On Thursday 31 March, the EU Council of Ministers adopted a regulation updating the 2022 total allowable catches (TACs) and quotas in the Atlantic and North Sea to take account of the agreement reached with the UK in December 2021 (see EUROPE 12892/22).
Changes agreed with the UK include: - a decrease of 53% for Norway pout in the North Sea; - a 62% decrease for sprat in the English Channel from 1 January to 30 June; - a 70% increase for plaice in the waters around southern Ireland; - an increase of 92% for whiting in the waters west of Scotland; - a 50% increase in by-catch for northern prawn in the North Sea.
The regulation includes TACs for anchovy in the Bay of Biscay (33,000 tonnes) and sandeel in the North Sea (86,303 tonnes for the EU).
The provisional EU quota of 4,500 tonnes for cod in Spitzbergen (Svalbard) waters has been extended until the end of April 2022. The aim is to ensure that fishing of this stock can continue, pending an agreement with Norway for 2022.
More info: https://aeur.eu/f/125 ; https://aeur.eu/f/126 (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)