October 14, 2014 — Mackerel and herring fisherman will be able to “bank” up to 72,500 tonnes of their haul next year after the EU agreed to flexible quotas in the wake of Russian sanctions.
The EU Fisheries Council last night agreed to allow fishermen to roll over 25% of the 2014 quota, up from the standard 10%, for use in 2015.
Outgoing EU fisheries chief Maria Damanaki had previously called on EU member states to sanction a rollover of 30% of quota into 2015.
UK fisheries ministers claimed the deal, a result of lobbying of the EU, will provide more time for industry to make trade deals with new international markets, making up for the loss of Russian trade.
The Russian ban has had the biggest effect in Scotland where fishermen hold 70% of the UK mackerel quota.
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