On Thursday 30 July, the European Commission adopted a proposal amending the Regulation on Total Allowable Catch (TAC) and quotas for 2020, which increases anchovy catches in Portuguese waters.
Anchovy in ICES subareas 9 and 10 is a short-lived species for which surveys were completed in May. The TAC period is set to run from 1 July to 30 June the following year. Council Regulation 2020/123 set the TAC for anchovy in ICES subareas 9 and 10 at zero for the period from 1 July 2020 to 30 June 2021, while awaiting new scientific advice. In the second amendment to the 2020 fishing opportunities, a provisional TAC of 4,018 tonnes was set until 30 September 2020 to allow fishing activities to continue. The scientific opinion was published on 18 June 2020. The Commission is proposing a TAC of 15,669 tonnes, including 8,175 tonnes for Portugal and 7,494 tonnes for Spain.
Technical adjustments to the quota regulation for 2020 are included in other provisions: - 11.4% of the TAC for blue whiting that EU Member States can fish in Faroese waters; - an update on fishing opportunities for capelin in Greenland’s waters. The Council of the EU still needs to adopt this regulation. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)