A third round of talks to resolve the dispute that has the European Union and Norway pitted against Iceland and the Faeroes Islands regarding the 2011 mackerel quota began in Oslo, Norway, on Thursday.
The original goal was to secure a four-way management plan for the Atlantic mackerel stock. But Iceland was accused of walking away from the negotiations last week, leaving the Faeroes at the table for a fourth round of talks scheduled to take place in Copenhagen, Denmark, next week.
“This effectively means that Iceland will set its own quota for 2011 and not be part of a joint management plan for the stock with the other main stakeholders in the fishery. We believe that joint management involving all coastal states is essential to ensure that this valuable resource is fished sustainably,” said Ian Gatt, CEO of the Scottish Pelagic Fishermen’s Association.
“It is a great pity that Iceland does not seem to recognize the importance of integrated and sensible management,” he added. “It is encouraging, however, that the Faeroese are still talking as they have been part of a long standing international agreement for many years and hopefully their willingness to continue to negotiate will result in a three-party deal with the EU and Norway in the coming weeks.”
Australia perplexed by China’s import ban
The Australian government on Tuesday said it is working to overcome an import ban China apparently imposed on Australian rock lobsters on 15 November.
However, despite numerous reports of an import ban, Chinese quarantine and customs officials said that no ban is in effect.
“The government is continuing to work with officers at the Australian Embassy in Beijing to investigate these reports. We are also working closely with the Australian rock lobster industry to determine the exact nature of the problems being experienced,” said Joe Ludwig, Australia’s fisheries minister. “The government will continue to push for quick clearance of Australian product arriving in China.”
Australia’s rock lobster exports to China and Hong Kong totaled approximately AUD 300 million in 2010.
Scotland: One-third of North Sea fish discarded
One-third of the fish caught in the North Sea is discarded, the Scottish government said on Friday, urging the European Union to reform its fisheries policy to rectify the situation.
“Throwing dead fish back into the sea will do nothing for cod recovery or deliver the main aim of harvesting fish stocks sustainably,” said Richard Lochhead, Scotland’s fisheries secretary.
Then on Sunday, the World Wildlife Fund weighed in on the matter, emphasizing that the existing cod recovery plan doesn’t tackle the problem of catches beyond quotas. “The need for effective discard reduction measures are long overdue, and long-term management plans based on fisheries rather than single fish stocks must be enforced in the upcoming reform of the EU Common Fisheries Policy,” said Mireille Thom, WWF-Scotland’s fisheries policy officer.
