By Peter Blackburn

LUXEMBOURG, Oct 14 (Reuter) - European Union fisheries ministers fought on Monday against plans to slash fish catches by up to 40 percent over the next six years. EU Fisheries Commissioner Emma Bonino has said scientific evidence showed that further drastic cuts were needed, but confronted with overwhelming opposition from ministers, was ready to show flexibility. "Cuts in fleet capacity may be only around 15 percent or two to three percent a year over the six years," said an EU source closely following the talks. Instead the Commission would seek to make greater use of other methods to curb catches, such as fishing time at sea, to help protect endangered stocks and ensure the future of the EU fishing industry. EU officials said that one minister after another questioned the scientific basis for reducing catches by up to 40 percent, called for more flexibility in implementing cutbacks and demanded longer term aid for poor coastal fishing communities. Many also demanded that exemptions for small-scale coastal

fishing be extended to include vessels of up to 14 metres (46 feet), instead of seven metres (23 feet) under the current proposal. There was also friction between ministers with Spain's Loyola de Palacio strongly objecting to an attack by Britain's Tony Baldry on Spanish "quota hoppers" registered under the British flag and taking 20 percent of the national quota. EU officials said that the Spanish minister interrupted to stress that free movement of labour and capital was one of the principles of the EU's single market and that "quota hoppers" were being discussed separately in a review of the EU treaty. Baldry told a news briefing he could not be held responsible for the Spanish translation of "quota hoppers" as "looters," nor for the Spanish minister's "somewhat sensitive" reaction. Baldry reiterated that Britain would not implement further major fishing cuts until the quota hopping problem was solved. "We are not prepared to contemplate any further substantial reductions in the UK fishing fleet until th

is whole issue of quota hopping is resolved," Baldry said. "It's a crazy situation that can't continue," he said, noting that Prime Minister John Major had raised the issue earlier this month at a EU summit in Dublin reviewing the EU treaty. Irish Marine Minister Sean Barrett, whose country holds the rotating EU presidency, said in concluding the ministerial debate that there was general agreement on the necessity to cut fishing of critical stocks but added that proposed capacity reduction rates "are generally considered too high". The EU's executive Commission says that catches of the most endangered stocks, such as cod, haddock and sardines, should be cut by 40 percent. Bonino disagreed that the capacity cuts were excessive and insisted they must be permanent in order to be effective. "On major points, positions are still quite distant," she told a news conference after the meeting. "There is basic awareness that stocks are in a bad situation although there is a major difference on the therapy," she said,

adding that if stocks continued to be depleted there would be no future for fishermen. Barrett said he planned to hold bilateral talks with his EU counterparts to try and draw up a broadly acceptable package. But he said he was cautious about whether agreement would be possible at the next meeting on November 22. French Fisheries Minister Philippe Vasseur said agreement could not be rushed, adding France could not make further cuts. "To go further would threaten the social and economic wellbeing of fishing ports," he told reporters.