On Tuesday 21 November, the European Commission adopted its proposal on fishing opportunities in the Black Sea for 2018. These will be discussed at a meeting of EU fisheries ministers in Brussels on 11 and 12 December (see EUROPE 11899) and will apply from 1 January 2018.
The proposal concerns Bulgaria and Romania which fish in these waters. It takes account of “the best available scientific advice” and is the outcome of this year’s annual meeting of the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM) which approved the very first multiannual management plan for the Black Sea.
The Commission proposes to maintain the total allowable catch (TAC) for sprat at 11,475 tonnes as in recent years (70% allocated to Bulgaria and 30% to Romania). The proposed turbot TAC for 2018 and 2019 is also identical to that of the last two years, at 114 tonnes (50% for each of the two-member states), with a two-month closure period (from 15 April to 15 June) and fishing limited to 180 days at sea per year.
“Following the recent successful GFCM plenary, for the first time, the new management and control measures” for these two species “will be implemented by all riparian countries”, the European Commission says. It believes that “this marks remarkable progress in shifting towards a level playing field in the region, and will also help to incentivise joint efforts to tackle illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing” and should have a positive impact on rebuilding stocks. (Original version in French)