The European Commission wants to manage fish resources according to the maximum sustainable principle by 2015 at the latest. This would ensure good condition of fish resources and higher economic benefit for the fishery sector. "We support the principle of the commission, as this would help to decrease overfishing and ensure prudent management of fish resources. It is important to move gradually towards the achievement of good level of fish resources," the Minister of the Environment Keit Pentus said. According to the words of the Minister, the changes of quota between different years should not exceed 15 % upon setting of fish quota. "Such policy has proved its efficiency relatively well so far and is a stable way for moving towards sustainable management of fish resources." Establishment of quotas or restrictions to fishing capacity for the coming year shall be aimed at prevention of overfishing. According to the recent data, condition of the resources of sprat and Baltic herring is improving. "I believe that Estonia can expect better quota for sprat and Baltic herring than in recent years in the autumn negotiations, because researchers have noticed an improvement in the resources of these fish species," Pentus said. The commission has also started preparations for replacement of the current management plans that handle one fish resource with the plans basing on management of several fish species. "We encouraged the commission to adopt such management plans," the Minister of the Environment said. "Researchers have done much work at the Baltic Sea and submitted their proposals for drafting of management plans on several fish species. This is the first attempt of a kind, but we are convinced that this will be the future of the management of resources, as several fish species of the Baltic Sea and other seas are tightly related from the point of view of predator and prey," Pentus said. |
