ISTANBUL
The European Commission announced on Tuesday that the European Union (EU) “has concluded an agreement with the United Kingdom on fishing opportunities in 2023 for the North East Atlantic fish stocks bilaterally shared with the United Kingdom”.
In a statement, the commission reported that “the agreement will contribute to the sustainable management of jointly managed fish stocks” and that they are “located in the waters of both parties and also provide stability and predictability for fleets and operators”.
The Commission noted that the agreement “applies to more than 74 stocks and guarantees fishing opportunities of more than 350,000 tonnes for the EU fleet, with an estimated value of around €1 billion, based on historical landing prices, adjusted for inflation”.
The Commission stated that “the agreement concludes the third annual consultation on fishing opportunities between the EU and the UK under the terms of the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA)” and reassured that “it covers all fisheries covers resources shared and jointly managed in EU and UK waters and sets the total allowable catch limits in 2023 for shared stocks and mutual access to albacore tuna fisheries.
The Commission stated that “the agreement is based on the best available scientific advice from the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) on the state of fish stocks,” adding that it “takes into account important principles of sustainability and management such as maximum sustainable yield and the precautionary approach , which are fundamental to the EU Common Fisheries Policy and the Fisheries Chapter of the ATT”.
In addition, the Commission underlined that “the parties have committed to several specific work processes to improve the sustainable management of shared fish stocks over the coming year at the UK-EU Fisheries Committee, including a review of technical measures to protect vulnerable populations in sea basin”.
Next Steps
In this sense, the Council will “incorporate the agreed catch limits into the 2023 Fishing Opportunities Regulation politically agreed at the recent EU Fisheries Council”.
Likewise, “during 2023 the parties will hold consultations on three other jointly managed stocks for which the scientific advice is not aligned to the calendar year: sprat (North Sea and Channel) and sandeel (Northern Sea, all banks)”.
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