Taking stock 2021 - are TACs set to achieve MSY?

The report finds that while 2021 TACs show slight improvement over 2020, the EU and UK missed the 2020 deadline to end overfishing. Over 40% of analyzed TACs for 2021 still exceeded scientific advice. The analysis reveals a persistent lack of ambition for stocks based on precautionary advice compared to MSY-based advice, and for bycatch stocks compared to target stocks. It also highlights systemic failures in transparency and the improper implementation of the landing obligation, which risks further overfishing.

• The 2020 deadline to end overfishing was missed, and progress toward sustainable TACs has been too slow. In 2021, 42% of the number of TACs were set above scientific advice, compared to 48% in 2020. For EU only stocks, this was 36%, and for EU/UK shared stocks, it was 46%.
• There is a significant disparity in how stocks are managed based on the type of scientific advice available. In 2021, only 43% of TACs for stocks with precautionary advice followed scientific advice, whereas 73% of TACs for MSY-assessed stocks followed advice.
• Bycatch stocks are consistently managed with lower ambition than target stocks. The percentage of TACs exceeding scientific advice for bycatch stocks was 52% in 2021, compared to 33% for target stocks.
• The UK has demonstrated an environmentally progressive approach to forage fish, such as sandeel, by setting TACs below single stock advice to account for ecosystem needs and predator-prey interactions.
• Poor implementation and control of the landing obligation, combined with catch-based TACs and unreported discards, create a high risk of overfishing and undermine future stock assessments.
• The TAC-setting process suffers from a systemic lack of transparency and accountability, which is not compliant with international requirements and prevents civil society engagement.
• European Commission reporting on MSY progress can be misleading by focusing on the volume of landings rather than the number of stocks, which effectively ignores smaller, depleted stocks in need of recovery.
• Several fish stocks remain in a dire state, with six stocks below the biomass limit reference point (Blim) in 2021, including various cod and whiting stocks in the Celtic Sea, West of Scotland, and Kattegat.

APA

ClientEarth (2021). Taking stock 2021 - are TACs set to achieve MSY? https://www.clientearth.org/media/u23pbima/taking-stock-2021-are-tacs-set-to-achieve-msy_corrected.pdf

Chicago

ClientEarth. Taking stock 2021 - are TACs set to achieve MSY? 2021. https://www.clientearth.org/media/u23pbima/taking-stock-2021-are-tacs-set-to-achieve-msy_corrected.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=ClientEarth |title=Taking stock 2021 - are TACs set to achieve MSY? |date=November 2021 |url=https://www.clientearth.org/media/u23pbima/taking-stock-2021-are-tacs-set-to-achieve-msy_corrected.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{clientearth2021taking, author = {{ClientEarth}}, title = {{Taking stock 2021 - are TACs set to achieve MSY?}}, institution = {ClientEarth}, year = {2021}, month = nov, url = {https://www.clientearth.org/media/u23pbima/taking-stock-2021-are-tacs-set-to-achieve-msy_corrected.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }