2017 fishing opportunities in the North East Atlantic: Council agreement
On 12 December 2016 the Agriculture and Fisheries Council reached a political agreement on a regulation concerning the 2017 catch limits for the main commercial fish stocks in the Atlantic, the North Sea and international fisheries in which EU vessels participate.
This is the third agreement on quotas adopted with unanimity under the Slovak presidency.
The agreement is based on the objective of achieving maximum sustainable yields (MSYs) by 2017 where possible, and by 2020 at the latest, while taking into account specific and fully justified socio-economic circumstances.
Thanks to the Council decision, the number of fish stocks managed at MSY levels will increase next year to 44 and the positive trend concerning stocks within safe biological limits will be strengthened. The agreement also tackles the question of choke species in mixed fisheries by providing elements of flexibility.
"Sustainability has been the driver of today's agreement: the sustainability of our fish stocks, but also that of our fisheries sector. We have successfully reconciled different opinions to the benefit of all parties involved, and established the basis for the achievement of maximum sustainable yield", said Gabriela Matečná, Minister for agriculture and rural development of Slovakia and president of the Council.
Background
The Council agreement largely confirmed the initial Commission proposal. This establishes fishing opportunities in the form of yearly total allowable catches (TACs) and quotas by fish stocks in the different fishing zones. It concerns stocks that the Union manages either autonomously or jointly with third countries, for instance with Norway in the North Sea and the Skagerrak, or through Regional Fisheries Management Organisations (RFMOs).
The proposal is based on the scientific advice provided by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES), which delivered its last annual advice on 30 June 2016.
The EU's ultimate objective is to bring the stocks to levels that can deliver MSY. This objective is one of the pillars of the reformed CFP, which requires that the MSY objective shall be achieved at the latest by 2020 for all stocks.
The CFP regulation also introduced the landing obligation which is progressively applicable from the beginning of 2015 to 2019. This means that fish that in the past would have been discarded have to be landed. As the landing obligation, which is already in place for certain demersal fisheries in the North Sea, North-Western and South-Western Atlantic waters, will be extended further in 2017, the Commission proposed to compensate for this with the so-called "TAC top-ups" for certain fish stocks.
Under article 43(3) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU), it is for the Council to adopt measures on the fixing and allocation of fishing opportunities within the framework of the common fisheries policy. The European Parliament's participation and the Economic and Social Committee's opinion are therefore not required for the adoption of this regulation.
Next steps
The regulation will be adopted by Council in written procedure, following finalisation by the legal/linguistic experts.