MARITIME AFFAIRS AND FISHERIES - Mediterranean Swordfish: EU leads effort for stock recovery while securing 70% of fishing quotas

During the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) meeting in Madrid from 20 to 22 February, agreement was reached among ICCAT Contracting Parties on the allocation of fishing quotas for Mediterranean Swordfish as part of an agreement under the recovery plan for this species put forward by the European Commission and adopted by ICCAT last year.

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TACs and quotas International Fisheries

date: 06/03/2017

This signals a strong will to cooperate to end overfishing and share responsibility for the Mediterranean Sea governance. The recovery plan is applicable for the next 15 years, covers all the Mediterranean Sea and involves all operators – including sport and recreational – and non-EU countries such as Tunisia, Morocco, Algeria, Libya and Turkey.

At the same time, the European Union secured over 70% of the overall Mediterranean swordfish Total Allowable Catch (TAC), more than 7400 tonnes for 2017, The quota assigned to the EU is a fair reflection of the catch levels registered in the past 25 years and takes into account socio-economic, compliance and conservation aspects.

The accord reached in Madrid with immediate effect will contribute to the early recovery of the Mediterranean swordfish, thus securing the livelihoods of fishermen and coastal communities that rely on this stock.