Council of Fisheries Ministers (Hansard, 19 December 1986)

§ Mr. Gummer

Together with my hon. Friend, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Scottish Office, I represented the United Kingdom at the meeting of the Council of Fisheries Ministers in Brussels on 17 and 18 December.

I am delighted to be able to report that at this, the fourth and last meeting of the Fisheries Council under the presidency of my right hon. Friend the Minister of 827W Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, decisions were reached by qualified majority on the level of total allowable catches, quotas, guide prices and third country fishing arrangements for 1987. Once again, therefore, these arrangements were all settled before the year to which they apply. I am also glad to report that the final settlement on TACs and quotas secured virtually all of the United Kingdom's negotiating objectives as I outlined them in the debate in the House on 16 December.

In particular, agreement was reached on an important seasonal conservation measure requiring the use of a minimum mesh size of 100mm in an area adjoining the German and Dutch coasts. This area is larger than the closed area originally proposed by the Commission. This arrangement will apply in the first and last quarters of 1987 and will make an important contribution to protecting the juvenile cod. In the light of this measure the Commission will re-examine with Norway the level of TACs agreed for the white fish joint stocks. But, subject to any adjustments to which this may lead and to the review of the haddock TAC next year, which had already been provided for, the Council approved the reduced level of TACs agreed with Norway on the basis of the firm scientific advice.

The Council adopted increases in the TACs proposed by the Commission for a number of stocks of cod, haddock, sole, plaice, anglerfish, megrim, nephrops and pollack in areas VI and VII. These go a long way to making good the reductions in opportunities originally proposed and will be very welcome to our fishermen who would have been unduly restricted by the Commission's original proposals. For the very important sole and plaice stocks in areas VI and VII, the quotas for our fishermen for 1987 have been set at a level about 7 per cent. above that initially set for 1986.

On the pelagic fisheries, the Council increased the TAC for Western mackerel and restored part of the reductions originally proposed by the Commission on the TACs for west of Scotland and Irish Sea herring, while taking full account of the scientific advice. As a result the combined opportunities of herring and mackerel for United Kingdom fishermen for 1987 will be some 7 per cent. higher than those initially set for 1986. The Council approved the outcome of the Commission's negotiations with Norway, Sweden. Greenland and Canada on the fishing and other arrangements for 1987 as well as endorsing the Commission's proposed approach to concluding negotiations with the Faroe Islands.

The Council adopted by qualified majority a compromise package put forward by the presidency on fish guide prices for 1987. This included a reduction of 7 per cent. in the guide price for herring, which will bring the support arrangements more into line with the realities of the market. The Council also formally adopted by qualified majority the regulations on the control measures discussed at the Council on 5 November and the structural measures for the fisherie's sector discussed at the Council on 3 December.

This meeting of the Fisheries Council was the final one under the United Kingdom presidency. In the course of the last six months, agreement has been reached on five major subjects—on revised technical measures for conservation, on very much improved arrangements for control, on a comprehensive programme on structures, on the long-term basis for sharing the North Sea herring stock with Norway, and now on guide prices, total allowable catches 828W and quotas for 1987. The Council has therefore made outstanding progress. In combination with the common fisheries policy settled in 1983, these measures now provide a comprehensive and fully effective basis for the Community's fishermen not just for next year but in most respects for years to come.