What is the ‘best available scientific advice’ for setting Total Allowable Catches (TACs)?

The document asserts that TACs are frequently set at or above scientifically advised levels, failing to account for ecosystem needs or uncertainty. It argues that ICES advice should be treated as a maximum limit rather than a target, and that TACs should often be set below this level to meet the EU's maximum sustainable yield, precautionary, and ecosystem-based management requirements.

• Total Allowable Catches (TACs) are frequently established at or exceeding the levels advised by science, and they seldom incorporate uncertainty or ecosystem requirements by being set lower.
• The official headline advice from the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) is identified as the 'best available scientific advice' for determining TACs.
• ICES advice should be viewed as a maximum catch limit that must not be exceeded, and TACs may need to be set below this limit to comply with the Common Fisheries Policy's (CFP) ecosystem-based approach, precautionary approach, and maximum sustainable yield (MSY) objective.

APA

ClientEarth (2025). What is the ‘best available scientific advice’ for setting Total Allowable Catches (TACs)? https://www.clientearth.org/latest/documents/what-is-the-best-available-scientific-advice-for-setting-total-allowable-catches-tacs/

Chicago

ClientEarth. What is the ‘best available scientific advice’ for setting Total Allowable Catches (TACs)? 2025. https://www.clientearth.org/latest/documents/what-is-the-best-available-scientific-advice-for-setting-total-allowable-catches-tacs/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=ClientEarth |title=What is the ‘best available scientific advice’ for setting Total Allowable Catches (TACs)? |date=27 March 2025 |url=https://www.clientearth.org/latest/documents/what-is-the-best-available-scientific-advice-for-setting-total-allowable-catches-tacs/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{clientearth2025what, author = {{ClientEarth}}, title = {{What is the ‘best available scientific advice’ for setting Total Allowable Catches (TACs)?}}, institution = {ClientEarth}, year = {2025}, month = mar, url = {https://www.clientearth.org/latest/documents/what-is-the-best-available-scientific-advice-for-setting-total-allowable-catches-tacs/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }