COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE COUNCIL AND THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT Updated guidelines for the analysis of the balance between fishing capacity and fishing opportunities for fleet segments consisting of vessels of less than 12 metres in length in the outermost regions according to Article 22 of Regulation (EU) No 1380/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the Common Fisheries Policy
Date: 2025-12-18
Institutions: Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, European Commission
Subjects: EU Member State, common fisheries policy, conservation of fish stocks, disclosure of information, fishing fleet, peripheral region, sustainable fisheries, vessel

EN 

  EN 

   EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Brussels, 18.12.2025  COM(2025) 798 final  COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE COUNCIL AND THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT Updated guidelines for the analysis of the balance between fishing capacity and fishing opportunities for fleet segments consisting of vessels of less than 12 metres in length in the outermost regions according to Article 22 of Regulation (EU) No 1380/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the Common Fisheries Policy  
 
 
1.  INTRODUCTION 

The European Union has nine outermost regions, located far away from the European continent 
in  the  Atlantic  and  Indian  oceans,  the  Caribbean  Sea,  and  Latin  America:  French  Guiana, 
Guadeloupe,  Martinique,  Mayotte,  Réunion  and  Saint-Martin  (France);  Azores  and  Madeira 
(Portugal); Canary Islands (Spain). 

Article 349 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) recognises the 
“structural social and economic situation” of these outermost regions, “compounded by their 
remoteness, insularity, small size, difficult topography and climate, economic dependence on a 
few products, the permanence and combination of which severely restrain their development”. 
It provides for the adoption of specific measures in Union legislation and policies to help them 
address these challenges, including “fisheries policies”.  

In 2022, the Commission adopted a communication for the Union's outermost regions (1), setting 
out a new strategy for these regions, reaffirming the Commission's commitment to reflecting 
their specific characteristics in proposals for Union legislation and policies, including in the 
field of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP). 

By comparison with the Union fishing fleet as a whole, the number of vessels in the fishing 
fleet of the outermost regions is small,  predominantly  artisanal  and  family-owned  therefore 
characterized by heterogenous fishing strategies, energy intensive, and operating in particularly 
challenging oceanic and meteorological conditions, strongly affecting the average vessel use. 
These fleets are composed largely of vessels under 12 metres in length with low engine power, 
limited range, and higher operating costs due to remoteness, dependence on imported fuel and 
equipment.  Moreover,  they  have  more  limited  access  to  private  funding  and  restricted 
infrastructure,  affecting  the  overall  profitability  of  those  fisheries  and  therefore  forcing 
fishermen into multi-activity to offset the lack of income, in turn affecting the vessel use rate. 
They  operate  on  narrow  coastal  shelves,  often  in  competition  with  migratory  species  or 
neighbouring fleets, and within socio-economically vulnerable contexts where fisheries play a 
key  role  in  local  employment,  food),  and  community  stability.  In  addition,  the fish stocks 
targeted in the outermost regions are more diverse and multispecies in nature than those targeted 
by the fishing fleet of the rest of the Union.  

Given  these  particular  structural  and  ecological  features  conventional  EU  stock  assessment 
methodologies, which have been designed mainly for single-species and data-rich fisheries, as 
well  as  vessel  use  assessment  methodologies,  which  have  been  designed  for  fisheries  less 
exposed to extreme weather events and profitable and funded enough to allow fishermen to rely 
solely on their fishing activity, may require adaptation to adequately reflect the realities of the 
outermost regions. Methodological adaptations also need to take into account the fact that the 
situation is compounded in many cases by the nature of the fishing vessels, which are among 
the oldest and smallest in the Union and which are less equipped to diversify their target fish 
stocks,  spread  more  widely  and  evenly  across  fishing  grounds  in  order  to  avoid 

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COM(2022) 198 final 

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overconcentration of fishing operations close to the coastline, as well as to collect and transmit 
data on their fishing activities. 

Data on these fisheries are comparatively limited, and fewer stock assessments are conducted, 
which hampers Member States’ capacity to report on the balance between fleet capacity and 
fishing opportunities in accordance with the Guidelines for the analysis of the balance between 
fishing capacity and fishing opportunities adopted by the Commission under Article 22(2) of 
Regulation (EU) No 1380/2013 of the European Parliament and the Council on the Common 
Fisheries Policy ( (2) ) (hereinafter ‘COM (2014) 545 final’).  Furthermore, to capture better the 
diverse nature of the fishing activities by the outermost regions’ fleets, an increased level of 
fleet  sub-segmentation  may  be  required,  beyond  what  is  set  out  in  the  Data  Collection 
Framework (DCF) (3). 

This Communication takes into account the above-mentioned factors that differ significantly 
from  those  in  the  rest  of  the  Union  and,  in  line  with  the  priorities  set  out  in  the  2022 
Communication on outermost regions (4), it establishes specific guidelines for assessing fleet 
segment balance for vessels of less than 12 metres in length in the outermost regions. It adapts 
certain elements of COM(2014) 545 final to the structural social and economic situation and 
compounding  factors  of  the  outermost  regions  in  line  with  art  349  TFEU,  and  replaces 
COM (2024) 223 final, under the conditions laid down by Section 3 of this Communication. 

In view of the expiry of COM (2024) 223 final, and following the commitment outlined in the 
European  Ocean  Pact (5),  the  Commission  invited  Member  States  with  fleets  in  outermost 
regions to submit scientific evidence for amending the guidelines, and consulted its scientific 
body, the Scientific, Technical, and Economic Committee for Fisheries (STECF) (6). 

This Communication provides alternative methods (compared to what is set out in COM (2014) 
545  final)  which  the  Member  States  concerned  may  apply  for  the  preparation  of  certain 
indicators  for  fleet  segments  consisting  of  vessels  of  less  than  12  meters  in  length  in  the 
outermost regions. These alternative methods are based on an elaboration of COM (2014) 545 
final  and  COM  (2024)  223  final  and  take  into  account  (1)  additional  scientific  analysis  and 
recommendations provided by the STECF in relation to Member States’ annual fleet reports, 
and  (2)  information  specific  to  the  outermost  regions,  as  provided  by  the  Member  States 
concerned (7).  

In  all  cases,  including  when  applying  the  guidelines  set  out  in  the  present  Communication, 
Member States should present all necessary data and explanations to justify their choices and 
to allow for further analysis and scrutiny by the STECF as necessary. 

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COM (2014) 545 final 
Council Regulation (EC) No 199/2008 of 25 February 2008, concerning the establishment of a 
Community framework for the collection, management and use of data in the fisheries sector and 
support for scientific advice regarding the Common Fisheries Policy, OJ L 60, 5.3.2008. 
COM(2022) 198 final 
COM(2025) 281 final 
STECF 25-18 and STECF PLEN 25-02 
In particular STECF PLEN 25-02 

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2.  ALTERNATIVE METHODS FOR FLEET SEGMENTS CONSISTING OF VESSELS OF LESS 

THAN 12 METRES IN LENGTH IN THE OUTERMOST REGIONS 

COM (2014) 545 final applies to all vessel segments as a basic rule. 

The  guidelines  in  this  Communication  introduce  alternative  methods  for  fleet  segments 
consisting  of  vessels  of  less  than  12  metres  in  length  in  the  outermost  regions  that  may  be 
applied for the preparation of data parameters, biological indicators, vessel use indicators and 
additional indicators, as set out below. 

The Member States may prepare their fleet report on the basis of any of the alternative methods 
set out in this Communication for the fleet segments concerned, only if they justify the need to 
do  so  in the  light  of  the  specific  situation  of  the  fleet  segment  concerned  and  the  particular 
constraints that segment is under, due to its location in an outermost region. The explanations 
should be provided in annex to the fleet report. 

According to COM (2014) 545 final, where the indicators suggest a situation of imbalance for 
one of the fleet segments concerned, but a Member State considers that nevertheless the fleet 
segment in question is in balance with resources (or vice versa), the Member State is expected 
to provide supporting analysis allowing the Commission and the STECF to fully understand 
and take into account the reasons justifying its position when concluding on the balance. This 
should apply both when the indicators are prepared in accordance with the methods set out in 
COM (2014) 545 final and when they are prepared using the alternative methods set out in this 
Communication. 

2.1. Data parameters and fleet segmentation 

In order to have standardised analyses, to  facilitate comparisons and to  avoid duplication of 
work,  in  accordance  with  COM (2014)  545  final,  data  parameters  should  be  calculated 
according to data collected under the DCF. 

In line with the advice of the STECF, for vessels of less than 12 metres in length in the outermost 
regions, indicator  calculation may  be further disaggregated by sub-segmentation  at the most 
appropriate level (8). In principle, sub-segmentation will help to ensure that the indicator values 
for sub-segments are more representative than at a more aggregated segmentation. In cases in 
which a sub-segmentation is provided, this should be in addition to the DCF, not instead of it. 
Furthermore, all supporting data for the calculations in the fleet report should also be provided 
in annex to the fleet report according to the same, uniform sub-segmentation. 

2.2. Biological indicators 

In line with COM (2014) 545 final, both biological indicators (sustainable harvest indicator and 
stocks at risk indicator) should be in balance as part of demonstrating the balance of a fleet 
segment. 

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Member States should make best use of the economic data call’s submission form columns ACTIVITY, 
GEAR or FISHERY 

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2.2.1.  Sustainable harvest indicator 

For fleet segments concerning vessels of less than 12 metres in length in the outermost regions, 
the  calculation  for  the  sustainable  harvest  indicator  (SHI)  as  explained  in  section  10.1  of 
COM (2014) 545 final may be simplified in one of the following ways: 

•  F and Fmsy values may be derived, in order of priority, from: (a) national assessments 
subjected to peer review, where the peer reviews are either publicly accessible or are 
provided as an annex to the fleet report; (b) national assessments not (yet) subjected to 
peer review, where the national assessments are provided as an annex to the fleet report, 
for peer review. The stock assessments should be based on the most recently available 
data reflecting the current status of the fish stocks. Considering that annual data is not 
always  available  on  every  stock,  Member  States  should  ensure  that  the  stock 
assessments included are based on the most recently available data and are not older 
than  three  years  prior  to  the  reference  year.  However,  the  exact  timeline  may  vary 
depending on the life history of the stocks, meaning that for some species with longer 
life cycles, slightly older assessments up to five years old may still be relevant; the SHI 
indicator may be presented together with the actual coverage percentage and the number 
of stocks used to compute the value; 

•  estimates of F and Fmsy from one or more representative target species in the fishery 
can be used; in this context, assessments based on the productivity of species groupings 
may also be presented and used. 

Regardless of the simplification applied by the Member State, it is imperative that all necessary 
data be provided in annex to the fleet report to ensure full transparency and allow for further 
scrutiny by the STECF. 

2.2.2.  Stocks at risk indicator 

In line with COM (2014) 545 final Member States are requested to count the number of stocks 
currently assessed as being at high biological risk that “are exploited” by the fleet segment in 
question. COM (2014) 545 final also clarifies that, in this context, “exploited by” means that 
the stock(s) at high risk each make up more than 10% of the catches of the fleet or that the fleet 
takes more than 10% of the catches of the stock.  

Based on the advice of the STECF and taking into account the special situation of fleet segments 
consisting  of  vessels  of  less  than  12  meters  in  length  in  the  outermost  regions, 
COM (2024) 223 final  enabled  Member  States  to  use,  on  a  temporary  basis,  an  alternative 
threshold value to define whether stock(s) at high risk are “exploited by” the fleet segments in 
question (9). Following the expiry of COM (2024) 223 final, that alternative threshold should 
be  adjusted  to  better  reflect  the  idiosyncratic  features  of  these  fleet  segments  described  in 
section 1 of this document and capture their impact on the stocks concerned. 

Therefore, Member States may consider, for fleet segments consisting of vessels of less than 
12 metres in length in the outermost regions,  that a stock at high risk is “exploited by” a fleet 
segment if each stock makes up more than 20% of the catches of the fleet segment, and if the 
fleet segment takes more than 10% of the catches of the stock. Member States should submit 
detailed data and explanations of the calculations applied as well as the scientific reasons for the 

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STECF PLEIN 24-01 

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application of this alternative threshold value in an annex to the fleet report for further scrutiny 
by the STECF. 

For  shared  stocks  with  third  countries  notably  those  managed  by  Regional  Fisheries 
Management Organisations (RFMOs), Member  States  and the STECF will  use international 
catch data for the calculation of the stock at risk (SAR) indicator, where available. For shared 
stocks where such international data is not available, the EU catches, complemented by any 
relevant  information  and  data,  will  be  applied  to  the  SAR  calculation.  Stocks  for  which, 
according to the relevant RFMO, the status is not overfished or not subject to overfishing will 
not be classified as "stock at risk".  

2.3. Vessel utilisation indicator 

In line with COM (2014) 545 final,  the vessel utilisation indicator is the average, for each fleet 
segment, of the ratio of the effort actually deployed to the maximum effort that could be exerted 
by the fleet. 

Recognising  the  unique  characteristics  of  the  outermost  regions'  fleets,  including  their 
variability in fishing activity levels, Member States should continue to have the possibility to 
calculate  an  alternative  version  of  this  indicator,  including,  if  duly  justified,  adapted  at  the 
segment level, that is based on theoretical, rather than actual, maximum activity level and taken 
into account in the balance assessment. This value should be determined by each Member State 
using an expert judgement and available information, taking into account natural, technical and 
social conditions, relevant to the particular situation of the fleet in the outermost regions. This 
possibility is afforded to the Member States because the observed maximum number of days at 
sea within a fleet segment for each reference year could be limited by external factors, so this 
number may not reflect the true technical capacity of this fleet. Examples of external factors can 
be economic, environmental and social, as defined under section 12.2 of COM (2014) 545 final. 
As observed in Section 1, fleet segments consisting of vessels of less than 12 metres in length 
in the outermost regions are particularly exposed to such external factors. 

Where  Member  States  can  justify  the  use  of  this  version  of  the  indicator  as  set  out  in 
section 12.2 of COM (2014) 545 final, this may be reflected in the choice of indicator VURnn. 
The  grounds  for  the  choice  of  nn  should  be  provided  along  with  all  data  required  for  the 
calculations in an annex to the fleet report. To enable the identification of VUR trends, Member 
States applying a VURnn version of the technical indicator are encouraged to maintain the same 
threshold across multiple years, which will help reduce the influence of extreme values. In any 
case,  when  setting  or  adjusting  their  nn  threshold,  Member  States  must  provide  a  clear 
justification for the decision. 

In order to address accuracy issues resulting from an overly small reference sample, the balance 
assessment of segments consisting of fewer than ten vessels shall be based on the version of the 
indicator that yields the highest value, considering the minimum reference value of 0.7 set out 
in section 12.3 of COM(2014) 545 final. 

2.4. Additional indicators 

For fleet segments consisting of vessels of less than 12 metres in length in the outermost regions, 
the Number of Overexploited Stocks (NOS) indicator and the Economic Dependency Indicator 

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(EDI) may be provided as additional biological indicators and calculated according to STECF 
advice (10). 

Social indicators that can help illustrate the wider socio-economic conditions in which the fleet 
operates may also be presented. This gives Member States an opportunity to provide additional 
illustrations  of  the  situation  of  their  fleet  segments,  consisting  of  the  smallest  vessels  and 
potentially most vulnerable vessels and fishers and businesses. 

These additional indicators are not considered as alternative indicators and do not form part of 
the fleet balance calculation. 

3.  FINAL CONSIDERATIONS 

These guidelines shall apply for the preparation and the assessment of the national reports to be 
submitted by the Member States by May 2026 in accordance with Article 22(2) of Regulation 
(EU) No 1380/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 December 2013 on 
the Common Fisheries Policy, amending Council Regulations (EC) No 1954/2003 and (EC) No 
1224/2009 and repealing Council Regulations (EC) No 2371/2002 and (EC) No 639/2004 and 
Council  Decision  2004/585/EC.  However,  they  shall  also  apply  to  the  assessment  of  the 
national reports submitted by the Member States by May 2025 if those reports already contain 
assessments  or  information  that  allow  for  a  more  favourable  balance  assessment  of  the 
respective fleet segment than under the COM (2014) 545 as supplemented by COM (2024) 223 
final.  The  Commission  will  continue  to  work  with  STECF,  in  particular  the  STECF  Expert 
Working  Group  on  the  outermost  regions,  to  address  the  issues  specific  to  the  outermost 
regions. 

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For the calculation of these indicators, please consult STECF reports STECF-PLEN-24-01 and STECF-
15-02 pp 76-78, taking n=10%. 

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