Commission staff working document accompanying document to the Proposal for a Council Regulation establishing a long-term plan for the anchovy stock in the Bay of Biscay and the fisheries exploiting that stoc - Summary of the impact assessment {COM(2009) 399 final} {SEC(2009)1076 final}
Date: 2009-07-29
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: France, Spain, activity report, authorised catch, catch of fish, catch quota, common fisheries policy, fishing area, fishing regulations, fishing rights

EN 

EN 

   EN 

 
COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES 

Brussels, 29.7.2009 
SEC(2009) 1077 final 

COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT 

Accompanying document to the 

Proposal for a 

COUNCIL REGULATION 

establishing a long-term plan for the anchovy stock in the Bay of Biscay and the fisheries 
exploiting that stoc 

SUMMARY OF THE IMPACT ASSESSMENT 

{COM(2009) 399 final} 

{SEC(2009)1076 final} 

EN 

   EN 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
SUMMARY OF THE IMPACT ASSESSMENT 

The  Impact  Assessment  concerns  a  draft  proposal  that  would  set  long-term  management 
objectives  and  implementing  methods  concerning  a  fishery  for  anchovy  (Engraulis 
encrasicolus) in the Bay of Biscay. This short-lived pelagic species is of great socioeconomic 
importance  for  a  number  of  ports  and  fishermen  on  the  Cantabrian  Coast  of  Spain  and  the 
French Atlantic Coast. 

The scope of the proposal is of medium importance, covering up to 50 million EUR in terms 
of  catch  value.  Approximately  300  vessels  and  some  3000  at-sea  jobs  and  about  16,000 
tonnes  of  fish  catch  for  human  consumption  were  involved  in  fishing  for  anchovy  in  2004 
before  the  fishery  was  closed.  These  figures  illustrate  the  effect  of  the  proposal,  which  is 
intended to deliver stability and sustainability to the fishery. Two fleets operating in the area 
are  Spanish  purse  seiners  and  French  purse  seiners  and  pelagic  trawlersThe  stock  is 
susceptible  to  large  inter-annual  fluctuations  in  abundance  caused  mainly  by  variations  in 
recruitment, driven by environmental factors. Recruitment of young fish into the fishery has 
been  very  low  since  2001.  Recruitment  of  the  2004  year  class  was  particularly  low,  which 
resulted  in  a  decline  of  the  stock  and  led  to  the  closure  of  the  fishery  in  the  second  half  of 
2005. The fishery has remained closed ever since. 

The  proposal  covers  the  conditions  for  re-opening  the  fishery,  and  its  subsequent 
management, as a function of the size of the stock. It is intended by DG MARE as a further 
step 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. In spring 2009 the fishery is closed following scientific advice that estimates the 
stock's biomass as being below limit values (Blim). Only when the fishery is safe to re-open, 
could a long-term plan be applicable to determine the rates of fishing that can take the stock 
from  recovery  to  maximum  sustainable  yield.  It  is,  however,  important  to  stress  that  the 
proposal assessed in this report does not aim at achieving a high level of biomass but rather at 
finding the best way to manage the risk of the fishery needing to be closed again. 

The  impact  assessment  has  been  preceded  by  thorough  scientific  evaluation  by  relevant 
scientific and Stakeholder Committees.  

Under  the  CFP  several  operational  elements  can  be  considered  in  achieving  a  sustainable 
management of a fishery. These are: 

•  setting a fixed TAC; 

•  introducing  technical  measures,  including  time/area  closures  to  protect  mature  fish 

(spawners) and/or juvenile fish; 

•  introducing provisions on capacity and effort to adapt them to catch possibilities; 

•  incorporating economic instruments, i.e. market measures; 

•  encouraging a better cooperation between interested parties. 

Due to specific needs of this short-lived species and given the fact the fishery has been closed 
for a number of years, putting a management plan in place was selected as the most feasible 
alternative to the current annual decision-making system. Effort control on pelagic species is 
ineffective and therefore a harvest rate based management approach to setting the TAC was 
selected  as  preferable  in  managing  anchovy  to  an  effort  limiting  regime.  Complementary 
measures, like those  described  above,  can be  used to further improve  the plan but they will 
not  be  discussed  in  this  report.  In  order  to  include  different  components  and  to  take  into 

EN 

2 

   EN 

 
account  both  technical  and  capacity  issues  in  the  fishery,  two  main  options  and  three 
additional sub-options have been tested: 

•  Option 1 – No policy change; 

•  Option 2 – Long-term plan with 3 alternative sub-options; 

2.1. Rule A - a strategy with relatively higher TAC levels but higher collapse risks; 

2.2. Rule B - a strategy with relatively lower TAC levels and lower collapse risks; 

2.3. Rule C - a strategy being a compromise between options A and B. 

Further analysis indicated that a system based on a TAC set mid-year according to the June 
scientific advice, with a harvest rule establishing the annual TAC level automatically would 
be the preferred management option for the stock. The system would also include provisions 
on  a  closure  when  biomass  is  below  a  certain  threshold.Details  of  consultation  processes, 
options and impacts are provided.  

EN 

3 

   EN