The TAC for blue whiting for 2010 will be reduced to 540,000 tonnes. Whilst this is 11% lower than the 2009 TAC of 590,000 tonnes, it is a much lesser reduction than had been expected. The Community’s final quota will be 162,000 tonnes. The Parties also agreed to establish a working group to analyse the current distribution of the stock. Mutual access arrangements for the European Community and Norway remain unchanged but will be reviewed next year.
The arrangement agreed for blue whiting also paved the way for an agreement on Atlanto-Scandian herring, where the Coastal States agreed on a TAC for 2010 of 1,483,000 tonnes, of which the Community will have a quota of 96,543 tonnes.
These two agreements are very much in line with the European Community’s expectations. The Commission welcomes the constant support it has enjoyed from both Member States and the industry. These agreements will further cement the balanced and sustainable approach to stock management in the North Atlantic, to the benefit of all fishermen concerned.
