The European Union and the United Kingdom agree on how much fish they can manage together this year. This creates clarity for their fishermen who have to work with temporary catch limits for the first few months of January.
Fish supply is one of the most difficult issues in the Brexit negotiations. With the Brexit deal, there is not enough time to acknowledge how many individual, lobster, turbo and other fish can be caught in 2021. So both parties have set up temporary fishing opportunities.
I still agree
The European Commission says there is still an agreement on “75 shared fish species for 2021 and some deep-sea species for 2021 and 2022”. “This proves that both partners on both sides of the channel can reach agreements and that progress can be made if they work together,” said Virginius Singevisius, the European commissioner in charge.
Since this year, London and Brussels have had to make new deals on the supply of fish. In March, the United Kingdom, the European Union and Norway already agreed on the supply of North Sea fish they manage together. Flemish Agriculture and Fisheries Minister Hilde Grevitz is pleased that Europe and the United Kingdom have now reached an agreement on fisheries. “This agreement will be the basis for future annual negotiations. Negotiations have taken a long time and the sector has been living in a state of uncertainty,” the minister said.
Flemish Fishing Navy
According to Krevitz, all annual catches for the Flemish fishing fleet depend on fish stocks that have now been reached, with the exception of fishing in the Bay of Biscay and the Norwegian region. “It contains the same creatures that are important to our Flemish Navy, including plague, monfish, squid and scallops,” he explains.
“The sector now knows how many fish can be caught under sustainable management until the end of 2021. Fishermen can plan their operations so that they can supply fresh fish throughout the year. Now that this agreement has been reached, member states can exchange fish quantities with the UK through the European Commission. This is also important for the Flemish Navy, as it requires an adequate allocation for all species of fish to be caught in mixed fish. ”Grevitz will review the deal in detail in the coming days.
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