I circulated a presentation to members. Two significant regulations will be before the December Council. The first is the standard total allowable catch and quota regulation, a 200-page document covering all fisheries from the Arctic to Africa which it is difficult to summarise in a few minutes. The second document relates to a new 20-page regulation on deep sea fish species and deep water fisheries. It covers approximately 2 million square kilometres of sea from the Arctic to the sub-tropics.
The process for setting the TACs and quotas for next year is as follows. The science is formulated in late autumn, scientific advice is made available internationally, the Commission brings forward its proposal, which is the regulation to which I referred, and that goes to Council for disposal. The proposal covers the quotas and TACs, the effort limitations — the days at sea limits on the vessels fishing those quotas — and specific controls that apply to particular fisheries for 2005.
The issue of Hague preferences, which will be discussed at the December Council, is important for Ireland. All members states have a defined share of each TAC but, in recognition of the underdevelopment of their fisheries, Ireland and parts of the UK were given a greater entitlement to higher shares when quota stocks fell to low levels. These shares must be negotiated annually and it is becoming more difficult to negotiate as stock levels fall generally. Strong resistance from other member states can be expected this year in regard to the application of the Hague preferences.
The overall picture, as the representative organisations stated earlier, is mixed and it is not as simple as is sometimes portrayed. Of the 30 main whitefish stocks of importance to Ireland, the TACs have been increased for eight, reduced for 15 and unchanged for seven. With regard to pelagic stocks, the TAC for blue whiting has been increased while that for mackerel and Celtic Sea herring has been reduced and it is static for the other herring stocks. It is a complex picture.
While many different developments are taking place in individual fisheries, the total fishing opportunities likely to be available to the Irish fishing fleet in 2005 are static. I have set out in a number of tables on an area basis, which tends to be important for fleets and coastal communities, the fishing opportunities in the Irish Sea, the Celtic Sea and the north west to the west of Scotland. The situation is different in each. There are problems in the Irish Sea in regard to round fish species while the key round fish stocks have increased in the south west. The position in the north west is the stock status is quite low.
With regard to pelagic stocks, the mackerel quota has been significantly reduced to 46,000 for 2005. The quotas have not been determined for a number of stocks because they are the subject of ongoing international negotiations. There is a reduction in the Celtic Sea herring quota and I also expect a reduction in horse mackerel, but blue whiting quota has been increased.
The other element in the regulation is effort limitation, which is days at sea. The Commission has increasingly seen this as a vital tool in conservation in the reform of the Common Fisheries Policy. Such limitations were in place in the north west and the Irish Sea this year and the Commission proposes to reduce the number of days for beam trawlers and certain trawlers in the north west. In addition, provision was built into the regulation this year whereby trawlers in the Irish Sea were given a two day bonus as compensation for a closed box in the north-western Irish Sea to protect cod, which meant it was not fishable at the time it was most productive to do so. That has not been included in next year's proposal.
The deep sea species regulation before the council covers a major area of water from the Arctic to the sub-tropics. Deep sea in scientific literature is referred to as waters under 200 metres but most of the fisheries in the deep water for deep sea species are at approximately 400 metres. A new proposal was published at the end of November, which sets out limitations for many of the species in these areas. The fishing effort for vessels fishing on these species has been reduced.
Closed areas are proposed for the fishery for orange roughy, which is a significant fishery. The total deep sea fisheries for Ireland would have resulted in approximately €5 million worth of landings in 2003, of which the orange roughy fishery accounted for approximately €400,000. The proposal is to reduce the orange roughy quota by 81% on the basis of scientific advice and, in addition, to add closed areas to the north and west of Ireland. These measures will be combined with effort cuts, which would result in a significant reduction on the fishery in 2005.