The European Union and the United Kingdom agree on the amount that can be caught this year from the species of fish they manage together. This makes clear to fishermen, who have had to work with temporary fishing limits for a few months since January.
Fish distribution was one of the most difficult issues in the Brexit negotiations. With the Brexit agreement, there was not enough time to agree on how much fish could be caught in 2021. So the two sides identified temporary fishing opportunities.
Now there is still agreement on “75 common fish species for 2021 and some deep-sea species for 2021 and 2022,” according to the European Commission.
“This proves that partners on both sides of the canal can reach agreements and take steps forward if they work together,” said European Commissioner Responsible Virginia Syncvius. Since this year, London and Brussels have had to conclude new agreements every year on the distribution of fish.
In March, the UK, the EU and Norway had already agreed to distribute the North Sea fish they manage together.
Loans are satisfied
Flemish Agriculture and Fisheries Minister Hilda Krewitz (CD&V) is pleased that Europe and the UK have now also reached an agreement on fisheries. This agreement will form the basis for future annual negotiations. Negotiations have taken a long time and the sector has lived in a state of uncertainty all this time.”
According to Krevits, almost all annual catches of the Flemish fishing fleet depend on fish stocks that have now been agreed upon, with the exception of fisheries in the Bay of Biscay and the Norwegian region. Concretely, this is about sole, salmon, monkfish, squid and scallops. The sector now knows how much fish it can catch under sustainable management until the end of 2021. Fishermen can plan their activities so that they can provide fresh fish all year round. Now that this agreement has been reached, member states can still exchange fish quantities with the UK via the European Commission. This is also critical for the Flemish fleet because for mixed fisheries, sufficient rations are needed for all species caught at the same time.’ Crevits will review the agreement in detail in the coming days.
