The European Commission has announced it is cutting fishing quotas for cod despite ongoing fears of fish-finger shortages in Germany.
In a press release published on August 26, Brussels announced it was cutting the total quota of fishable Western Baltic Cod in the region by 247 tonnes and the total amount of Eastern Cod by 404 tonnes over fears of stock depletion.
This represents a decrease of 73 per cent and 68 per cent on 2023, respectively.
While the cuts have come amid ongoing fears of fish-finger shortages in Germany over the levels of white fish imports from Russia, European Union Green Deal “tsar” Maroš Šefčovič insisted the cuts were necessary for the long-term health of stocks.
“I am worried about the poor state of the Baltic Sea fish stocks,” he said.
“The importance of taking action to address the dire state of key commercial species is becoming more evident every year. Fishers are the first to face the consequences, despite our joint efforts to rebuild fish stock populations.
“To make sure that local fishers can again rely on healthy fish stocks for their livelihoods, it is indispensable to fully implement the EU legislation at all levels,” Šefčovič concluded.
The announcement came amid concern that proposed restrictions on Russian whitefish imports could harm the EU food economy, with Germany, in particular, facing shortages of fish-fingers should such sanctions be implemented.
Such a decline in supply, it is estimated, could threaten up to 1,000 jobs in the country.
Possible sanctions on Russia could prompt a fish-finger shortage in Germany, local media in the country has reported. https://t.co/RoOiYSReJw
— Brussels Signal (@brusselssignal) August 22, 2024
