The European Commission announced deductions from 2014 fishing quotas of ten Member States that have overfished, according to the European Union (EU) statement Monday.

It was to immediately address the damage done to the stocks overfished in the previous year and ensure a sustainable use by Member States of common fishery resources, the statement said.

The ten Member States, including Belgium, Denmark, Greece, Spain, France, Ireland, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal and Britain, that declared having exceeded their fishing quotas in 2013 will face reduced fishing quotas for their stocks in 2014.

Maria Damanaki, EU Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, said: "If we want to be serious in our fight against overfishing, we need to apply our rules by the book - and this includes the respect of quotas."

Compared to last year, the number of deductions made went down by 22 percent.

On January 1, the EU enacted the reformed Common Fisheries Policy, which establishes maximum limits for fishing based on scientific research.
(Xinhua)