A long-term plan to improve the stock of northern hake has been adopted by the EU Commission.
The proposed plan will replace the 2004 recovery plan that, according to the Commission, has helped the fishery recover to a safe target size advised by scientists after facing near collapse.
The next step, via this proposed new plan, is to bring the stock up to its maximum sustainable yield (MSY), i.e. the point at which the largest catch can continuously be taken from the stock without diminishing its numbers.
To accomplish that, targets will be set to provide for the highest possible long-term catches, the Commission explained. A flexible approach will also allow catch limits to be fine-tuned in line with the biological condition of the hake stock concerned. Fishing mortality – the proportion of hake removed from the stock by fishing – will be reduced year on year until its target rate has been met. Variations in total allowable catches will, however, be limited in order to ensure continuity in fishing activities.
Where scientists are unable to provide the Commission with adequate data and advice, the plan now establishes clear rules on fishing mortality, instead of the ad hoc arrangements followed hitherto. The new proposal will also bring stricter monitoring, inspection and control for vessels, in line with the proposed new Control Regulation, the Commission’s press release added.