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Brussels and the United Kingdom have reached an agreement on fishing rights for species distributed between the waters of the two sides, in a sign of progress in bilateral relations before in general Brexi conversations next week.
The two sides announced the fishing rights agreement on Wednesday evening after months of negotiations that were repeatedly marred by disputes over how to maximize access to fishing while meeting environmental goals.
The agreement sets catch limits for more than 70 different types of fish spread between EU and UK waters. The agreement mainly covers fishing rights for the rest of 2021, with some catch limits for deep-water species extending to 2022.
Negotiations were the first post-Brexit exercise by the two sides to hold talks on fishing as two independent coastal powers. Brussels has had similar annual conversations with other neighbors, such as Norway, for decades.
These talks are normally held before the start of the calendar year to give fishermen the certainty of global fish volumes they can catch, but EU-UK negotiations were extended this year because the two sides only sealed a a broader future relationship agreement the last days of 2020.
Since then, fishermen have operated under interim provisions, as mutual access to each other’s waters is already guaranteed by the future relationship agreement.
Both parties are required by international law to negotiate how to soundly manage fish species distributed among their waters.
EU officials said the deal was balanced, with Brussels managing to limit UK efforts to move catch quotas for the best-stocked North Sea eagle and other fish into the waters of the west coast of Scotland, fearing that Brussels would end up harming fish stocks. Britain achieved some additional flexibility for mackerel, a key priority.
Esben Sverdrup-Jensen, chief executive of the Danish Pelagic Producers Organization, said the agreement was positive in the sense that it would hopefully unblock talks on other fisheries issues between the EU and the UK.
But he said some of the terms of the deal meant an additional blow to its members after they had already endured cuts as part of last year’s EU-UK deal.
“There are a lot of things to deal with that need to be discussed and everything was put on hold until these bilateral discussions were dealt with,” he said. “But we are very unhappy that we have been forced to give up even more quotas above last year’s Brexit agreement, because the UK has pushed for quotas for the sand eel and the Norwegian scoundrel. below scientific advice “.
He estimated that the agreement on quotas for mudflats and sand eels would cost its members approximately 10,000 tonnes of fishing rights, noting that both stocks had been certified as sustainable.
Flash points during the months of talks included an attempt by the UK to ban all fishing in British waters that are part of the Dogger Bank Sea area, a move the UK said made sense for environmental reasons. , but that would have overwhelmingly affected EU ships.
George Eustice, UK Secretary of the Environment, acknowledged that the talks had been “challenging”.
“Our aim throughout these fisheries negotiations has been to safeguard the sustainability of our fish stocks and seek an agreement that respects our new status and works for the UK fishing industry,” he said.
Maximization of fishing rights for Scottish fishermen it was a key target of the UK in the talks.
Mairi Gougeon, secretary of Scotland’s Rural Affairs Cabinet, said: “After months of uncertainty and disruptions as a result of Brexit, this agreement will provide more clarity on fisheries arrangements for 2021.
“However, the fact remains that Scotland has been withdrawn against our will from the European single market, which is seven times larger than the British market, with all the economic disruption and damage that this entails.”
Elaine Whyte, of the Clyde Fishermen’s Association, which represents fishing interests on the west coast of Scotland, said quota shifts in Scottish waters resulting from the agreement appeared to be disadvantages in the area.
“We’re seeing almost every stock of finfish, a rod, that flexes from west to east to meet the requirements of larger fleets,” Whyte said. “Obviously, this change is of great concern to fishermen in the West Coast community.”
The agreement does not resolve the dispute between France and the United Kingdom over French fishing rights in Jersey waters. But EU officials said they hoped the outcome of the talks would foster a new positive shift in relations.
The British and French navies both sent ships to patrol the waters of Jersey last month after French complaints about fishing license conditions turned into a confrontation.
EU Brexit Commissioner Maros Sefcovic will meet next Wednesday with its UK counterpart David Frost for high-level meetings on Brexit, in which the latest tensions over fishing will be on the agenda.
EU fisheries commissioner Virginijus Sinkevičius said Wednesday’s agreement was positive “for the sustainable use of our marine resources”.
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