The Pelagic AC provides credible, scientific, and consensus-based advice to inform pelagic fisheries policy, both upon the request of the European Commission and Member States, and on its own initiative. All advice and recommendations are developed and approved by the members of the Pelagic AC.
Our advice — and responses to it — may be accessed below.
| Name | Summary | Year | Downloads |
|---|---|---|---|
| PelAC letter – Update of the Southern horse mackerel Long Term Management Plan | The PelAC believes that developing an update multiannual management strategy for the Southern horse mackerel must be prioritised and recommended that the Commission submit a request to ICES to have the updated PelAC LTMS undergo a Management Strategy Evaluation (MSE). | 2024 | Letter to COM |
| Southern Horse Mackerel management plan | In Autumn 2020, the Pelagic AC convened a Southern horse mackerel Focus Group (SHOM FG) together with the SWWAC and discussed proposed amendments to the agreed LTMS. It was proposed during the meeting that the established target year to reach Fmsy within the strategy – the year 2025 – be amended to a target year of 2022, in order to bring the fishing opportunities based on the LTMS more swiftly in line with those based on the ICES MSY advice. Following a second meeting of the SHOM FG between the PelAC and the SWWAC on the 18th May where this decision was endorsed, the Pelagic AC informed the Commission of this single amendment – to Article 5.1 of the management strategy – which had been agreed on a consensus basis. The PelAC requested the Commission to urgently convey the revised LTMS to ICES so that it could be included for consideration in the WGHANSA meeting on 24th-28th May 2021. The PelAC was surprised by the response from the Commission, indicating it would stick to ICES top-line advice on the basis of MSY, as its ‘legal basis’. The PelAC feels this is regrettable considering the amount of effort that the PelAC puts in developing management strategies/rebuilding plans, and will seek further clarification moving forward. | 2021 | Letter to Commission on agreed amendment to SHOM long-term management strategy Commission response Commission response Letter to Commission on clarification for TAC 2022 SHOM recommendation |
| Support management plan Southern horse mackerel (fish. opp 2020) | PELAC asks Member States Spain and Portugal to support the application of the management strategy for the stock of Southern horse mackerel during the upcoming discussions of the December Council. | 2019 | Support for the management plan for Southern horse mackerel Consultation on fishing opportunities (Spain) Support for the management plan for Southern horse mackerel Consultation on fishing opportunities (Portugal) Response Member State Spain (ES) Response Member State Spain (EN) Response PELAC to Member State Spain Responce COM on letter to the Spanish administration regarding the southern horse mackerel management strategy |
| ICES advice for Southern horse mackerel | In light of the 2020 TAC setting, PELAC strongly urge the Commission to request ICES to base its advice for Southern horse mackerel, expected in October 2019, on the management plan that has been developed by the Pelagic AC. | 2019 | ICES TAC advice southern horse mackerel Commission response |