Bay of Biscay anchovy plan adopted

The European Parliament on Tuesday adopted a long-term plan to manage the Bay of Biscay anchovy fishery.

Backed by the European Commission last year, the plan allows fisheries ministers to accept scientific advice and set the total allowable catch (TAC) in May or June, prior to the fishery opening in July. (Currently, the TAC is established by fisheries ministers at their annual meeting in December.) The plan also encompasses a “harvest control rule,” a mathematical formula allowing fisheries ministers to set the TAC immediately after receiving the scientific advice.

The TAC will be based on the current spawning biomass as estimated by the Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries (STECF) and divided between Spain and France. If the STECF is unable to accurately assess the biomass, the TAC would either be left the same or reduced by no more than 25 percent.

The approach is designed to reduce uncertainty for fishermen and stabilize the fishery, which closed in 2005 due to overfishing concerns but reopened this year with a TAC of 7,000 metric tons.

Additionally, MEPs discussed a multi-annual plan for the western stock of Atlantic horse mackerel and supported a new three-year fisheries agreement between the EU and Solomon Islands in which the Solomon Islands would allow four Spanish and French purse seiners to catch 4,000 metric tons of tuna annually in its waters in exchange for EUR 400,000 annually.

All Supply & Trade stories >
Subscribe

Want seafood news sent to your inbox?

You may unsubscribe from our mailing list at any time. Diversified Communications | 121 Free Street, Portland, ME 04101 | +1 207-842-5500
None