European Union ministers rejected proposals to declare huge swathes of ocean off-limits for trawlers and settled for less drastic alternatives Wednesday in an attempt to protect such threatened fish as the once-common cod. The decision was a breakthrough for the fishing industry, which effectively watered down the proposals of the EU's head office and won measures that would better protect the embattled EU fishing fleet. "We welcome the fact that plans for closed areas have been withdrawn," said British Fisheries Minister Ben Bradshaw, who won praise from his fishermen. In the 25 ministers' final vote early Wednesday, only Lithuania voted against the plans for next year's fisheries program. Greece abstained after the 20-hour negotiations. EU Fisheries Commissioner Joe Borg said the new package would "rebuild depleted stocks without economically crippling the fleets concerned." Borg stressed that EU member states would impose tougher monitoring restrictions to make sure fishermen do not exceed quotas.
