Brussels, 08/10/2015 (Agence Europe) - The European Commission adopted a proposal on Wednesday 7 October amending Regulation 2015/104 which sets fishing opportunities for certain fish stocks in the Atlantic, the Channel and the North Sea for 2015.
The regulation provided for the total allowable catch (TAC) for sprat and associated by-catches in Union waters of ICES division IIa and ICES sub-area IV of 227,000 tones for 2015, which was based on the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) advice available at the moment of setting the fishing opportunities. On 30 June 2015 ICES issued advice for sprat in the North Sea covering the period of July 2015 to June 2016, which allows for total wanted catches for that period of not more than 506,000 tones. The positive advice is mainly due to record high recruitment and new estimates of mortality and updated model input. The Commission is now proposing a total allowable catch (TAC) of 341,000 tonnes, an increase of 50%, with Denmark being allocated 310,987 tonnes. The Commission points out that this partial increase in the 2015 fishing opportunities will be taken into account when proposing the fishing opportunities for 2016.
According to the most recent advice by ICES, herring in ICES division IIIa is within safe biological limits (the Commission has set a total of 37,188 tonnes for the EU). The stock of herring in the Irish Sea, the Celtic Sea and south-west of Ireland was benchmarked in 2015. The benchmark resulted in a change in the perception of the stock, and a significant TAC increase is possible for 2016, according to the advice. Since this is an autumn fishery, it is useful for the fishing industry, and not detrimental to the stock, to have a limited increase of the fishing opportunities already in 2015. The Commission is proposing a TAC of 19,198 tonnes, with Ireland being allocated 16,591 tonnes. This partial increase in the 2015 fishing opportunities will be taken into account when proposing the fishing opportunities for 2016.
The TAC for Norway pout in ICES division IIIa and Union waters of division IIa and sub-area IV currently applies from 1 January to 31 October 2015. As the ICES advice will be issued only in the last quarter of 2015, the application period of this TAC should be extended until the end of 2015, in order to avoid that this stock is not covered by any TAC between 1 November and 31 December 2015.
Following consultations with Norway, a total allowable catch of 1,500 tonnes (including 766 tonnes for Germany) can now be established for redfish in Norwegian waters of I and II. The Commission proposal incorporates this agreement and establishes the EU quota and the quotas of Member States concerned. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)