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EU Fisheries Council Decision on TAC and Quotas for 2025: A Missed Opportunity for Sustainability

Published on December 18, 2024

On December 11, 2024, EU fisheries ministers concluded negotiations on fishing quotas for 2025, covering stocks in the North Sea, Northeast Atlantic, and Mediterranean. Despite criticism from NGOs and a pending court case by Clean Coalition Baltic (CCB) concerning prior illegal quota decisions, the Council once again set quotas that disregard the EU’s multiannual plan (1). Particularly concerning is the decision on common sole quota, which was set in breach of the MAP and at levels that risk the long-term sustainability of this vulnerable stock. Also for pollack, and Kattegat cod, the quota exceeds ICES recommendation on catch limits. For pollack, ICES advises (2) 872 tonnes, against an agreement at 1199 tonnes. The advice for Kattegat cod (3) is of no-catch, but Ministers still agreed on a 72 tonnes bycatch TAC. 

Negotiations on shared stocks with UK and Norway were for the most part also concluded and include catch reductions for herring and cod, the latter though still being above scientific advice.

Meanwhile, the council has adopted a more assertive approach in the western Mediterranean, deciding to alleviate fishing pressure, including implementing remedial measures for critically overexploited fish populations. 

Breaching EU Law, Again

The North Sea multiannual plan, adopted in 2018, mandates sustainable catch limits within Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY) ranges, with additional precautions if stocks risk falling below safe biological limits (Blim) by more than 5 pct . 

Despite this legally binding rule, the Council has yet again prioritised short-term socio-economic interests over stock recovery. For common sole in Skagerrak and Kattegat, whose recruitment has plummeted since 2018 and reaching a record low in 2023 (4), the Commission recommended a closure with only bycatch allowances. Ignoring this recommendation, the Council adopted a targeted quota of 209 tons (5) —a 36% reduction compared to last year, but still too high, leaving a 14% probability of the stock falling below the safeguard threshold (Blim), under which the stock risks impaired recruitment.

Broader Implications for Fisheries Policy

This decision highlights a troubling pattern: political negotiations overriding science-based fisheries management. Such actions jeopardise not only the survival of vulnerable stocks but also the long-term viability of the fishing industry. 

Already during the October Council meeting on Baltic fishing quotas for 2025, the sprat quota was set in breach of the Baltic MAP (6). This is repeating a pattern from October 2023 when the Council overruled the MAP safeguard rule by setting an excessively high quota for central herring (7). In response, the NGO Clean Coalition Baltic has initiated legal proceedings (8) against the Council for violating the MAP safeguard rule.

The purpose of the MAP safeguard rule is to avoid stock collapse and rebuild stocks,-  a crucial measure if we want to maintain a Baltic fishing fleet also in the future. 

Agreements on shared stocks – reductions on both cod and herring catches

Negotiations between the EU, UK and Norway concluded with reductions for cod and herring, but not all quotas align with ICES advice. For North Sea cod, where all three subpopulations are overfished, the agreed quota exceeds ICES’ recommendation (9) to protect the critically depleted southern substock, where the biomass is below the minimum threshold (Blim).  Conversely, North Sea (10) herring quotas (11) align with ICES’ MSY advice (12), reflecting a 22.8% reduction from 2024. This adherence suggests progress toward more precautionary fisheries management management. The EU, UK, and Norway also committed to developing a new harvest control rule for North Sea herring by 2026 and enhancing bycatch monitoring and improving weighing and catch registration practices, a known problem in the pelagic fleet.

Progress on managing Western Mediterranean Fisheries

The Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) has required Member States to progressively achieve the sustainable exploitation of fish populations by 2020 at the latest. However, for many stocks, this target has not been reached, especially in the western Mediterranean. Therefore, Western Mediterranean Multiannual Plan (WMMAP) (13) , which was adopted in 2019, extended this deadline to 2025. Despite these commitments, overfishing remains a critical issue, particularly for species like European hake, as Member States have not taken decisive action to reduce fishing pressure or implemented necessary remedial measures.

Scientific evaluations show that nine key stocks (14 ) out of the 20 stocks still experience unsustainable fishing mortality, with six stocks falling below the precautionary biomass reference point (Bpa)(15). This includes two hake stocks and Norway lobster populations, which are at particularly high risk due to being below Blim, a limit reference point below which there may be reduced reproductive capacity. These stocks require urgent reductions in fishing pressure.

The Council’s adoption of significant fishing day reductions for trawlers—66% for Western waters and 38% for Eastern waters of the Mediterranean—alongside reduced catch limits for hake and a number of shrimp stocks, represents progress (16). However, a compensation mechanism undermines these efforts by allowing fleets to regain nearly all lost fishing days through 12 optional measures like gear selectivity improvements and expanding closure area. If fleets adopt most of these measures (17), they could regain nearly all the fishing days lost, effectively undermining efforts to reduce fishing pressure.

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