Mismatch between TACs and ICES advice

The document argues that mismatches between management units (TACs) and scientific advice units (ICES) make it difficult to monitor whether fishing levels comply with the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP). Analysis of 112 comparisons shows that only about 28% are directly comparable, while the majority suffer from area or species mismatches that require additional, non-public data to resolve.

• Of 112 comparisons between TACs and scientific advice, only 31 cases (approximately 28%) represent an ideal match where the TAC area and advice area are the same.
• In 32 cases (approximately 29%), the TAC area is larger than the advice area, meaning it includes the advice area plus additional regions for which no individual advice is available.
• In 29 cases (approximately 26%), the TAC area is smaller than the advice area, meaning the advice covers a larger region than the TAC regulates.
• In 20 cases (approximately 18%), the TAC and advice areas only partially overlap, containing distinct areas not included in the other, making them not directly comparable without additional data.
• Species and stock mismatches affect 22 comparisons; in 17 of these, the TAC combines several species or stocks while advice is given individually, and in 5 cases, 'associated by-catches' are included in the TAC without definition.
• Resolving these mismatches requires additional data on catch distribution and the proportion of advice referring to specific TAC areas, information which is currently not readily available to the public.

APA

ClientEarth (2016). Mismatch between TACs and ICES advice. https://www.clientearth.org/media/uenhdiot/2016-12-02-mismatch-between-tacs-and-ices-advice-ce-en.pdf

Chicago

ClientEarth. Mismatch between TACs and ICES advice. 2016. https://www.clientearth.org/media/uenhdiot/2016-12-02-mismatch-between-tacs-and-ices-advice-ce-en.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=ClientEarth |title=Mismatch between TACs and ICES advice |date=December 2016 |url=https://www.clientearth.org/media/uenhdiot/2016-12-02-mismatch-between-tacs-and-ices-advice-ce-en.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{clientearth2016mismatch, author = {{ClientEarth}}, title = {{Mismatch between TACs and ICES advice}}, institution = {ClientEarth}, year = {2016}, month = dec, url = {https://www.clientearth.org/media/uenhdiot/2016-12-02-mismatch-between-tacs-and-ices-advice-ce-en.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }