Advice and Recommendations

On 4 September 2012 the Commission launched a consultation on the future role, composition and funding of the (Regional) Advisory Councils under a reformed Common Fisheries Policy.

On 21 December 2012 the Pelagic RAC received a document from the Directorate General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (DG MARE) of the European Commission consulting it on the implementation of Regulation (EU) No 1026/2012 in the context of the mackerel dispute with Iceland and the Faroe Islands

Based on a meeting held on 25 April 2013 dealing with the practical implementation of the landing obligation foreseen to come into effect in January 2014, the Pelagic RAC advised the European Commission, Parliament and Council on the numerous practical issues and uncertainties related to such a regulation.

The Pelagic RAC supports the advice issued earlier by the North Sea RAC regarding a discard ban in the Skagerrak.

Recommendation regarding fishing opportunities in 2014 for three of the herring stocks.

2nd revision of a previously proposed rebuilding plan for herring in ICES area VIaSouth and VIIb,c.

The Pelagic RAC advises on fishing opportunities in 2014 for the following stocks: blue whiting, western horse mackerel, North Sea horse mackerel, southern horse mackerel and boarfish

The Pelagic RAC advises on fishing opportunities in 2014 for the following stocks: North Sea herring, Western Baltic spring spawning herring, Atlanto-Scandian herring, herring in ICES area VIaSouth and VIIb,c and Northeast Atlantic mackerel.

The Pelagic RAC recommends that funding for data collection under the EMFF will not be decreased compared to the Commission’s initial proposal and that Member States receive more flexibility to shift additional funding to data collection.

The Pelagic RAC strongly recommends that the Member States form a group dealing exclusively with pelagic fisheries rather than splitting up the pelagic stocks into different regional groupings.