UK AND EU AND NORWAY AGREE SPRAT TAC

UK  and EU and Norway agree sprat TAC. A European Union Delegation, headed by Thomas Bregeon, a Norwegian Delegation, headed by Ms Ann Kristin Westberg, and a United Kingdom Delegation, headed by Will Francis, met virtually on 23 May 2022 to consult on mutual fisheries relations for sprat in ICES Division 3a and Subarea 4 and Division 2a for 1 July 2022 to 30 June 2023.

The delegations agreed to roll over the method to distribute the ICES single stock advice, which results in an allocation of 18.3% of the overall advice as the basis for setting the TAC for the Skagerrak/Kattegat.

The United Kingdom delegation recalled that it had not, in its own right, been party to that 2020 decision on allocation. It urged the parties to adopt an allocation method which more accurately reflects the spatial distribution of the resource in advance of setting the TAC in 2023.

The Norwegian Delegation agreed with the UK delegation that, as a principle, allocation methods should reflect the spatial distribution of fish stocks.

The European Union Delegation recalled its general position that allocation methods should continue to be based on historic fishing rights.

The Delegations agreed to recommend to their respective authorities the following fishery arrangements for the period 1 July 2022 to 30 June 2023, as outlined in this Agreed Record.

1. The Delegations noted that ICES released the advice on sprat in Division 3a and Subarea 4 (Skagerrak, Kattegat and North Sea) on 09 May 2022. Based on its Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY) approach, ICES advises that catches in the Skagerrak, Kattegat and North Sea for the period from 1 July 2022 to 30 June 2023 should be no more than 68,690 tonnes.
2. The Delegations agreed to apply a split of the TAC between the Skagerrak and Kattegat and the North Sea which would allocate 18.3% of the TAC to the Skagerrak and Kattegat.
3. The Delegations consequently agreed to establish a TAC for sprat in ICES Division 3.a (Skagerrak and Kattegat) of 12,570 tonnes and in ICES Subarea 4 of 56,120 tonnes for the period 1 July 2022 to 30 June 2023. This is a decrease of 36% compared to the previous TAC period.
4. The European Union Delegation notified other Delegations of its intention to roll-over the provisions allowing for the transfer of EU quotas from waters of ICES division 3a to United-Kingdom and European Union waters of division 2a and subarea 4, as laid out in Table 4 of the Written Record of fisheries consultations between the United Kingdom and the European Union for 2022.
5. The Delegations agreed to work in order to increase the quality of the scientific advice for sprat in ICES Division 3a and Subarea 4, both in the short and longer term. For the period 1 July 2022 to 30 June 2023, should surveys undertaken later in 2022 indicate that there may be a significant change in the stock abundance, Delegations will consult further ahead of the 2023 to 2024 annual consultations.

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