The European Commission confirmed on Thursday 15 December that it has reached an agreement with the north-east Atlantic coastal states and with the UK and Norway on the joint management of shared fish stocks in 2023.
The agreement with the coastal states covers several stocks. For mackerel, the TAC for 2023 has been set at 782,066 tonnes (-2% compared to the TAC for 2022), in line with the maximum sustainable yield (MSY) approach advised by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES).
For blue whiting, the TAC is 1.4 million tonnes (+81% compared to the 2022 TAC) and for Atlanto-Scandian herring it is 511,171 tonnes (-15% compared to the 2022 TAC). Both TACs are in line with ICES advice (long-term management strategy).
All parties recognised the need to reach a consensus on quota-sharing arrangements for the three stocks as soon as possible.
In addition, the EU, Norway, the Faroe Islands, the UK and, for the first time, Iceland and Greenland, have agreed to set control measures for pelagic stocks by 2026 at the latest.
The EU has reached an agreement with the UK and Norway on the joint trilateral management of six key stocks in the North Sea: cod, haddock, saithe, whiting, plaice and herring. Cumulatively, the agreement provides EU fleets with fishing opportunities of more than 300,000 tonnes in 2023. The TACs for cod, herring, plaice and saithe have been set in accordance with the MSY. For haddock and whiting, the agreement provides for a 30% increase in each TAC.
Bilateral fisheries consultations with Norway and the UK will continue next week. The deadline for an agreement is 20 December, otherwise the provisional TACs (January-March 2023) will be applied (see EUROPE 13083/15).
More details: https://aeur.eu/f/4pe (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)