Today, EU fisheries ministers agreed fishing opportunities for 2025 for the Atlantic and North Sea, Mediterranean and Black Sea.
Western Mediterranean plan enters its permanent phase
As the permanent phase of the multiannual plan (MAP) for the Western Mediterranean kicks off on 1 January 2025, ministers agreed to continue with the necessary reduction of fishing effort for trawlers to address the still challenging problem of fishing mortality. At the same time, the agreement expands the compensation mechanism, already included in the Commission proposal.
The expanded compensation mechanism will accelerate fish stock recovery, while ensuring that the sector can benefit from fishing days if they put in place the necessary conservation measures. European funding is also available to accompany the sector’s investments and transition to more sustainable fisheries. The agreement includes twelve sustainability measures that will provide considerable extra fishing days if applied.
Costas Kadis, Commissioner for Fisheries and Oceans, said:
For the Commission and me personally, it was important to reach an agreement that is both balanced and responsible - preserving fishers’ livelihoods in the long term and improving the chances for stock recovery. I would like to sincerely thank fishers for their remarkable efforts over the last years. Now, with the compensation mechanism, fishers in the Western Mediterranean can benefit from a substantial increase in fishing days if they commit to selectivity, closure areas and innovative fishing gears.
Catch limits for Mediterranean species with high commercial value
The agreement reached implements new long-term measures for European eel and red coral in the Mediterranean Sea. For European eel, ministers agreed to continue with the six-month closure and the ban on recreational fisheries. There will also be catch limits for glass eel and a freeze of the number of fishing gears and authorisations.
Ministers’ agreement also continues the implementation of several important General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM) MAPs:
- For common dolphinfish in the Mediterranean, setting catch limits and fleet management levels according to the GFCM MAP.
- For deep-water shrimps under the MAPs in the Strait of Sicily, the Ionian and the Levant Seas catch limits are reduced by 3% compared to 2024 levels and include fleet management measures.
- In the Strait of Sicily, the reduction of the fishing effort for hake continues, combined with a capacity freeze for all fleets.
- In the Alboran Sea, to ensure stock recovery, catch limits for blackspot seabream are reduced by 30% compared to 2024, and there will be limitations on fleet capacity and recreational fishing restrictions.
Sustainable management of stocks and agreements with non-EU countries in the North-East Atlantic
In the North-East Atlantic for the stocks managed solely by the EU, the Council set 13 fishing opportunities in line with the maximum sustainable yield (MSY) advice as proposed by the Commission. This includes increases for TACs (total allowable catches) for megrims (+23%) and anglerfish (+17%) in Iberian waters, for Norway lobster in the Cantabrian Sea (+109%), for sole in the Bay of Biscay (+2%) and for plaice in Kattegat (+19%) and brings to 80% the number of TACs set in line with MSY for 2025. It also includes decreases for TACs for Norway lobster in the Bay of Biscay (-25%) and horse mackerel in Atlantic Iberian waters (-66%).
The Commission is however concerned by the Council decision to go beyond the scientific advice for the TACs of Norway lobster in the Gulf of Cadiz and of pollack in the Atlantic Iberian waters through a footnote allocation, as well as the Council decision on the agreement on the stock of southern seabass in the Bay of Biscay, also set above scientific advice.
This outcome was significantly facilitated by the fact that fishing opportunities for 2025 had already been secured before the Council on the vast majority of TACs in the Northeast Atlantic with non-EU countries. The EU reached three relevant agreements ahead of the Council with Norway and the UK on a bilateral basis, and between the three parties jointly, as well as with other coastal States. Stocks shared with third countries result in fishing opportunities for the EU in the next year of over 1.24 million tonnes and worth of almost 2.53 billion euros, covering more than 100 TACs.
Advances in the Adriatic and Black Sea
The agreement reached among fisheries ministers also implements in EU law the important results of international negotiations on new long-term measures for small pelagic species in the Adriatic Sea. These measures include:
- catch limits for anchovy and sardines for 2025, and
- new sharing arrangements between Italy, Croatia and Slovenia.
For demersal stocks in the Adriatic, today’s agreement continues the implementation of measures under the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM) multiannual management plan, with a reduction of the fishing effort by 5,2% for otter-trawlers and a roll-over for beam trawlers.
Today's agreement also incorporates the GFCM decision to slightly increase TACs and quotas for turbot, and to carry-over the unused EU turbot quotas from 2023 to 2025. This rewards the efforts of the concerned Member States towards sustainability. Finally, sprat quotas remain at 2024 levels.
More information
Press release on the results of the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean
Commission proposal – fishing opportunities for 2025 in the Atlantic, Kattegat and Skagerrak
The EU and UK agree on fishing opportunities for 2025 worth €1.4 billion for EU fishers
EU and Norway reach an agreement on fishing opportunities for 2025
The EU, Norway and the UK agree on fishing opportunities in the North Sea for 2025
Details
- Publication date
- 11 December 2024
- Author
- Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries