The European Union (EU) Fisheries Commission this week published its proposals for next year's whitefish quotas and once again, TAC increases are greatly outnumbered by cuts
The commission proposed fishing opportunities for 2013 for fish stocks in the Atlantic and the North Sea. These proposals set levels of total allowable catch (TAC) and effort for stocks managed exclusively by the EU. The commission proposes to increase or maintain the TACs for 16 stocks, and reduce them for 47 stocks.
The commission’s ultimate goal -- and one of the pillars of the on-going Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) reform -- is to have all stocks fished at sustainable levels, the so-called maximum sustainable yield (MSY), by 2015.
Whenever possible, scientists advise on how to bring the stocks to MSY levels.
