EU: The North-East Atlantic coastal states reach agreement on key pelagic TACs

NE Atlantic coastal states reach agreement on key pelagic TACs. The delegations of the European Union, the Faroe Islands, Greenland, Iceland, Norway and the United Kingdom (coastal states) reached an agreement on management measures, for mackerel, Atlanto-Scandian herring and blue whiting in the North-East Atlantic for 2025. The total allowable catch (TAC) for all three stocks in 2025 is aligned with the scientific recommendations provided by the International Council for Exploration of the Sea (ICES). However, without comprehensive quota sharing agreements and with inflated unilateral quotas by certain coastal states, the sustainable management of these stocks remains challenging. During these consultations, ICES provided evidence that the mackerel stock biomass is declining significantly and recalled that the sum of unilateral quotas has consistently exceeded the scientific advice since 2010. The European Union expressed strong concerns about the unilateral actions taken by ...