By Peter Blackburn

BRUSSELS, Dec 22 (Reuter) - European Union fisheries ministers agreed early on Friday after all-night talks to take account of fishing industry needs and soften proposals for sharp cuts in 1996 quotas aimed at protecting dwindling stocks. "It was a laborious, detailed and difficult exercise," a weary Spanish Agriculture Minister Luis Atienza told a news conference after the 14-hour meeting. "We have achieved a balance between reasonably sustainable fishing and socio-economic concerns...," added Atienza, outgoing president of the EU fisheries council. But EU Fisheries Commissioner Emma Bonino said she would have preferred more courageous action to protect stocks and British fishermen said the deal was no cause for celebration. "The final compromise of conservation measures was not totally satisfactory," she said. "We must focus more and more on stocks and conservation if we want to guarantee future sustainable fishing." The executive European Commission proposed cuts of up to 50 percent in 1996 Total Allowabl

e Catches (TACs) after severe warnings from fisheries scientists of the potential collapse of some plaice, hake, herring and other stocks. "We are still facing very dramatic reductions," said Barrie Deas, Chief Executive of the National Federation of Fishermen's Organisations. But he conceded that Britain had softened the blow although it had scant room for manoeuvre in the Common Fisheries Policy. Britain and other major fishing countries, such as France, Spain and Portugal, protested that for some species, notably in the EU's western waters, the cuts were based on incomplete data. Northern stock hake quotas, important for Spanish and French fishermen, were fixed at nearly 29,000 tonnes, against scientific advice of 24,000 tonnes and 31,000 tonnes in 1995. British Fisheries Minister Tony Baldry, anxious to erase memories of a humiliating government parliamentary defeat over EU fishing policy, said he had won an extra 50,000 tonnes of fish measured in terms of high value cod, worth more than 30 million pound

s ($46.13 million) to the fishing industry. It amounted to a 10 percent improvement on the Commission's proposals and would benefit fishermen all over Britain, he said. Britain wins an extra 12,700 tonnes of herring, 6,100 tonnes of plaice, 4,700 tonnes of whiting and 345 tonnes of sole. But the key overall North Sea plaice TAC was slashed to 78,000 tonnes, from 115,000 tonnes in 1995. Scientists had advised a cut to 61,000 tonnes. The Chief Executive of the Scottish Fishermen's Federation, Bob Allan, estimated that quotas for herring, mackerel and other pelagic fish would be cut by 90,000 tonnes in 1996, mainly due to a recent agreement with Norway. "Overall white fish come out better but it could have been better still but for Norway," he said, referring to cod, haddock and other bottom-dwelling species. Baldry said the fundamental problem was too many trawlers chasing too few fish. "It's a difficult balance to strike between ensuring maximum catches next year and sustainable stocks in the years to come,"

he said.