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Fish Species: Total Allowable Catch

Volume 620: debated on Monday 15 January 2001

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asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will set out for each of the last 10 years the total allowable catch for each fish species in each region recommended by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea, together with the eventual tonnage decided by the Council of Fishery Ministers at its annual meeting to decide the tonnages. [HL244]

A table showing the TACs decided, together with the ICES advice, over the last 10 years is available in the Libraries of both Houses. For some stocks in some years, ICES did not advise a specific TAC but instead recommended appropriate levels of fishing effort. In these cases the figure for the recommended TAC shown in the table is that which our fisheries scientists have established as consistent with the ICES advice.

asked Her Majesty's Government:On what occasions over the last 10 years the fishermen's representative bodies urged Ministers to agree total allowable catches in excess of those recommended by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea. [HL245]

The advice from ICES does not necessarily offer a single proposal for each TAC: a range of strategies is often possible. The Government's approach is to discuss the scientific advice and the Commission's proposals with representatives of the fishing industry and to adopt a negotiating line which takes a balanced approach in the light of both the representations from fisheries organisations and the scientific advice.