Background
This report represents the STECF review of advice for stocks of interest to the European Community in all of the world’s oceans.
In undertaking the review, STECF has consulted the most recent reports on stock assessments and advice from appropriate scientific advisory bodies or other readily available literature, and has attempted to summarise it in a common format. For some stocks the review remains unchanged from the Review of advice for 2009 (STECF, 2009, EUR 23630 EN), since no new information on the status of or advice for such stocks was available at the time the present review took place.
STECF notes that the term ‘stock’ in some cases, may not reflect a likely biological unit, but rather a convenient management unit. In specific cases STECF has drawn attention to this fact. STECF also is of the opinion that, as far as possible, management areas should coincide with stock assessment areas.
For the first time STECF was requested by the Commission to estimate the the TACs corresponding to the decision rules contained in the Commission’s Communication on Fishing Opportunities for 2010 COM (2009) 224.
For each stock, a summary of the following information is provided:
STOCK: [Species name, scientific name], [management area]
FISHERIES: fleets prosecuting the stock, management body in charge, economic importance in relation to other fisheries, historical development of the fishery, potential of the stock in relation to reference points or historical catches, current catch (EU fleets’ total), any other pertinent information.
SOURCE OF MANAGEMENT ADVICE: reference to the management advisory body.
MANAGEMENT AGREEMENT: where these exist.
PRECAUTIONARY REFERENCE POINTS: where these have been proposed.
Consolidated STECF review of advice for 2010 for stocks of Community interest
STOCK STATUS: Reference points, current stock status in relation to these. STECF has included precautionary reference point wherever these are available.
RECENT MANAGEMENT ADVICE: summary of advice.
STECF COMMENTS: Any comments STECF thinks worthy of mention, including errors, omissions or disagreement with assessments or advice.
FISHING OPPORTUNITIES FOR 2010 according to COM (2009) 224: The TACs corresponding the to
TAC decision rules contained in COM (2009) 224.
Application of the rules for calculating TACs according to the Commission’s Communication on Fishing opportunities for 2010 (COM (2009) 224)
STECF has adopted the following procedure in providing options for fishing opportunities for 2010 according to COM (2009) 224.
Options when a management plan is in place or proposed.
- If the management plan has been evaluated and has been deemed to consistent with the precautionary approach, STECF has advised on the level of TAC corresponding to the relevant harvest control rule contained in the plan.
- If the management plan has not yet been evaluated or the evaluation was inconclusive with respect to the precautionary approach, STECF has noted the level of TAC corresponding to the relevant harvest control rule contained in the plan.
- If the management plan has been evaluated and has been deemed not to be consistent with the precautionary approach, STECF has noted the level of TAC corresponding to the relevant harvest control rule contained in the plan. In this case, STECF also provides options for TACs according to the Communication from the Commission (COM (2009) 224) on a consultation on fishing opportunities for 2010.
Options when there is no management plan in place or proposed.
- In such circumstances STECF provides options for TACs according to the Communication from the Commission (COM (2009) 224) on a consultation on fishing opportunities for 2010
While recognising that some stocks are shared resources and the EU may only obtain a share of the overall TAC, the values for 2010 TACs provided in the report according to COM (2009) 224 apply to the overall TAC and not the any anticipated EU share. This is because STECF has no advance information on what share is likely to be negotiated. Note also that the TAC values provided by STECF in accordance with COM (2009) 224 should not be considered as STECF-advice, unless it is explicitly stated as such in the report sections.
The Consolidated STECF review of scientific advice for 2010 was compiled from the reports of the STECFSGECA/RST 09-01, 09-02 and 09-03 Working Groups held in Copenhagen, Denmark; Brest, France and Vigo, Spain.