DENMARK AND SWEDEN RECEIVED BACKING FROM SIX OTHER COUNTRIES BORDERING THE NORTH SEA AND THE EU COMMISSION TO INTRODUCE "A PILOT PROJECT" TO TACKLE THREATS AGAINST FISH STOCKS, SWEDISH ENVIRONMENT MINISTER LENA SOMMESTAD SAID FRIDAY, ACCORDING TO DPA. THE PROJECT INVOLVES SWEDEN AND DENMARK AND COVERS THE KATTEGATT, SOMMESTAD SAID, ADDING THE PROJECT WOULD COMMENCE NEXT JANUARY. THE NEW SYSTEM ENTAILS "FISHING DAYS WHICH ALLOWS FISHERMEN TO LAND ALL THEIR CATCH. THEY DON'T NEED TO DISCARD CATCHES," SOMMESTAD ADDED. UNDER THE CURRENT QUOTA SYSTEM, SOMETIMES 40 PER CENT OF THE CATCH IS THROWN BACK INTO THE SEA. ANOTHER OUTCOME OF THE TWO-DAY CONFERENCE WAS THAT THE COUNTRIES ALSO APPROVED A "40 PER CENT REDUCTION OF EMISSIONS OF NITROGEN,", SOMMESTAD ADDED, SAYING THE GROUP WOULD ALSO PUSH FOR A REDUCTION OF SULPHUR IN OIL FUEL TO 1 PER CENT COMPARED TO THE CURRENT 1.5 PER CENT. THE NORTH SEA CONFERENCE COUNTRIES WOULD NOW REFER THIS ISSUE TO THE INTERNATIONAL MARITIME ORGANIZATION (IMO), THE MINISTER SAID, NOTING THAT BY 2020 SHIPPING WAS PREDICTED TO BE ONE OF THE SINGLE MAJOR SOURCES OF AIR POLLUTION IN EUROPE. THE NORTH SEA CONFERENCE GROUPS BELGIUM, BRITAIN, DENMARK, FRANCE, GERMANY, THE NETHERLANDS, NORWAY, AND SWEDEN. THE CONFERENCE IN THE SWEDISH WEST COAST CITY GOTHENBURG WAS ALSO ATTENDED BY EU ENVIRONMENT COMMISSIONER STAVROS DIMAS. THE FIRST CONFERENCE WAS HELD IN 1984 IN BREMEN, NORTHERN GERMANY, AND THE PREVIOUS MEETING WAS IN BERGEN, NORWAY IN 2002. SOMMESTAD SAID SHE WAS "DISAPPOINTED" THAT "NO OTHER COUNTRY HAS OFFERED TO HOST A NEW CONFERENCE" BUT WHILE OTHER INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS HAVE ASSUMED LEAD ROLES, THE NORTH SEA CONFERENCE WOULD NOT BE DISCONTINUED.
