Joint concern over Faroese quotas

Minister of Fisheries and Coastal Affairs Lisbeth Berg-Hansen and EU Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Maria Damanaki has issued a joint statement on the Faroe Islands unilateral quota for herring and mackerel:

- We regret the announcement made yesterday by the Faroe Islands of their fishing quotas for Atlanto-Scandian herring and mackerel. We continue to be deeply concerned about the excessive and unsustainable level of Faroese fishing. On mackerel, the Faroe Islands have announced that they will take as much as 23% of the scientifically recommended quota for themselves. They have also announced that they will add to this their unused quota from 2012. This may result in an increase in fishing. On herring, the Faroe Islands have now unilaterally more than tripled their quota. This unilateral move risks affecting seriously the health and sustainability of that important fish stock. We are deeply concerned that by taking yet another unilateral step and by leaving the community of coastal states on a second North Atlantic fish stock, the Faroe Islands have embarked on dismembering the joint management of our shared resources. We call on the Faroe Islands to reverse those steps immediately.