2016 catch quotas for the Baltic Sea to be decided at the Fisheries Council on 22 October.
The Baltic is the first region for which 2016 fishing limits, total allowable catches (TACs), are decided. This is an opportunity for the Fisheries Council to firmly support their commitment to implementing the reformed Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) and sets the tone for quotas in other regions. Together with Seas at Risk we have made the following recommendations to all EU Fisheries ministers and their advisers. The Council has a history of setting TACs above scientific advice, which has led to overfishing and deteriorating stocks.
We emphasise the need to set fishing opportunities below the exploitation level that corresponds with maximum sustainable yield (FMSY) by 2015, where possible, and by 2020 at the latest in order to restore and maintain fish stocks above levels capable of producing maximum sustainable yield as required by the CFP.
SAR/FISH Recommended TAC for 2016, in tonnes (except Salmon, number of fish)
Stock by management area, subdivision (SD)
|
Recommended 2016 TAC
|
Cod, Western Baltic, 22-24 |
5239 |
Cod, Eastern Baltic, 25-32 |
29220 |
Herring, Western Spring Spawning, 22-24 |
26274 |
Herring, Central Baltic, 25-29 & 32 |
177505 |
Herring, Gulf of Riga, 28.1 |
32963 |
Herring, Bothnian Sea & Bothnian Bay, 30-31 |
103254 |
Sprat, Baltic, 22-32 |
184336 |
Plaice, Baltic, 22-32 |
4034 |
Salmon, Baltic, 22-31 (numbers of fish) |
89300 |
Salmon, Gulf of Finland, 32 (numbers of fish) |
10024 |
The Commission proposal generally followed scientific advice for most stocks, but unfortunately failed to do so for the important and vulnerable cod stocks.
For Western Baltic cod, they failed to provide a proposal, leaving the decision open to political wrangling. This stock is severely overfished and the stock is vulnerable. To reach FMSY by 2016, a commitment made by Fisheries Ministers in 2014, the TAC should be no more than 5 239 tonnes, which corresponds to ICES advice after accounting for recreational catch. For the local spawning cod in subdivision 22, we recommend a sub-TAC for subdivision 22-23 of no more than 3 405 tonnes.
The Eastern Baltic cod stock is in a data limited situation for a second year in a row, showing a relative decrease in biomass and increase in exploitation rate. The Commission proposal, although a 20% reduction from the current TAC, remains significantly above ICES advice. We recommend the Council support ICES advice corresponding to a TAC not exceeding 29 200 tonnes.
For the Gulf of Riga herring stock we recommend a modest decrease in the TAC of 15 %, resulting in 32 963 tonnes. Given the relatively good state of the stock and industry’s effort to reduce the exploitation rate below FMSY, this recommendation is a compromise with industry in the Baltic Sea Advisory Council.
For more detailed analysis see our Baltic TAC annex and letter to Ministers, produced in collaboration with Seas at Risk.