Bulgaria, Romania to Keep Their EU Turbot Quotas

EU commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Maria Damanaki. EPA/BGNES

The EU quotas for turbot and sprat will not be reduced in 2012, it has been made clear, with the only two member states affected by the decision being Bulgaria and Romania.

"This is an unprecedented decision on behalf of the European Commission to withdraw from reducing the quotas and a success for Bulgaria's fishermen," Bulgarian Agriculture Minister Miroslav Naydenov declared on Thursday after he met with European Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Maria Damanaki.

The Commission had proposed to cut the EU quota for turbot by 15%, to 74 tonnes. Instead, the quota will remain at its current 85 tonnes. The EU quota for turbot is divided evenly between Bulgaria and Romania.

For sprat, the Commission has already announced it would keep the EU quota unchanged, at 11,475 tonnes. For sprat, Bulgaria and Romania's national quotas are set at 70 and 30 % of the total EU quota, respectively.

On Thursday, Naydenov has told Damanaki that Bulgaria will put even more efforts in preventing the illegal fishing of turbot and sprat.

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