Brussels, 29/05/2006 (Agence Europe) - On 24 may, the European Commission adopted a communication from Commissioner Joe Borg on “improving consultation on EU fisheries management”. It proposes to spread the timetable for the presentation of proposals on total allowable catches (TACs) and quotas a little more through the year. The new procedure should begin this year for 2007 fishing possibilities. Elsewhere, the Commission does not think it necessary to alter the 1st January date for the start of the fishing year. (At one time the Commission supported the idea of beginning the fishing year on 1st April.)
The Commission highlights the concentrated timetable for presenting and adopting TACs and quotas: in September, the final scientific studies are completed and the data analysed on board research vessels; in early October, the scientific evaluations are completed and the results presented to the International Council for the Exploration of the Seas (ICES); at the end of October, ICES presents its opinion to the Commission; in November, the scientific opinion is examined by the Commission, which also consults the Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries and stakeholders, and negotiations on jointly managed stocks are held with Norway and other coastal States; in early December, the Commission adopts its draft regulation establishing fishing possibilities; the regulation is then adopted by the Council in mid-December.
In its communication, the Commission proposes a two-stage procedure for the adoption of decisions on fisheries management:
June-October: for stocks managed exclusively by the Community and for which ICES scientific opinion is available in June, the Commission will seek the opinions of the regional advisory councils in June and July. It will then produce a draft regulation for the start of September. The Council will thus be able to adopt these TACs in October. Currently, separate legislative proposals are presented for Baltic Sea stocks and for deep sea species. This new way of operating could be extended in the future to pelagic stocks managed exclusively by the Community and to shared stocks of blue whiting, mackerel and herring (assuming an agreement can be reached quickly enough with other coastal States).
October-December: for fisheries which depend on the level of annual recruitment (cod from the North Sea, Kattegat, the Irish Sea and the Baltic, plaice from Skagerrak and Kattegat, haddock from the North Sea and anchovy from the Bay of Biscay) the Commission says TACs would have to be set once the number of new young fish has been assessed. The Commission's proposal could not, therefore, be made until after the ICES “October advice” (which will possibly be made available earlier in future). From then on, the timetable would be the same as at present (Commission proposal at the end of November or early December).
The Commission also proposes to adopt a policy statement in the month of April each year outlining the main principles it intends to apply in setting TACs for the following year. This will set out the strategy and working hypotheses based on the trends identified by the latest available scientific advice (that is, from the previous year). The document will allow interested parties to have early discussions on fishing quotas for the following year.