November 1966 



COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW 



37 



FOREIGN 



EUROPE 



European Economic Community 



FISHERIES POLICY DRAFTED 



The European Economic Community (EEC), 

 faced with a mounting bill for fish iniports, 

 has drafted a common fisheries policy to en- 

 able the fishermen of their member nations 

 to increase production. The catch by EEC 

 fishermen has remained relatively unchanged 

 at 2 million tons per year, while world output 

 has increased markedly. EEC imports of 

 fishery products in 1963 were about $195 mil- 

 lion. 



The draft proposal would harmonize sup- 

 port systems of member nations for their 

 commercial fishing industries; stabilize their 

 fishermen's income; establish uniform mar- 

 keting regulations and quality standards; and 

 create a framework for modernizing the fish- 

 ing fleets. Fishermen displaced by automa- 

 tion would be retrained. The overall policy 

 would resemble policies for the agriculture 

 sector of EEC economies: using price sup- 

 ports and intercommunity levies until desired 

 prices are realized. 



European Free Trade Association 



ITS CATCH IS 2i TIMES EEC'S 



Over 5 million metric tons of fish were 

 landed in 1965 by countries of the European 

 Free Trade Association: Denmark, Norway, 

 Portugal, Sweden, United Kingdom, Switzer- 

 land, and Austria. Per-capita consumption 

 averages 26.5 pounds a year. In the Euro- 

 pean Economic Community, the annual total 

 catch is about 2 million tons; per-capita con- 

 sumption is about 13 pounds. 



The main fishing grounds of the EFTA 

 countries are the coastal and international 

 waters of the North Atlantic area. 



Cod and herring account for most of the 

 fish caught. The former, and related species 

 such as hake and haddock, are particularly 



important to Britain (two-thirds of the total 

 catch), to Norway and Portugal, and to Green- 

 land and the Faroe Islands. 



The herring catch is less evenly distributed. 

 It accounts for only a small part of the Brit- 

 ish landings, but it is of great importance to 

 the Nordic countries. Sardines, classified 

 with herring, are traditionally important for 

 Portuguese exports, but their share in the 

 total Portuguese catch has fallen since 1940. 



Fish other than the cod and herring groups 

 are gradually becoming more important be- 

 cause they are generally of greater value. 

 The present healthy position of the Danish 

 fishing industry owes much to its production 

 of trout, plaice, Atlantic salmon, and shell- 

 fish, all of which bring good prices. 



The countries that catch most fish are also 

 those that eat the most. This is partly tradi- 

 tion, and partly the natural result of geography 

 and economics. Only recently, with the rise 

 of quick-freezing, has it become possible to 

 provide ocean fish in good condition to inland 

 markets, and even now good fish are cheapest 

 near fishing ports. An average of 40 pounds 

 of fish a year is consumed by each citizen of 

 Norway, Sweden, and Portugal; Icelanders eat 

 more. Denmark, Finland, and the United 

 Kingdom are somewhat less enthusiastic, but 

 still eat much more than the non-EFTA Euro- 

 pean average. Consumption in Austria and 

 Switzerland, although rising rapidly with the 

 development of cold -distribution systems, 

 remains low at about 8 pounds a year. 



Exports and Imports Balance 



In most years, EFTA exports and imports 

 of fish are roughly in balance at $350-400 

 million. There is significant trade among 

 EFTA nations themselves. Since fishing ves- 

 sels of one EFTA country frequently land 

 catches in another, the trade is sometimes 

 in both directions; for example, between Den- 

 mark and Sweden. 



Exports of fish are of special importance 

 to three EFTA countries : Norway, Portugal, 

 and Denmark. Norway until recently accounted 

 regularly for half or more of total EFTA ex- 

 ports of fish; now it is responsible for a little 



