Fishing opportunities in the Northeast Atlantic, managed between the European Union, Norway, and the United Kingdom, have been adopted by the Agrifish Council, the E.U. council covering agriculture and fisheries.
The agreement covers fishing opportunities for fish stocks exclusively managed by the European Union in the Atlantic, Kattegat, and Skagerrak; for stocks shared bilaterally between Norway and the E.U.; and for stocks shared trilaterally with Norway, the United Kingdom, and the E.U.
Commissioner for the Environment, Oceans and Fisheries, Virginijus Sinkevičius said the agreement was “very good news” for all those being managed sustainably, and would guarantee that they remain at maximum sustainable yield levels.
“I am very pleased that member-states have followed the [European] Commission’s proposal. We have agreed 10 [total allowable catches] in line with the levels advised by the scientists to guarantee [maximum sustainable] yields,” he said.
Included in the 10 TACs set in line with MSY advice are two stocks in the lower range of MSY for plaice and for Norway lobster in Skagerrak and Kattegat.
For cod in Kattegat, the council agreed on a package of measures with a limit of 97 metric tons (MT) for unavoidable catches taken in other fisheries, and an allowance given to fishers who are taking part in remote electronic monitoring projects to improve fisheries control.
In the Bay of Biscay, the council agreed to the reopening of the Norway lobster fishery in Functional Unit 31 to 14 MT, and to a cut of 36 percent for sole. In Iberian waters, the megrim TAC will be raised by 13 percent, the anglerfish TAC by 5 percent, and the horse mackerel TAC by 12 percent.
On the stocks shared between the E.U., Norway and the United Kingdom, 15 of the 18 TACs have been set in line with MSY.
Additionally, because negotiations regarding stocks shared bilaterally with the United Kingdom are still ongoing, the council has adopted temporary contingency TACs for those stocks for the first three months of 2022. The European Commission said this contingency plan ensures that fishing can continue seamlessly into the new year, if an agreement with the United Kingdom is not reached before the end of December.
The contingency TACs are generally set at 25 percent of the 2021 TACs, with exceptions made for stocks fished disproportionately at the beginning of the year.
Photo courtesy of the European Commission
