On Wednesday 24 October, the European Commission adopted its proposals on fishing opportunities in 2019 in Black Sea waters, which remain at the same level as at present (see EUROPE 11909).
The Council will adopt these total allowable catches (TACs) and quotas at its meeting in Brussels on 17 and 18 December. This proposal concerns Bulgaria and Romania, which share stocks in the Black Sea with Turkey, Ukraine, Georgia and Russia.
For sprat, next year's TAC is proposed at 11,475 tonnes (70% for Bulgaria, i.e. 8,032.5 tonnes and 30% for Romania, 3,442.5 tonnes). Conservation measures are planned for this species: - the maintenance of the two-month closure period, which runs from 15 April to 15 June, to protect the stock during the turbot spawning period; - a limitation of fishing days to 180 per year. For turbot, the TACs for 2018 and 2019 had already been set at the same level as in the previous two years, i.e. 114 tonnes per year (50% for each of the two Member States). Indeed, in 2018, a regional TAC is planned for turbot fisheries for the years 2018 and 2019. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)