Last night Fisheries Ministers finally reached an agreement on TACs for 2013. Although a compromise agreement was reached which aims at putting the majority of fish stocks at an exploitation rate in line with Maximum Sustainable yield by 2015, TACs for many fish stocks were still set higher than proposed by the Commission, which largely followed scientific advice.
For many stocks the agreed reductions in TACs are not sufficient to ensure recovery or sustainable exploitation rates as recommended by scientific advice, particularly for North Sea cod stocks, haddock in Faroese waters and West of Scotland, southern hake in Iberian waters, sole in the Irish Sea and Bay of Biscay, and Norway lobster in Bay of Biscay and Western Iberian Seas.
For stocks which have a lack of scientific advice but show decreasing trends, the Council decided on a 5% reduction, a much smaller reduction for many stocks than proposed by the Commission or advised by scientists for precautionary purposes.
It is positive to see that the Council seems to take the international obligations to reach MSY by 2015 seriously. However, for far too many stocks TACs continue to be set at much higher levels than what is recommended by scientists.