21/03/2018 (Agence Europe) – On Tuesday 20 March, member states adopted an amendment to the regulation total allowable catches (TACs) and quotas for 2018, in particular for sandeel, which will apply retrospectively from 1 January 2018 (the fishing opportunities concerned not yet having been exhausted). The sandeel quota was set at zero because, for this short-lived species, the relevant scientific opinions only became available in the second fortnight of February (and fishing activities only begin in April). It was decided that, on the basis of the most recent scientific opinion from the International Council for the Exploration of the Seas (ICES), the quota should be set at 207,650 tonnes, to be shared by Denmark, the United Kingdom and Sweden.