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From 5-9 December 2011 a new round of talks between the Coastal States (EU, Norway, Iceland and Faroe Islands) will take place in Clonakilty (Ireland) with the aim to come to an agreement on the joint management of the NEA mackerel stock.
This round of discussions constitutes already the 3rd round of mackerel talks in 2011 alone.
The mackerel fishery is at the moment one of the most valuable fisheries in the Atlantic Ocean, which is one of the reasons why it proves to be so difficult to come to an agreement on the joint management of this stock. Since 2010 the EU and Norway have –as major shareholders in this stock– come to a 10 year management agreement. The current mackerel talks aim to include the mackerel fisheries of Iceland and the Faroe Islands in a joint management agreement.
Just prior to this important meeting in Ireland the EU mackerel fishing industry, organized in the Northern Pelagic Working Group (NPWG), has expressed its concern and is underlining some crucial points on the issue:
· The NPWG is aware of political and diplomatic pressure within the EU to come quickly to an agreement with, at least, Iceland. This is related to the current talks between the EU and Iceland on the possible accession of Iceland to the EU.
The NPWG wishes to express its grave concern that the EC as negotiator for the EU will be willing to give in too much to the Icelandic demands on the mackerel issue just to come to a quick mackerel agreement in order to remove the mackerel issue as a possible obstacle for the accession talks.
The mackerel issue must not be made subject to the accession issue!
· The NPWG wants to underline the overall importance that Norway and the EU will stick together as partners in these mackerel negotiations until the end.
Furthermore we would like to reiterate our guideline principles for these negotiations:
· Bad behavior must not be rewarded, i.e. catch records based on bad behavior cannot be used as the basis for a new sharing arrangement between the coastal states (allocation key).
Background: Iceland and the Faroe Islands increased their share from 4.6% in 2005 to 45.9% in 2011 of the scientifically advised fishing opportunities for his stock.
· No future mackerel arrangement between the coastal states nor any bilateral arrangement between individual coastal states, in addition to a coastal states agreement, should include access for Iceland into EU waters. The NPWG in this respect considers the 2005 blue whiting coastal states agreement as a bad example that should not be followed. [1]
The Faroes on the contrary have always enjoyed some access for catching mackerel in EU waters. Therefore, if the Faroes would request more access into EU waters this could be considered on the condition that an increase of access to catch mackerel in EU waters should be paid by a lower share for the Faroe Islands in the sharing arrangement. The price for access that the NPWG has calculated is: 1% access would reduce the Faroese share with 3%.
· The EU must not let itself feel trapped by the time factor. In other words: time is working for the EU and not for Iceland and the Faroe Islands. The longer Iceland and the Faroes are overfishing the stock the more likely it is that the stock will recede from their waters. Also, according to ICES, the current state of the stock is very healthy, at least for another 2 years.
· Moreover, the EU pelagic fisheries sector has requested the European Commission to develop an effective trade sanction measure. Now, 20 months later, it is about to be presented to the European Parliament and Council, we should allow time for the measure to be adopted and take its full effect.
· A new coastal states sharing agreement should be concluded between all relevant parties at the same time: EU, Norway, Iceland and Faroe Islands. A piecemeal approach is considered by the NPWG to be a strategic mistake.
· Any new coastal states sharing agreement should be valid for 5 years without any procedure of a silent prolongation.
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