The anchovy fishery in the Bay of Biscay is to close for three months after a report from the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) warned about the poor state of the stocks.
A press release from the European Commission said that emergency measures should be adopted and become effective at the beginning of July. The Commission is intending to organise an urgent meeting of scientific experts from its advisory Committee, the Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee on Fisheries (STECF). This meeting, which should take place in July, will examine the most recent data, including those from the surveys conducted by the French scientific research institute, Ifremer and the Spanish ones, the IEO and AZTI, and advise the Commission as to whether the latest data affect the earlier ICES recommendation. The Commission will review its initial closure in the light of STECF advice.
