(Marta Madina / 05-03-10)  The international organization Oceana asks for strict controls of fishing anchovy, which started last week in the Cantabrian Sea after four years closed.

The Spanish fleet starts this way the exploitation of a stock seriously deteriorated and that is below the precautionary set limits according to the latest scientific reports. Oceana warns that there are many possibilities that the fishery has to close again, as happened in 2006, at the risk of stock collapse.

The Council of Ministers of the European Union decided in December to lift the ban from January 1st with a catch limit of 7,000 tons. French and Spanish fishermen agreed that the fishing would take place between March 1st and May 31st for the Spanish boats and from June 1st for the French fleet.

All that against the opinion of the European Commission and the scientific organization responsible for advising on the species, the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES), which strongly recommended waiting the spring assessments, since the latest estimates put the stock at risk, below the caution biomass agreed to reopen the fishery.

According to Ricardo Aguilar, Project Director of Oceana in Europe: “The situation is frighteningly similar to what happened in 2006 when the ban was lifted in March with a quota of 5,000 tonnes against the scientific advice. Scientific prediction came true and the fishery had to be closed again from July to the critical situation of the species. The stock has not yet recovered from this blow.”

In July 2005 the fishery had to be closed for the first time after years without paying attention the scientific recommendations that requested it. After deciding to reopen it in the Council of EU Ministers in December 2006, the responsible of the Ministry in charge of fisheries matters at that time, Elena Espinosa –she is also now-, said that the quota of 5,000 tons was so small that it would have no impact.

The situation after having spent more than 28 million euros on subsidizing the Spanish fishing sector during these four years of closure seems that have not given the reason to the minister. In spite of that, the Ministry negotiated in December 2009 the lifting of the ban without considering the deteriorating state of the species in the Bay of Biscay.

After the effort and money invested in recovering the stock this hasty opening not only threatens the viability of the species but also the future possibilities of keeping the jobs that this fishing could generate.

The agreement is significantly worse now than the one in 2006. At that moment it was agreed that this fishing would be closed again if, as happened, studies in spring showed a reduced anchovy population, down from 28,000 tonnes. The regulation now reached does not set a single constriction, and once the request of the Commission and scientific recommendations are neglected, it is impossible to know how the resource is going to develop.

Latest data about biomass placed the stock of breeders in 21,270 tons last year, very far from the 33,000 tonnes set as precautionary biomass and those agreed for a possible reopening.

José Rodríguez, marine scientist for Oceana in Europe said: “Given the slow progress of improvement of the anchovy population, managers seem to have lost patience and sense. While fishing is reopen today against the precautionary principles contained in Community legislation, they are working at the same time to get the approval of a management plan that will allow the fleet fishing if the stock is over 24,000 tonnes, it is, in clear danger of collapse according to scientific evidence. At worst, impossible.”