The European Commission has proposed next year’s catch limits for fish stocks in the EU waters of the Atlantic Ocean, Kattegat and Skagerrak, as well as deepsea stocks for 2023 and 2024, with increased total allowable catches (TACs) put forward for some of the larger stocks.
Overall, the Commission’s proposal concerns 17 TACs for the fisheries operating on stocks managed solely by the EU. It is based on scientific advice from the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES), with the Commission advising that for eight of the stocks, the 2023 limits are in line with the objective of maximum sustainable yield (MSY), with an increase in six stocks.
Included is a 15% increase in the horse mackerel TAC to 158,005 tonnes and a 10% rise in southern hake catches to 15,554 tonnes.
For plaice in the Kattegat, a TAC of 1,059 tonnes has been proposed, which is below the MSY-point value to support the recovery of cod in the same area.
For the other nine stocks, there was insufficient data and so the Commission’s proposal is based on a precautionary approach. For all of these, a rollover or decrease in catch limits has been proposed.
The Commission has also put forward stronger protection for eels due to the stock being at a critical level, with the proposal including extending the closure for any eel fishing activity from three to six consecutive months in marine and adjacent brackish waters.
Virginijus Sinkevičius, EU Commissioner for the Environment, Oceans and Fisheries, commented, “Our proposal for increased catches of Atlantic stocks managed by the EU is good news for our fishers and it comes at the right moment given the dire economic situation they are facing, with rising fuel prices and the impact on the profitability of the sector.
“The proposal shows that science-based fisheries management pays off. However, I am very concerned about the state of the European eel. We must be decisive in reinforcing the measures at sea and I call on the member states to act without delay on the other pressures on this stock.”
The Commission’s proposal will be updated after the conclusion of the bilateral (with Norway and the United Kingdom), and multilateral consultations with coastal states, and the completion of the decision-making processes in the regional fisheries management organisations (RFMOs).
The fishing opportunities in the Atlantic and other areas are expected to be adopted at the Fisheries Council meeting on 12-13 December 2022.
