Brussels, 16/06/2016 (Agence Europe) - The European Commission is preparing a proposal on a multiannual management plan for small pelagic (anchovy and sardine) stocks in the Adriatic Sea.
The proposal, which would affect in particular Italian and Croatian fishing vessels, could be adopted before the end of 2016 and would seek to achieve maximum sustainable yield (MSY) for these species by 2020 at the latest. In addition, the Commission is likely to hold discussions with fishermen and EU member states on the possible introduction of total allowable catches (TACs) for anchovy and sardine in the Adriatic. Some member states, such as Spain, Greece and Malta, will probably oppose any move to put TACs in place, fearing that this would create a precedent that could result in quotas being set for the Mediterranean. There are no Community TACs or quotas in the Mediterranean, except for Bluefin tuna (set by the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas - ICCAT).
Elsewhere, the Commission is preparing a proposal for a management plan for fish stocks (hake and red mullet) covering the north-western part of the Mediterranean. This would mainly affect Spanish and French vessels (see EUROPE 11563 on the consultation on this issue).
In the consultation document on fishing opportunities for 2017 (see EUROPE 11543), the Commission provides a reminder of the worrying situation on the state of fish stocks in the Mediterranean. Only between 10% and 20% of species are being fished sustainably. “Despite recent improvements, the number of stocks with unknown status remains large. For stocks such as hake, red mullet, black-bellied anglerfish and blue whiting current fishing mortality rates have been up to six times higher than MSY”, states the Commission document. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)