EU drops plan to cut fish quotas

The European Commission has dropped proposals which would have seen an automatic cut in fish quotas where there is not enough information about stock levels.

The UK had opposed the plans for a 25 per cent reduction in quotas for stocks which were lacking in data, as part of efforts to make the EU’s fisheries more sustainable, because officials said they were not based on science.

The proposals could have hit important UK fisheries including Rockall cod, Irish Sea herring, haddock and plaice, and West of Scotland whiting and pollock.

The Commission also said quotas would not automatically revert to the previous year’s level for stocks without sufficient data, but each would be assessed on a case-by-case basis.

UK Fisheries Minister Richard Benyon said he was glad to see some “realism” in the decisions from the EU Agriculture and Fisheries Council in Luxembourg.