister has defended for Spain a balanced fishing agreement, which allows to maintain the activity and profitability of the fleet, while preserving resources.
This was expressed this Sunday at the Council of Ministers of Agriculture and Fisheries of the European Union (EU) held in Brussels, where they will try to reach a political agreement on the total allowable catch (TAC) and quotas for 2023 in EU and non-EU waters, as well as fishing opportunities, in days of activity, in the Mediterranean.
The minister stressed that the priorities for Spain are to achieve increases in quotas for southern hake, a species of great interest to the fleet and consumers, and whose biological situation has improved considerably. Planas is confident that, after eight years of cuts, thanks to the favorable scientific data, the fishing possibilities for this species will be increased.
Regarding the eel, Spain does not share the «drastic cut» that is proposed for the fishing periods, which in practice means the closure of the fishery, and has maintained the importance of «balanced proposals».
In relation to the negotiations between the EU and the United Kingdom, the minister has shown his concern, because it should have been signed this Saturday, December 10. Therefore, he advocated «more time to reach a good agreement» before adopting a bad agreement quickly.
PROPOSAL OF PLURIANNUAL QUOTAS Also, Spain with the support of France and Portugal, has raised the need to set, in certain fishery species, multiannual quotas, two and up to three years, to provide greater stability and planning capacity to fishing activity. The aim of this initiative, which would be launched under the Spanish presidency in the second half of 2023, is to enable the fishing sector to better plan its business activity, under multiannual scientific advice.
«If we make a collective effort we can identify those stocks and move forward. It will be a sign that we modernize ourselves, as a Council, at the same time that we modernize the sector,» he remarked.
The meeting will continue this Monday, December 12, where they will discuss the market situation, the strategic plans of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), geographical indications and quality schemes, animal welfare, as well as the sustainable use of plant protection products and front-of-package labeling.
