EU steps up effort to save endangered cod stocks

North Sea fishermen face tougher compliance checks over the next six months, as new EU control systems to save endangered cod stocks come into effect.

The Community Fisheries Control Agency on Friday (13 July) adopted a cross-border fisheries control plan which will see Norway and the seven EU member states with North Sea cod fishing quotas share staff, boats and other resources in an effort to stop illegal fishing practices.

Under the traditional system, national authorities can only inspect fishing boats in their own waters. But the new ‘joint multi-national fisheries controls’ will allow cross-border checks.

"Scottish fishermen have already been surprised to see German patrol boats checking up on them, or to find one of their inspectors on a Danish boat," said Cephas Ralph of the Scottish Fisheries Protection Agency, which ran a trial of the new system earlier this month. The UK holds almost half of the North Sea cod fishing quotas, with the majority of those going to Scottish vessels.

The agency was created as part of a reform of the Common Fisheries Policy to combat over-fishing and fish discards. It plans to run seven inspection missions before the end of the year, on undisclosed dates.

"The fishing industry has in the past said it struggles with the rules because they are complex and difficult to apply," said Harm Koster, the agency’s executive director, adding that "quite a number of infringements" were "not to do with the complications of legislation".

Fishermen have, for example, in the past been caught trying to hide nets finer than the accepted EU mesh size inside standard fishing nets, according to Koster.

Bertie Armstrong of the Scottish Fisherman’s Federation said: "It would be daft to pretend we haven’t had some problems with compliance in the past, but we are now up to full compliance and need to make sure everyone else is doing the same."

North Sea fishermen face tougher compliance checks over the next six months, as new EU control systems to save endangered cod stocks come into effect.