Commission proposes multiannual plan for herring

摘要

The European Commission, continuing its drive to switch from annual management to multiannual management of threatened fish stocks, presented, on 6 May, a proposal for a regulation for the management of herring fisheries to the West of Scotland. The aim is to guarantee the sustainability of the fishery and to prevent any sudden increase in fishing pressure, which could jeopardise the future of the stock. In accordance with scientific findings, total allowable catches (TACs) will have to be adjusted to achieve a high and sustainable yield. The target fishing mortality rate (measure of catches) is set at 0.25 when the size of the spawning stock is greater than 75,000 tonnes and 0.2 when it is between 75,000 and 50,000 tonnes. Should the stock fall below the 50,000 tonne level, the fishery would be closed until it recovered.