The E.U. has reached an agreement on 2025 fishing opportunities in the Atlantic Ocean, as well as in the North, Mediterranean, and Black seas.
The deal, reached on 11 December following two days of negotiations, sets out total allowable catch (TAC) parameters and fishing effort limits for many of Europe’s most important commercial fish stocks.
The stocks covered in the agreement are ones the E.U. manages either on its own, jointly manages with neighboring non-E.U. countries, or manages through agreements made via regional fisheries management organizations (RFMOs).
“For the commission and me personally, it was important to reach an agreement that is both balanced and responsible – preserving fishers’ livelihoods in the long term and improving the chances for stock recovery,” E.U. Commissioner for Fisheries and Oceans Costas Kadis said.
Hungary Minister for Agriculture István Nagy agreed that the agreement the bloc reached is balanced but aspects of the negotiating process were particularly challenging.
“[The deal] will allow us to maintain fish stocks at sustainable levels and protect the marine environment while also considering the viability of the sector. Setting the fishing effort limits in the Western Mediterranean was particularly demanding, but we managed to find a constructive compromise,” Nagy said.
Through deliberation, ministers agreed to reduce trawler fishing effort by 66 percent in Spanish and French waters in the Western Mediterranean, and by 38 percent in French and Italian waters, to protect demersal stocks while simultaneously considering the socioeconomic impact the reductions would have on fleets.
The European Council said the trawling reduction is in line with …
