Spanish Hake Catches to Increase in 2014

SPAIN - The Minister of Agriculture, Food and Environment, Miguel Arias Ca?ete, has welcomed the European Commission"s decision to increase catches of northern hake stock for the entire EU fleet.

Spain will therefore see an increase of 4,019 tonnes in ICES zones VI, VII and VIII.

This amount represents an increase of 27 per cent of the down payment this year.

This decision follows a request by letter, by Minister Miguel Arias Canete and his counterpart from Ireland, to the Commissioner of Fisheries of the European Union, Maria Damanaki, last July.

It is also the result of the efforts of the two ministers, who requested a review of the Northern Hake TAC at the meeting of the Council of Ministers of the EU on 17 October, in the light of new scientific data from ICES.

As a result of this increase in quota, most hake vessels that are currently unemployed after exhausting their quotas, could resume fishing.

The Northern Hake fishery, which was outside safe biological limits, is now at record population numbers, after the recovery plan started in 2005.