European Union fisheries ministers failed again today to agree on a deal to stop cod and hake disappearing from European waters, setting themselves up for a battle at their next meeting in December.
After decades of chronic overfishing, both species are on the brink of collapse in much of the EU, scientists say. Scientists have now called twice for an outright fishing ban on cod, a tasty dinner dish in many EU countries.
For almost two years, the executive European Commission has had a long-term strategy to boost fish stocks on the table to replace a temporary plan expiring at the end of 2003.
EU ministers are due to vote on the plan in mid-December. "There are many doubts among member states but reason should prevail," one Commission official told reporters. "If you don't have a long-term plan to protect cod, it's very difficult to justify not having zero catches."
But an official from an EU member state was less sure. "This [deadlock] has lasted too long. There are only about three member states that favour the cod plan as it stands at the moment," he said. "In December, I think there will just be an extension of the existing arrangements."
The Commission aims to increase numbers of adult cod and hake over the next five to ten years by slashing national fishing allowances, curtailing the amount of days that trawlers may spend at sea and imposing tougher controls to combat quota-busting.
The fight over the cod and hake plan at the December meeting will take place in tandem with the bloc's annual haggling over fishing quotas.