Commission staff working document - Accompanying document to the Proposal for a Council Regulation establishing a long-term plan for the Western stock of Atlantic horse mackerel - Summary of the impact assessment {COM(2009) 189} {SEC(2009) 524}
Date: 2009-04-21
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: authorised catch, conservation of fish stocks, fishery management, fishery resources, fishing area, fishing controls, sea fish

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COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES 

Brussels, 21.4.2009 
SEC(2009) 525 

COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT 

Accompanying document to the 
Proposal for a 
COUNCIL REGULATION 
establishing a long-term plan for the Western stock of Atlantic horse mackerel 

SUMMARY OF THE IMPACT ASSESSMENT 

{COM(2009) 189} 
{SEC(2009) 524} 

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COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT 

SUMMARY OF THE IMPACT ASSESSMENT 
on the proposal establishing a multi-annual plan for the western stock of Atlantic horse 
mackerel and the fisheries exploiting that stock 

The  Impact  Assessment  concerns  a  draft  proposal  that  would  set  long-term  management 
objectives  and  implementing  methods  concerning  the  fisheries  for  the  Western  stock  of  the 
Atlantic horse mackerel. The scope of the proposal is of medium importance, covering about 
60 million EUR per year in terms of catch value. Approximately 600 vessels, 6000 at-sea jobs 
and  some  140,000  tonnes  of  fish  catch  for  human  consumption  would  be  affected  by  the 
proposal, which is intended to deliver stability and sustainability. The fleet segments involved 
in  this  fishery  are  dominated  by  medium  to  large  pelagic  trawlers.  The  Impact  Assessment 
focuses on those fleet segments which have horse mackerel among their five most important 
species.  These  segments  cover  about  83%  of  the  overall  catch.  The  value  of  the  horse 
mackerel  catches  comprises  only  a  small  to  medium  important  part  of  similar  catching 
opportunities available to the same fishing fleets (between 1 and 20% according to the fleet 
concerned). 

The objective of the proposal is to: 

•  contribute to implementing the Common Fisheries Policy's overall objective (ensuring the 
sustainable  exploitation  of  marine  living  resources  in  ecological,  economic  and  social 
terms) for one concrete stock. This will be achieved by ensuring that the annual decision-
making on fishing possibilities corresponds to biological indicators on the development of 
the stock which the most renowned scientific bodies have confirmed as being meaningful. 

•  As  an  ancillary  objective,  the  proposal  aims  to  establish,  for  the  sector  concerned, 
predictability for the annual legislative decisions on total allowable catch for the stock, and 
to provide stability to such decision-making. 

•  As  another  ancillary  objective,  the  proposal  aims  at  attracting  scientific  analysis  to  the 

stock and increase over time the database and stock assessment quality. 

Scientific and Stakeholder Committees have been consulted. In fact, the proposal mirrors an 
initiative  taken  by  the  stakeholders  organised  in  the  Pelagic  Species  Regional  Advisory 
Council (PelRAC). 

The proposal is supported by DG MARE as an additional element in steering decision-making 
under the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) towards a long-term framework that is compatible 
with  international  obligations  and  with  the  CFP  objectives  themselves.  Indeed,  this  text 
represents  the  second  case  where  a  long-term  management  approach  is  proposed  for  stocks 
that are not outside safe biological limits, following the management plan for herring in the 
west  of  Scotland1.  Furthermore,  it  stands  out  by  applying  a  biological  indicator  other  than 
stock biomass and fishing mortality, and relies on precedent work and an initiative undertaken 
within the sector. 

The operational elements and options are: 

•  Option  1:  no  policy  change;  continue  fixing  the  fishing  possibilities  as  a  yearly  ad  hoc 

exercise based on annual scientific advice and political considerations; 

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OJ L 344 of 20.12.2008, p. 6; proposal: COM (2008)240 final dated 6.5.2008. 

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•  Option  2:  freezing  or  gradually  reducing  fishing  pressure  in  view  of  the  insufficient 

knowledge about the biological status of the stock; 

•  Option  3:  management  plan;  sub-options  relate  to  the  different  biological  indicators  and 
management  tools  available.  In  particular,  management  by  technical  measures  or  effort 
regulation  is  considered,  and  management  by  output-constraints. Management  by  output-
constraints  is  being  preferred,  and  here  a  harvest  rule  based  on  a  share  of  the  total 
spawning stock size is being discussed, as well as a harvest rule based on the trend in the 
egg  abundance.  The  latter  is  retained  as  the  preferred  sub-option.  To  this  sub-option, 
possible complementary elements relating to catch stability, stock decline and control are 
being presented. 

The  service  has  undertaken  a  basic  simulation  of  the  mid-term  economic  effects,  at  the 
aggregated fleet level, on the profit margins of the two options retained (option 1 and 3). It 
shows  that  the  difference  is  marginal,  and  that  Option  3  might  even  have  a  slightly  more 
beneficial  effect  in  relative  terms.  The  presented  impact  assessment  compares  the  possible 
scenarios  and  comes  to  the  conclusion  that  the  most  suitable  is  the  one  that  consists  of 
proposing a long-term management plan, which sets TACs stable for 3 years according to a 
harvest control rule based on a precautionary advice for the harvest level adjusted by a trend 
that reflects the tri-annual results of egg surveys. 

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