Recommendations to the EU on the setting of fishing opportunities for 2024

The document argues that the EU failed its 2020 legal deadline to end overfishing and continues to set Total Allowable Catches (TACs) above scientific advice. The NGOs recommend setting 2024 TACs well below the maximum catch levels advised by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) to build ecosystem resilience against climate change. Key proposals include the mandatory roll-out of remote electronic monitoring (REM), the application of an ecosystem-based approach for forage fish, and the reinstatement of TACs for stocks where limits were previously removed. The report also emphasizes the need for stricter management of deep-sea stocks and the recovery of critically endangered species like the European eel.

• The EU failed to meet the legal deadline of 2020 to end overfishing and harvest all stocks sustainably, with many stocks remaining overfished or outside safe biological limits.
• Total Allowable Catches (TACs) frequently exceed scientific advice; for 2023, 25% of assessed EU-only and EU/UK shared TACs exceeded advice, while 60% of assessed TACs negotiated by the UK for 2023 were above advice.
• The NGOs recommend setting TACs well below the maximum catch level advised by ICES to maximize stock and ecosystem resilience against climate change, marine heatwaves, and to support oceanic carbon sequestration.
• Forage fish, such as sandeel, herring, and anchovy, require TACs set below advised levels to account for their ecological role in supporting marine wildlife like seabirds and mammals.
• The Landing Obligation (LO) is poorly implemented and enforced across Member States, which may allow for unsustainable catches if TACs are based on catch advice while illegal discarding continues.
• Remote Electronic Monitoring (REM) with cameras is identified as an essential tool for documenting catches, ensuring compliance with the Landing Obligation, and managing depleted stocks.
• Several key stocks are severely depleted and subject to zero-catch advice, including Celtic Sea cod, Irish Sea sole, and Celtic Sea pollack; the NGOs argue that 'bycatch TACs' should only be granted if an effective rebuilding plan is in place.
• The European eel is listed as Critically Endangered, and the NGOs recommend adding it to the prohibited species list and stopping all targeted commercial and recreational fishing.
• Deep-sea stocks are exceptionally vulnerable due to slow growth and late maturity; the NGOs call for the enforcement of area closures for Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems (VMEs) and zero TACs for endangered species like the roundnose grenadier.

APA

ClientEarth (2023). Recommendations to the EU on the setting of fishing opportunities for 2024. https://www.clientearth.org/media/jpvffgfd/ngo-tac-recommendations-to-eu-for-2024-final.pdf

Chicago

ClientEarth. Recommendations to the EU on the setting of fishing opportunities for 2024. 2023. https://www.clientearth.org/media/jpvffgfd/ngo-tac-recommendations-to-eu-for-2024-final.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=ClientEarth |title=Recommendations to the EU on the setting of fishing opportunities for 2024 |date=14 September 2023 |url=https://www.clientearth.org/media/jpvffgfd/ngo-tac-recommendations-to-eu-for-2024-final.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{clientearth2023recommendations, author = {{ClientEarth}}, title = {{Recommendations to the EU on the setting of fishing opportunities for 2024}}, publisher = {ClientEarth}, year = {2023}, month = sep, url = {https://www.clientearth.org/media/jpvffgfd/ngo-tac-recommendations-to-eu-for-2024-final.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }