Meeting by videoconference over the last two weeks, the delegations of the European Union, the Faroe Islands, Norway, Iceland, Greenland, the Russian Federation and, for the first time, the United Kingdom, reached agreement on the management measures for blue whiting and Atlanto-Scandian herring stocks in the North-East Atlantic for 2021.
“Both stocks have a total allowable catch (TAC) set at the recommended scientific advice”, the European Commission noted. The delegations of these countries also held a first round of consultations on management measures for mackerel for 2021, as well as on monitoring, control and surveillance measures for pelagic stocks in 2021.
For blue whiting, Norway, the Faroe Islands, Iceland, the United Kingdom and the European Union agreed to set the TAC for 2021 at 929,292 tonnes, which corresponds to a 20% reduction in fishing opportunities compared to the TAC for 2020 (see EUROPE 12358/13).
For Atlanto-Scandian herring, Norway, the Faroe Islands, Iceland, Russia, the United Kingdom and the European Union have set the TAC for 2021 at 651,033 tonnes. This is a 6% increase over the TAC set for 2020.
For mackerel, delegations will meet no later than 25 November 2020 to find a compromise on the 2021 TAC. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)