The European Union’s fisheries continue to improve their sustainability, according to the Communication on the principles for 2026 quotas, adopted by the European Commission on Friday 6 June.
Although the situation in the Baltic Sea remains worrying and commercially important stocks there remain in a critical condition, “the situation in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea has shown a significant improvement”, admits the Commission.
The European Commissioner for Fisheries, Costas Kadis, welcomed the fact that “fewer fish stocks are overexploited in the EU”. “However, a number of challenges remain, and climate change is putting additional pressure on ecosystems,” he added. This communication will be discussed at the Agriculture-Fisheries Council meeting on 23 and 24 June.
In December 2023, the Commission launched a study on the landing obligation (end of discards at sea). This includes an assessment of the available data according to the criteria of best regulation. The study will be published in June 2025, according to the Communication, and will also contribute to the ongoing global evaluation of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) Regulation.
Stocks in mixed condition. The Communication shows that by 2023, the Baltic Sea, Celtic Sea and North Sea ecoregions have continued the trend of reducing average fishing pressure to a sustainable level (from 29, 51 and 65% respectively above the target fishing mortality compatible with maximum sustainable yield or MSY, in 2003, to 54, 48 and 23% below this target in 2023). However, the average fishing pressure has increased slightly between 2022 and 2023, notes the Commission.
In the Bay of Biscay, fishermen have made significant efforts to manage fish stocks sustainably. However, despite these efforts, “fishing opportunities have had to be drastically reduced in recent years and remain at low levels”. The Mediterranean and the Black Sea are home to multi-species fisheries, with many stocks shared with non-EU countries. Fishing mortality rates have moved closer to sustainable levels for some stocks, with seven reaching MSY by 2022. However, many stocks are still overexploited.
Link to the communication: https://aeur.eu/f/h7g (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)