BRUSSELS—Europe’s fisheries chief called for hefty quota cuts
on Wednesday to protect exotic deepwater species, some of which can live up to
150 years, with trawling to be banned for deep-sea sharks and orange roughy from
2010.
With names like forkbeard, black scabbardfish, greater silver
smelt and roundnose grenadier, Europe’s deep-sea fish grow and reproduce far
more slowly than fish in shallower waters and are far more vulnerable to
overfishing.
With the depletion of mainstay commercial fish such as cod
and hake in recent years, they have become an attractive catch as trawlers
switch from their regular fishing grounds.
In its recommendations for quota cuts, to be debated by EU
fisheries ministers in November, the European Commission wants the 2009
reductions to range up to 50 percent, followed by cuts that extend up to 100
percent in 2010.
In the cases of orange roughy and deep-sea sharks, that means
no fishing at all in two years’ time.
"We began reducing catch levels on some of the more
vulnerable stocks in 2006, with a view to reaching zero catch in four years.
This gradual phase-out has given the industry time to adjust and refocus," EU
Fisheries Commissioner Joe Borg said.
France, Spain and Portugal rank among the EU countries with
the most developed deep-sea fishing industries, followed by Britain and Ireland.
In European waters, deep-sea fish are mainly found in the
north Atlantic at depths of 400 meters (1,310 feet) and more. Orange roughy, one
of the most valuable and vulnerable species, can live for 150 years.
The EU has strict rules to control deepwater fishing. Special permits are
needed for vessels to land or transship more than a certain amount of these
fish, which may only be delivered to specified ports. But enforcement has often
been patchy.
