Communication from the Commission to the Council - Fishing Opportunities for 2007 Policy Statement from the European Commission
Date: 2006-09-15
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: common fisheries policy, conservation of fish stocks, fishery management, fishery resources

COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES 

Brussels, 15.9.2006 
COM(2006) 499 final 

COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE COUNCIL  

Fishing Opportunities for 2007 
Policy Statement from the European Commission 

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TABLE OF CONTENTS 

Introduction .................................................................................................................. 3 

Guiding principles for decision-making under the Common Fisheries Policy ............ 3 

International commitments........................................................................................... 4 

Further specific commitments...................................................................................... 4 

Proposals for fishing opportunity regulations for 2007 ............................................... 4 

Priority for long-term planning .................................................................................... 5 

A consistent basis for decision-making concerning TACs .......................................... 5 

Stocks exploited consistently with maximum sustainable yield .................................. 6 

Stocks overexploited with respect to maximum sustainable yield but inside safe 
biological limits............................................................................................................ 6 

Stocks outside safe biological limits ............................................................................ 7 

Stocks subject to long-term plans ................................................................................ 7 

Naturally short-lived species........................................................................................ 8 

Stocks whose status is unknown but which are not at high biological risk ................. 9 

Special Cases................................................................................................................ 9 

Cod stocks covered by the cod recovery plan.............................................................. 9 

Cod stocks in the Baltic Sea......................................................................................... 9 

Deep-sea species ........................................................................................................ 10 

Mixed Fisheries.......................................................................................................... 10 

Nephrops stocks ......................................................................................................... 11 

Blue whiting ............................................................................................................... 11 

New TACs.................................................................................................................. 11 

Technical Measures.................................................................................................... 11 

Effort Management .................................................................................................... 11 

Conclusion.................................................................................................................. 12 

1. 

1.1. 

1.2. 

1.3. 

2. 

3. 

4. 

4.1. 

4.2. 

4.3. 

4.4. 

4.5. 

4.6. 

5. 

5.1. 

5.2. 

5.3. 

5.4. 

5.5. 

5.6. 

5.7. 

6. 

7. 

8. 

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1. 

INTRODUCTION 

Commission  Communication  No.  COM(2006)246  "Improving  consultation  on  Community 
fisheries management" sets out a new working method for the European Community to decide 
on  annual  fishing  opportunities.  As  part  of  this  new  approach  it  is  foreseen  that  the 
Commission will set out in the first half of each year its intentions concerning its proposals 
for TACs and quotas for the following year in the form of an annual policy statement. In order 
to achieve broad involvement of stakeholders at all stages of fisheries policy development and 
implementation, the Commission presents in this document its intentions in proposing fishing 
opportunities for 2007. 

No specific figures are proposed for TACs or quotas at this stage, because quantitative stock 
assessments and forecasts will not be available for many stocks until the latest survey data are 
analysed  in  the  third  quarter.  This  Communication,  therefore,  sets  out  the  views  of  the 
Commission in the absence of scientific advice on the state of the stocks for 2007. Therefore, 
the  statements  made  in  this  Communication  will  be  restricted  to  questions  of  principle 
concerning the setting of TACs and effort levels. These principles will then be applied when 
the definitive scientific advice becomes available. However, should unforeseen circumstances 
arise when the definitive advice is provided, the Commission may formulate its proposals on 
the basis of such advice. 

Forecasts cannot be made two years ahead for the many species where catches depend heavily 
on  the  abundance  of  the  immediately  recruiting  year  classes.  Where  fish  stocks  are  more 
appropriately exploited (such as many pelagic species) an earlier discussion on TACs might 
be  held  in  future  years.  This  paper  sets  out  basic  principles  for  proposing  TACs  and 
associated conditions for 2007 based on the results of scientific assessments and forecasts that 
will become available during 2006.  

1.1. 

Guiding principles for decision-making under the Common Fisheries Policy 

Annual fishing opportunities should be set in accordance with the objectives of the 
Common  Fisheries  Policy1,  that  is,  to  achieve  the  exploitation  of  living  aquatic 
resources that provides sustainable economic, environmental and social conditions.  

the  progressive 
The  Community  should  aim 
implementation  of  an  ecosystem  based  approach 
to  fisheries  management, 
contributing  to  efficient  and  economical  fishing  activities  and  providing  a  fair 
standard of living for those who depend on fishing activities.  

these  objectives  by 

to  meet 

Economic and social sustainability depends on biological sustainability: there are no 
fisheries  where  there  are  no  fish.  The  Commission  therefore  places  biological 
sustainability at the heart of decision-making in fisheries.  

However,  the  Commission  does  not  always  directly  translate  scientific  advice  on 
sustainability  into  proposals  for  regulations,  for  two  reasons.  Firstly,  scientific 
forecasts  are  at  times  quite  uncertain  and  their  direct  application  would  result  in 

1 

Article 2, para. 1 of Regulation 2371/2002 of 20 December 2002 on the conservation and sustainable 
exploitation of fisheries resources under the Common Fisheries Policy, O.J. L 358 31.12.2002, p.59 

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substantial  changes  in fishing  opportunities from one year to the next, which could 
often  be  greater  than  those  necessary  to  achieve  the  needed  conservation  benefits. 
The second reason is of a political nature. Although many fish stocks are depleted or 
overfished, the Commission and Member States have considered that it is acceptable 
to take a relatively high biological risk by allowing more fishing than is sustainable 
in  the  short  term,  in  order  to  maintain  a  certain  continuity  of  fishing  activity. 
Remedial  measures  to  redress  overfishing  should  be  implemented  gradually, 
provided that fishing mortality is steadily and gradually reduced. 

1.2. 

International commitments 

In  addition  to  commitments  under  the  Common  Fisheries  Policy,  EU  decisions  on 
annual  fishing  decisions  should  take  account  of  international  policy  commitments, 
such  as  the  obligation  to  rebuild  stocks  to  levels  at  which  a  maximum  sustainable 
yield  can  be  taken.2  While  the  implementation  of  this  commitment  is  still  under 
discussion  and  is  the  subject  of  a  separate  Commission  Communication3,  it  is 
necessary  to  take  steps  to  ensure  that  some  progress  is  made  towards  this  political 
commitment, or at least that Community decisions do not contradict it. 

In  some  regional  fisheries  management  organisations,  as  well  as  in  some  bilateral 
and multilateral contexts, some long-standing commitments have been developed to 
which  the  Community  has  subscribed.  Examples  include  the  effort  reductions 
concerning deep-sea species agreed at the North-East Atlantic Fisheries Commission, 
the  recovery  arrangements  concerning  Greenland  Halibut  adopted  in  the  Northwest 
Atlantic  Fisheries  Organisation,  and  the  long-term  management  arrangements 
subscribed  to  by  the  European  Community  and  Norway.  Decisions  made  by  the 
Community concerning fishing opportunities should respect such commitments. 

1.3. 

Further specific commitments 

In  addition  to  these  long-standing  commitments,  the  Commission  and  the  Council 
have recently made a number of declarations that are relevant to fishing opportunities 
in 2007. These include: 

the Council's statement of December 2005 inviting the Commission to propose 
- 
a  reduction  in  fishing  effort  on  deep-sea  species  in  line  with  the  Community's 
international  commitments  and  to  propose  a  multiannual  strategy  to  progressively 
reduce effort to a sustainable level; 

- 
the Council's statements of December 2005 and 2004 reaffirming the Council's 
commitment  to  sustainability  and  to  further  annual  adjustments  in  the  direction 
indicated by scientific advice in order to bring all stocks within safe biological limits. 

2. 

PROPOSALS FOR FISHING OPPORTUNITY REGULATIONS FOR 2007 

For  2007  the  Commission  intends  to  prepare  three  separate  proposals  for  "fishing 
opportunities"  regulations.  Proposals  concerning  deep-sea  fisheries  and  for  fish 

2 
3 

UN World Summit on Sustainable Development, Johannesburg, September 2002. 
COM(2006). 

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stocks  in  the  Baltic  Sea  will  be  presented  in  September  2006.  They  will  take  into 
account  the  advisory  report  from  ICES  published  in  June  2006  and  the  STECF 
opinion  on  it,  as  well  as  subsequent  consultations  with  stakeholders.  Fishing 
opportunities  concerning  the  remaining  stocks  will  be  covered  by  a  proposal  to  be 
presented in late November 2006. 

3. 

PRIORITY FOR LONG-TERM PLANNING 

Managing fisheries requires taking decisions that balance immediate benefits against 
longer-term benefits. The appropriate way to do this is through the development of 
long-term plans wherein long-term goals are defined and a way to reach those goals 
is set out. Recovery plans are a special case of long-term plans where the immediate 
goal is to rebuild stocks to safe biological levels. As a priority, long-term plans must 
be  implemented  on  an  annual  basis.  Where  recovery  plans,  long-term  plans  or 
management plans are adopted in Community legislation, they should be followed on 
an annual basis and TACs will be proposed that correspond to these plans. The same 
is true of long-term management arrangements developed with third countries, such 
as Norway. 

The  Commission  will  continue  the  development  and  proposal  of  long-term 
management arrangements.  

4. 

A CONSISTENT BASIS FOR DECISION-MAKING CONCERNING TACS 

Advice to the Community on biological sustainability is provided by the Scientific, 
Technical  and  Economic  Committee  for  Fisheries  (STECF).  This  Committee  may 
use  information  from  relevant  regional  scientific  organisations  as  appropriate,  in 
particular,  the  International  Council  for  the  Exploitation  of  the  Sea  (ICES).  The 
Commission therefore relies heavily on scientific advice provided by that Committee 
on the fishing opportunities consistent with biological sustainability. 

Management measures should be in proportion to the biological risk involved. They 
should  also  be  equitable  with  respect  to  various  stakeholders  and  fishing 
communities. The Commission has therefore classified stocks into a small number of 
categories after considering the level of biological risk that is perceived by STECF. 
For each of these categories, similar management measures are proposed. The main 
categories are discussed in turn below. 

For all stocks in a category, the Commission intends to propose fishing opportunities 
based  on  the  guidelines  described  in  each  section,  subject  to  any  mixed  fishery 
interactions.  In  some  cases  it  will  be  necessary  to  make  an  adjustment  to  fishing 
opportunities on account of the conservation needs of another stock that is caught in 
the same fishery, for example in the plaice and sole fishery in the North Sea and the 
fisheries for southern hake and Nephrops (See section 5.5). Mixed fisheries catching 
herring and sprat will continue to be managed on the basis of a by-catch limit. 

As  a  general  rule,  the  Commission  attempts  to  stabilise  fishing  opportunities  by 
limiting changes in TACs to no more than 15% from one year to the next. This may 
not  be  possible  in  cases  where  particularly  stringent  and  urgent  conservation 

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measures  are  needed  to  save  a  fishery  from  collapse,  but  this  is  an  exceptional 
occurrence. Should the definitive scientific advice recommend particularly stringent 
and  urgent  conservation  measures  to  save  a  fishery  from  collapse,  the  Commission 
will formulate its proposals taking into account such advice. 

4.1. 

Stocks exploited consistently with maximum sustainable yield 

Description: These are fish stocks where the annual fishing mortality rate is assessed 
as being consistent with that delivering the highest long-term yield. For these stocks 
the fishing mortality should be kept close to current levels, but the TAC would not be 
changed by more than 15% from one year to the next. 

Community  stocks  likely  to  be  concerned:  plaice  in  Area  VII,  megrims  in  VIIIc 
and IXa.  

Fishing possibility for 2007 : a TAC set : 

-  to  the  forecast  catch  established  by  STECF  as  corresponding  to  an  Fmsy

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proxy, but not more than 15% higher or lower than the TAC in 2006. 

Comments : herring in IV and IIIa, saithe in IV, VI and IIIa(N), and haddock in IV 
and  IIIa  would  also  have  been  placed  in  this  category  but  are  subject  to  a  joint 
management  plan  with  Norway  which  will  have  a  similar  effect  (arrangements  for 
North Sea haddock are under review in 2006).  

4.2. 

Stocks overexploited with respect to maximum sustainable yield but inside safe 
biological limits 

Description  :  this  category  covers  stocks  that  are  not  at  risk  of  depletion  due  to 
recruitment failure in either the short or the long term but are exploited with a fishing 
mortality that is higher than Fmsy. It also includes those stocks which are inside safe 
biological limits but for which it is not yet possible to identify the fishing mortality in 
relation  to  that  delivering  the  highest  yield,  and  those  stocks  that  are  overexploited 
with respect to maximum sustainable yield but for which safe biological limits have 
not yet been defined. For these stocks, fishing mortality should not increase and the 
TAC should be kept within 15% bounds. An increase in fishing mortality would be 
in contradiction to both the Johannesburg Implementation Plan and the precautionary 
approach. 

Community  stocks  likely  to  be  concerned  :  whiting  VIIe-k,  herring  in  the  Baltic 
Sea, sole in IIIa, anglerfish in VIIIc and IXa, herring in the Baltic Sea Management 
Unit 3, sprat in Baltic Sea subdivisions 22-32. 

Fishing possibility for 2007 : TAC set : 

- 

- 

to  the  forecast  catch  established  by  STECF  as  corresponding  to  the  higher 
value of (a) an Fmsy proxy or (b) unchanged fishing mortality, but : 

not more than 15% higher or lower than the TAC in 2006. 

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The fishing mortality that, in the long term, will result in the maximum sustainable yield from a stock. 

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4.3. 

Stocks outside safe biological limits 

Description:  this  category  covers  stocks  that  are  at  risk  of  depletion  due  to 
recruitment  failure  in  either  the  short  or  the  long  term:  either  fishing  mortality  is 
above Fpa or the stock size is below Bpa., or both5. This category also includes species 
for which few data are available but where there are strong indications based on life-
history  parameters  and  fishery  characteristics  that  current  levels  of  fishing  are 
unsustainable. 

However, three separate special sub-categories are defined. Firstly, species with such 
a  short  life-cycle  that  an  in-year  adaptation  of  fishing  opportunities  is  necessary. 
Secondly,  species  with  such  a  long  life-cycle  that  they  are  highly  vulnerable  to 
exploitation and special measures are necessary, i.e. deep-sea species. Thirdly, stocks 
that are so far outside safe biological limits that recovery measures are necessary are 
placed  in  a  separate  category.  (Measures  addressing  stocks  in  these  categories  are 
described in Sections 5, 4.5, 5.3 and 4.4 respectively). 

Community stocks likely to be concerned : sole in VIId, demersal elasmobranchs 
in IV, IIIa and VIId (thornback ray, common skate, Angel shark), anglerfish in VIIb-
k  and  VIIIab,  megrims  in  VIIb,c,e-k  and  VIIIabd,  plaice  in  VIIfg,  plaice  in  VIIe, 
solein  VIIfg,  Celtic  Sea  herring,  herring  in  VIaS  and  VIIbc,  herring  in  Baltic  Sea 
Divisions 25-29 and 32 (excl. Gulf of Riga). 

Fishing possibility for 2007 : TAC set : 

- as a general rule, to the forecast catch established by STECF as corresponding 
to  bringing  the  stock  inside  safe  biological  limits  in  2008,  but  no  more  than 
15% higher or lower than the TAC in 2006, 

- however, the TAC will in no case be set at a level that will lead to an increase 
in fishing mortality nor to a decrease in spawning biomass, even if this means a 
bigger  reduction  in  the  TAC  than  15%  (doing  so  would  be  counter  to  the 
Council  and  the  Commission's  commitments  on  the  gradual  approach  to 
sustainability, see section 1.3). 

4.4. 

Stocks subject to long-term plans 

this  category 

includes  stocks  under 

Description: 
long-term  management 
arrangements, including recovery plans for the stocks at highest biological risk, i.e. 
stocks  which  are  (or  have  recently  been)  at  very  high  risk  of  suffering  reduced 
reproductive  capacity.  Where  the  Commission  has  proposed  or  the  Council  has 
adopted a recovery plan or long-term plan, the Commission will propose a TAC that 
is consistent with that plan. Similarly, where the Community has entered into long-
term management arrangements with third countries, those arrangements will usually 
govern the choice of TAC. 

Community  stocks  concerned:  cod  in  areas  VIIa,  VIa(N),  IV,  IIIa(N)  and 
IIIaS(Kattegat);  Northern  and  southern  stocks  of  hake;  sole  in  VIIIab  and  sole  in 

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The  fishing  mortality  (Fpa)  and  spawning  stock  biomass  (Bpa)  that  the  International  Council  for  the 
Exploration of the Sea advises as consistent with the precautionary approach. 

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VIIe; Norway lobster in VIIIc and IXa; cod in the Baltic Sea (Divisions 22-24 and 
25-30); plaice and sole in IV. 

Shared  stocks  concerned:  saithe  in  IV,  IIIa  and  VI;  haddock  in  IV  and  IIIa, 
potentially plaice in IV; herring in IV, VIId and IIIa. 

Fishing possibility for 2007: Fishing opportunities should be set in accordance with 
the  relevant  recovery  plans  (or,  where  recovery  plans  are  not  yet  adopted  by  the 
Council) in accordance with the Commission's proposals. 

Comment: Where scientific advice is insufficiently complete to allow the recovery 
plan to be applied quantitatively, as is likely in the case of several cod stocks, another 
approach would have to be followed. The cod case is discussed in section 5.1. 

4.5. 

Naturally short-lived species 

Description:  some  stocks  of  small-sized  fish  are  subject  to  high  levels  of  natural 
mortality  such  that  the  fished  stock  is  mostly  constituted  of  a  single  year-class. 
Managing  such  species  requires  rapid  in-year  decision-making,  where  the  annual 
fishing  opportunities  are  adapted  according  to  the  strength  of  the  incoming  year-
class. 

Community stocks likely to be concerned: sandeel in IV, anchovy in VIII, anchovy 
in IX, sprat in IV, Norway pout in IV and IIIa 

Fishing possibilities for 2007:  

For sandeel in the North Sea, the Commission will again propose to repeat the in-
year assessment and review procedure as adopted for 2006 (Annex IId of Regulation 
51/2006), subject to possible improvements after consultation. 

For  anchovy  in  the  Bay  of  Biscay,  the  Commission  will  propose  an  initial  TAC 
based  on  maintaining  the  spawning  stock  size  at  a  precautionary  level  (Bpa)at 
spawning time in 2007, with an in-year re-examination of the TAC based on spring 
survey data. 

For  anchovy  in  IX,  the  Commission  will  propose  a  TAC  at  the  same  level  as  that 
adopted for 2006 unless a conservation problem arises later in 2006. 

For  sprat  in  the  North  Sea,  the  Commission  will  propose  to  continue  the  in-year 
review of fishing possibilities based on spring survey data. To that end, a TAC for 
2007  will  be  proposed  at  the  same  level  as  that  adopted  for  2006  after  the  in-year 
review, but this will be subject to a further in-year review in 2007. 

For  Norway  pout,  the  stock  assessment  is  more  dependent  on  autumn  survey  data 
and the Commission will base its TAC proposal more directly on the advice received 
in the autumn. An in-year review during 2007 may also be included in the proposal. 

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4.6. 

Stocks whose status is unknown but which are not at high biological risk 

Description:  for  many  stocks  a  deterioration  in  the  accuracy  of  commercial  catch 
data  has  led  to  high  uncertainty  about  the  state  of  the  resources,  to  the  extent  that 
they cannot be assessed. Some other stocks - usually of minor economic importance - 
are  little  studied  and  may  be  caught  either  as  by-catches  in  other  fisheries  or  in 
fisheries  of  local  importance  only.  Pending  better  knowledge  of  the  state  of  such 
stocks, some interim guidelines should apply. 

Community stocks likely to be concerned: whiting in IIIa, whiting in IV and VIId, 
plaice  in  IIIa,  plaice  in  VIId,  all  stocks  of  horse  mackerel,  sandeel  in  IIIa,  cod  in 
VIIe-k, haddock in VIIe-k, plaice VIIh-k, plaice VIIbc, all stocks of pollack.  

Fishing  possibility  for  2007:  Consistent  with  the  precautionary  approach,  the 
Commission will propose measures to prevent the expansion of fisheries in situations 
of high uncertainty. Where recent catch levels by all Member States are substantially 
lower than corresponding quotas (and there is no evidence that expansion of a fishery 
would  be  sustainable)  the  Commission  will  propose  a  reduction  in  TACs  towards 
recent catch levels. This reduction will be proposed at a rate of 20% per year, though 
where  scientific  agencies  propose  a  different  approach  (such  as  a  recent  average 
historic catch level) this will be taken into account. 

5. 

SPECIAL CASES 

5.1. 

Cod stocks covered by the cod recovery plan 

As  of  December  2005,  there  had  been  no  detectable  reduction  in  cod  mortality  in 
most  areas  and  no  significant  recovery  of  the  stock.  As  management  arrangements 
have not been greatly more stringent in 2005 or 2006 than in 2004, the Commission 
anticipates  that  this  situation  is  likely  to  continue  into  2006.  The  existing  cod 
conservation  measures  should  therefore  be  reviewed,  and  should  be  strengthened 
while the review process is underway. 

For 2007 the Commission will propose fishing opportunities for cod stocks that are 
consistent  with  the  provisions  of  the  recovery  plan  if  STECF  is  able  to  provide 
quantitative  estimates  of  stock  size  and  fishing  mortality  to  allow  the  direct 
application  of  the  plan.  If  no  such  estimates  are  available,  the  Commission  will 
propose a reduction of 25% in both TAC levels and in all types of fishing effort that 
catches cod, and will require stronger safeguards concerning cod conservation when 
considering derogations to the days-at-sea régime. 

The  review  process  will  begin  in  2006  with  a  new  evaluation  by  STECF  of  the 
development of fishing effort, catches, and discards.  

5.2. 

Cod stocks in the Baltic Sea 

Concerning stocks of cod in the Baltic Sea, the Commission will shortly present its 
proposal for the recovery and long-term management of these two stocks. While this 
is  under  discussion  (and  to  be  consistent  with  that  proposal),  the  Commission  will 

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propose TACs for 2007 corresponding to the higher of a) 10% reduction in fishing 
mortality and b) 15% limit on TAC changes. 

5.3. 

Deep-sea species 

For deep-sea species, a separate proposal will be presented in September 2006. The 
Commission  supports  a  progressive  approach  to  returning  stocks  to  sustainable 
conditions  based  on  scientific  advice.  However,  for  deep-sea  stocks  the  scope  for 
graduality is limited because of their vulnerability to over-fishing and the very slow 
rates of stock recovery.  

The  scientific  advice  for  these  stocks  has  been  consistent,  namely  that  current 
exploitation  rates  should  be  significantly  reduced  and  that  new  fisheries  should  not 
be allowed to develop unless supported by data to show that they are sustainable. 

The  extent  to  which  TACs  and  fishing  effort  should  be  reduced  depends  on  the 
stocks  concerned.  For  some,  for  example  blue  ling  and  deep-water  sharks,  there 
should be no targeted fishery at all and by-catches should be kept to a minimum. For 
others,  such  as  roundnose  grenadier,  scientists  have  been  advising  reductions  in 
effort of about 50%. 

For 2007 the Commission will propose substantial reductions in the TACs for deep-
sea  species  with  a  view  to  bringing  fishing  mortality  down  to  sustainable  levels  as 
rapidly as possible. The TAC reductions will not be limited to 15% per year but will 
be as large as thought necessary to achieve target levels of fishing mortality within a 
period  of  three  years.  The  Commission  believes  that  reducing  the  TACs  more 
gradually  than  this  would  carry  an  unacceptable  risk  of  long-term  damage  to  the 
deep-sea ecosystem. 

5.4.  Mixed Fisheries 

Although some fisheries are highly targeted activities that make “clean” catches of a 
single  species,  many  fisheries  take  a  mixture  of  several  species.  Quantifying  these 
interactions  is  still  a  developing  science,  but  some  mixed  fisheries  are  so  well 
understood  that  it  is  clear  that  ignoring  these  interactions  would  clearly  be 
incompatible with responsible fisheries management. 

Examples include the flatfish fishery in the southern North Sea, (where most plaice 
are caught as a by-catch in the beam-trawl sole fisheries for sole), the mixed fishery 
for hake and Nephrops in the Iberian Atlantic area, and the mixed fisheries for sprat 
and  herring  in  the  North  Sea  and  in  the  Skagerrak  and  Kattegat  (managed  by  a 
herring by-catch quota). 

For  the  flatfish  fishery  and  the  hake  and  Nephrops  fishery  the  Commission's 
proposals concerning TACs, quotas and effort will conform to the relevant Council 
Regulation  (or  Commission  proposal,  if  the  Regulation  is  not  yet  adopted).  The 
Commission  will  propose  that  herring  and  sprat  fisheries  continue  to  be  managed 
with a by-catch quota. 

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5.5. 

Nephrops stocks 

Advice is provided every two years for Nephrops stocks. Apart from the Nephrops in 
IXa  which  is  covered  by  the  Southern  Hake  and  Nephrops  recovery  plan,  the 
Commission will for 2007 propose the same TACs for Nephrops as were adopted for 
2006. 

5.6. 

Blue whiting 

The  Commission  has  begun  an  exchange  of  views  with  Member  States  on  the 
allocation  of  blue  whiting.  The  TAC  proposal  for  this  species  will  reflect  the 
application of the Coastal State agreement on multi-annual management concerning 
this stock, and an allocation of the TAC will be proposed that takes account of the 
discussion with Member States. 

5.7. 

New TACs 

Occasionally  scientific  advice  highlights  a  conservation  need  for  new  species  at 
relatively  short  notice.  The  Commission  will  follow  up  this  advice  and  consult 
relevant Member States and interested parties, particularly on the issue of allocation. 
Further  discussion  will  be  held  concerning  bass  and  porbeagle  in  2006.  The 
Commission will not propose new TACs unless a prior discussion has been held. 

6. 

TECHNICAL MEASURES 

A review of technical measures for fisheries in Atlantic waters began in 2005 and is 
not likely to be completed by 2007. Therefore the Commission intends to prolong the 
transitional  technical  measures  defined  in  Annex  III  of  Regulation  No  51/2006, 
subject to revision and updating. 

7. 

EFFORT MANAGEMENT 

Annual  changes  to  permissible  fishing  effort  are  required  by  several  recovery  plan 
regulations. The Commission will propose adjustments to the number of permissible 
days-at-sea in Annex II of the "fishing opportunities" regulation as follows: 

Annex  IIa  (Cod  recovery):  Days-at-sea  to  be  adapted  in  line  with  the  approach 
outlined in Section 5.1., i.e. according to the requirements of the cod recovery plan. 
Should  scientific  advice  fail  to  indicate  a  recovery  of  the  cod,  a  minimum  25% 
reduction  in  days-at-sea  should  apply.  The  Southern  hake  and  Nephrops  recovery 
plan (Council Regulation 2166/2005) requires a 10% reduction in days-at-sea for the 
relevant gear types and areas.  

The  Commission  proposal  concerning  a  recovery  plan  for  Western  channel  sole 
(COM(2003) 819) is still under discussion. Unless the discussion is finalised prior to 
the  end  of  2006  with  a  different  conclusion,  the  Commission  will  also  propose  the 
10% reduction in fishing effort that is included in this proposal. 

The results of these calculations for 2007 are set out below. 

EN 

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Annex  IIb  (Southern  hake  and  Nephrops):  216  days-at-sea  for  gear  groups  3.a.i.  to 
3.c. (10% reduction from 240 days-at-sea in 2006). The Commission will review the 
conditions for the scope of the regulation to ensure that all the vessels developing the 
major part of fishing mortality on southern hake are included. 

Annex  IIc  (Western  Channel  sole)  :  194  days-at-sea  for  gear  groups  3.a.  and  3.b. 
(10% reduction from 216 days-at-sea in 2006) Fishing with static nets of mesh size 
over 120mm when less than 100Kg of sole are taken will continue to be unlimited. 

A  report  to  be  submitted  to  the  Council  and  the  European  Parliament  on  the 
effectiveness  the  existing  effort  regime  applicable  for  deep-sea  stocks  is  being 
prepared by the Commission services. A new effort management regime for deep-sea 
stocks will be proposed in the light of the conclusions of that report. 

8. 

CONCLUSION 

The  Commission  will  continue  to  work  on  the  development  of  long-term  plans, 
which  should  be  the  main  instrument  for  developing  fisheries  policy.  Those  plans 
which are adopted should be applied. While further plans are being developed, this 
Communication  provides  management  guidelines  for  the  stocks  that  are  not  yet 
covered by them. The purpose of the Commission’s approach is to provide as much 
stability  as  possible  for  the  fishing  sector,  while  ensuring  that  stocks  rebuild  or 
maintain their productive potential. 

While  this  policy  approach  is  applicable  to  Community  stocks,  similar  principles 
should  guide  the  Community's  actions  in  Regional  Fisheries  Organisations  and  in 
bilateral agreements. Here too, the development of long-term management measures 
should be a priority. 

EN 

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   EN