(BRUSSELS) - EU fisheries ministers netted a deal in the early hours of Wednesday on fishing quotas for next year which environmentalists quickly slammed for not going far enough to save stocks.

In marathon talks in Brussels, the ministers agreed in particular to cut cod quotas by between nine and 18 percent.

However, the cod cut is lower than the 25 percent the European Commission had been seeking initially and falls short of demands from environmentalists alarmed by dwindling stocks.

Greenpeace marine policy expert Saskia Richartz slammed the deal, which she said "continues a three-decade long trend of ministerial incompetence that is dragging Europe's seas towards a point of no return.

"The fisheries ministers simply cannot be trusted and more than ever Europe's environment ministers need to be included in future negotiations," she added.

The deal also reduces the number of days fisherman can cast their nets at sea by 10 percent but only covers cod caught in the Atlantic and so excludes the North Sea.

An agreement on an 11 percent increase in the North Sea had already been reached as part of a separate deal with Norway.

Although cod has become considerably rarer in European waters for some years, prompting plans for its protection, recent studies suggest that stocks have begun to recover in some zones.

The cod-loving countries of Britain, France, Ireland, Belgium and Denmark -- the biggest cod fishing nation in the EU -- had seized on evidence of a recovery in hope of keeping quota cuts low.

Environmentalists argue that fisheries should be closed entirely. Greenpeace protestors on Monday sealed off the entrances to the meeting, erecting a brick wall sprayed with slogans in front of the main entrance.

"Europe cannot afford to repeat the mistakes of the past by fishing cod at the first signs of recovery," warned fisheries expert Carol Phua with the World Wildlife Fund.

With European fish stocks under growing pressure, the annual negotiations between fisheries ministers to divvy up the quotas have become a tradition in Brussels, frequently with the haggling dragging on late into the night.

The ministers also agreed to deep cuts in quotas for fish such as blue whiting, herring and plaice.

They decided to keep a ban on anchovy fishing in the Bay of Biscay, which has often been a source of conflict between Spain and France, while waiting for scientists to say whether it can be opened in July.

Some of Europe's big fishing nations, such as France and Spain, voiced satisfaction with the deal, which in some cases led to quota increases for them.

"Spain's satisfied," said Spanish Fisheries Minister Elena Espinosa. "Above all the Spanish fleet is satisfied because it can start 2008 keeping its quotas steady and even increasing some."

French Agriculture Minister Michel Barnier stressed that the deal, which won unanimous backing, was a balanced compromise.

"We are not badly treated compared to some other countries," said one French diplomat.

Agriculture and Fisheries Council, 17-20 December 2007

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