Fishing limits proposed for Atlantic, Kattegat and Skagerrak

For the first time, the Commission is proposing to set nine total allowable catches (TACs) for two to three years, known as “multiannual TACs”, instead of re-evaluating them annually, based on advice from the scientists of the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES).

Following ICES advice, the Commission is proposing to set 12 TACs at maximum sustainable yield (MSY) – the maximum amount of fish that fishers can take out of the sea without compromising the regeneration and future productivity of the stock. This would mean an increase in catch limits for five stocks: megrim, anglerfish, hake, horse mackerel in Iberian waters and plaice in Kattegat.

For plaice in the Kattegat, the Commission proposes an increase of 19% to 2,349 tonnes. For hake in the southern Bay of Biscay, Iberian waters and waters around the Azores, the proposal is for an increase of 10% to 17,445 tonnes, in accordance with the Western Waters Multi-Annual Plan. For megrim and anglerfish in the Iberian waters, the Commission proposes increases of 11% and 7% respectively to 3,622 tonnes and 4,650 tonnes.

Nine TACs have been proposed for two or three years ahead, instead of on a yearly basis, with a reduction to ensure sustainable catches in the long term. The stocks concerned are those of plaice (West of Ireland), whiting and pollack (Bay of Biscay), plaice (Iberian Waters), Norway lobster (Bay of Biscay – FU25), sole (Irish waters), and sole (Iberian waters).

Also proposed are continued measures to safeguard eels.

In 2023, ICES reiterated that the status of the eel stock remains critical and there should be zero catches in all habitats and at all life stages. Pending new ICES advice for 2024, expected in November, the Commission proposes to maintain the existing measures for the protection of eels in all relevant EU waters, specifically in the Atlantic, the Baltic Sea and the Mediterranean. 

According to the Commission, the closure in the Northeast Atlantic should cover the main migration period of the respective life stage, while in the Skagerrak-Kattegat and Baltic Sea, the closure periods should be agreed between the member states concerned so as to ensure the protection of eel migrating out of the Baltic Sea into the North Sea. 

As for the Mediterranean Sea, it advises that the proposal might be updated after the 2023 annual meeting of the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean to take into account possible additional measures for the Mediterranean adopted at that meeting.

The Commission’s proposal will be updated after the conclusion of the ongoing consultations with Norway and the United Kingdom, and with the decisions taken in various regional fisheries management organisations.

Another five stocks, managed solely by the EU, are still awaiting scientific advice (anchovy in the Bay of Biscay, three stocks of Norway lobster, cod in the Kattegat), while the TAC for anchovy in the Iberian waters and waters around the Azores has already been set until June 2024.

The Council will discuss the Commission’s proposal on 11 and 12 December 2023 and establish the allocation of fishing opportunities for 2024, and in some cases for 2025 and 2026. The regulation should apply as of 1 January 2024.