Fishing opportunities for 2025 in the Atlantic, Kattegat and Skagerrak straits

The European Commission has published a proposal to set catch limits or total allowable catches (TACs) for ten fish stocks in EU waters in the Atlantic Ocean, Kattegat and Skagerrak for 2025. The proposal is based on scientific advice and covers fish stocks managed exclusively by the EU in these sea basins.

Fishing opportunities vs. sustainable fisheries

Fishing opportunities, or total allowable catches (TACs), are set for most commercial fish stocks in Europe in accordance with the objectives of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) to balance the sustainability of stocks with social and economic considerations. The goal is to keep the stock in good condition or help it recover, while providing EU fishermen with a basis for economic activity. Under the CFP, EU member states are legally obligated to manage stocks at a sustainable level.

Sustainable fisheries are playing an increasingly important role in EU policies. In 2024. 81 percent of the TAC was set at the Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY) level, ensuring a healthy future for fishermen’s stocks and reliance on them, while in 2009 the figure was only 14 percent.

How does the EC develop the TAC proposal?

Each year, the European Commission asks the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) for scientific advice on each fish stock, and then develops a total allowable catch (TAC) proposal based on that advice. ICES provides two types of advice: maximum sustainable yield (MSY) assessment advice and precautionary approach advice. These depend on the data available to scientists.

With more information, ICES can conduct an MSY assessment, while for stocks lacking complete data, advice will be given based on the precautionary approach. The European Commission then analyzes the advice received and prepares a proposal, which is discussed and adopted by the Council of the European Union, where EU member state fisheries ministers meet.

Fishing opportunities for other bodies of water, including the Baltic Sea, are similarly defined, as we wrote about in a previous article: Fishing situation in the Baltic Sea for 2025.

Fishing opportunities for individual fish species

The number of TACs proposed for 2025 is lower compared to previous years due to the introduction of multi-year plans last year. For some stocks, TACs for 2025 were set by the Council at the end of 2023. The European Commission is proposing increased catch limits for five stocks: monkfish, megrim and horse mackerel in the Atlantic waters of the Iberian Peninsula, lobster in the southern Bay of Biscay and the Cantabrian Sea, and sole in the Bay of Biscay.

For hake in Atlantic Iberian waters, the European Commission is proposing to maintain the 2024 TAC at 17,445 tons – which is between the MSY point value (15,105 tons) and the upper limit of the ICES MSY range (20,404 tons). Hake is the most limiting species, as others are often caught incidentally along with it. With this proposal, the European Commission seeks to strike a balance between protecting hake in the long term and allowing fishermen to harvest it.

For plaice in the Kattegat, the European Commission is proposing to maintain the 2024 TAC, which is below the lower limit of the ICES MSY range. Plaice and cod are caught incidentally in the lobster fishery. In light of the advice for zero cod catches, the limits for lobster and plaice should remain low to avoid increasing pressure on cod bycatch.

For sole in the Skagerrak-Kattegat and the western Baltic Sea, given the low biomass of the stock, the Commission proposes to suspend the directed fishery, and maintain the current TAC for the lobster directed fishery. ICES forecasts that this bycatch TAC will keep the stock’s biomass stable, although it will not achieve MSY.

Based on a precautionary approach, ICES recommends zero catches of roundnose grenadier in the Skagerrak-Kattegat in 2025 and 2026, and the Commission suggests setting a low TAC for it for those years in fisheries targeting northern shrimp at the level of recent landings.

Given the critical state of the European eel population, the Commission is proposing to maintain existing measures to protect the stock. These include a mandatory six-month fishing closure and a ban on all recreational eel fishing in EU marine and brackish waters of the Northeast Atlantic.

Fishing opportunities – further stage of work

On December 9 and 10, 2024, the European Council will discuss the European Commission’s proposal and set fishing opportunities for 2025 and, in some cases, for 2026. The regulation should enter into force on January 1, 2025.

pic. main: Jordan Allen Walters / Unsplash