Management of shared fish stocks: agreed records 2022

Agreed Record of conclusions of fisheries consultations between Norway, the European Union, the Faroe Islands, Iceland and the United Kingdom on the management of Blue Whiting in the North-East Atlantic in 2022.

London, 25-26 October 2021

1. A delegation from Norway, headed by Mr Vidar LANDMARK, a delegation from the European Union, headed by Mr Joost PAARDEKOOPER, a delegation from the Faroe Islands, headed by Mr Herluf SIGVALDSSON, a delegation from Iceland, headed by Mr Kristján Freyr HELGASON, and a delegation from the United Kingdom, headed by Mr Will FRANCIS, met at NEAFC in London on 25-26 October 2021 to consult on the management of the blue whiting stock in the North-East Atlantic in 2022.

2. A delegation from Greenland, headed by Mr Jákup Emil HANSEN, and a delegation from the Russian Federation, headed by Ms Anna SHULAEVA, attended as observers.

3. The delegations noted that the agreed long-term management strategy for blue whiting, dated 27 October 2016, is regarded by ICES as consistent with the precautionary approach (Annex I).The delegations also noted that the long-term strategy for blue whiting dated 27 October 2016 should have been reviewed after five years. Furthermore the delegations agreed that the existing long-term management strategy shall remain in place until the Parties decide that the necessary information to review it is available.

4. The delegations agreed that the level of total catches of blue whiting in the North-East Atlantic for 2022 should be no more than 752 736  tonnes, as advised by ICES. The delegations also agreed that establishing unilateral quotas for 2022 does not in any way imply acceptance of the level of these quotas by any Party.

5. The delegations recommended that the NEAFC allowable catches for 2022 would be 59 910  tonnes. These catches should not be considered as additional to the level set in Paragraph 4.

6. The delegations agreed that the Parties shall address the issue of quota-sharing arrangement as early as possible in 2022.

7. The delegations encouraged the Parties to develop and coordinate their scientific research activities in order to improve the information available for the assessment and the management of this stock.

8. The delegations agreed to establish a Working Group, chaired by Norway in 2022, to update the "Report from the NEAFC Working Group on Collating Information on the Distribution of All Life Stages of Blue Whiting in the North-East Atlantic and the Distribution of Catches from the Stock, London, 26-28 November 2013.

9. The delegations exchanged quota and catch information for 2019, 2020 (final) as well as preliminary information for 2021 (Annex II). The delegations also exchanged information with regard to their fishing activities including exchanges and access arrangements (Annex III).

10. The delegations agreed to continue to provide information in the same format as set out in Annex II and Annex III to this Agreed Record. Each Party shall, by 1 May 2022, provide updated information in this regard to the Faroe Islands as host of the consultations on management measures for 2023. The Faroe Islands shall forward this information as soon as possible to all Parties to this Agreed Record.

11. The delegations agreed that the Parties may fish blue whiting within their quotas in their respective zones of fisheries jurisdiction and in international waters.

12. The delegations agreed that further arrangements by the Parties, including arrangements for access, quota transfers and other conditions for fishing in the respective zones of fisheries jurisdiction, are regulated by bilateral arrangements.

London, 26 October 2021

Vidar LANDMARK For the Delegation of Norway   Herluf SIGVALDSSON For the Delegation of the Faroe Islands	JOOST PAARDEKOOPER For the Delegation of the European Union   Kristján Freyr HELGASON For the Delegation of Iceland
Will FRANCIS For the Delegation of the United Kingdom

Annex I

Arrangement for the long-term management of the Blue Whiting stock

1. The Parties agree to implement a long-term management strategy for the fisheries on the Blue Whiting stock, which is consistent with the precautionary approach and the MSY approach, aiming at ensuring harvest rates within safe biological limits.

2. For the purpose of this long-term management strategy, in the following text, "TAC" means the sum of the agreed Coastal State quotas and the NEAFC allowable catches.

3. As a priority, the long-term strategy shall ensure with high probability that the size of the stock is maintained above Blim.

4. In the case that the spawning biomass is forecast to be above or equal to Btrigger (=Bpa) on 1 January of the year for which the TAC is to be set, the TAC shall be fixed to a fishing mortality of FMSY.

5. Where the rules in paragraph 4 would lead to a TAC, which deviates by more than 20% below or 25% above the TAC of the preceding year, the Parties shall fix a TAC that is respectively no more than 20% less or 25% more than the TAC of the preceding year.

6. The TAC constraint described in paragraph 5 shall not apply if:

1. 1. The spawning biomass at 1 January in the year preceding the year for which the TAC is to be set is less than Btrigger; or
2. 2. The rules in paragraph 4 would lead to a TAC that deviates by more than 40% from the TAC of the preceding year.

7. In the case that the spawning biomass (SSB) is forecast to be less than the precautionary biomass (Btrigger) on 1 January of the year for which the TAC is to be set, the TAC shall be fixed at a level that is consistent with a fishing mortality given by:

Target F = 0.05 + [(SSB -B1im)*(FMSY - 0.05) I (Btrigger -Blim)]

8. In the case that the spawning biomass is forecast to be less than Blim on 1 January of the year for which the TAC is to be set, the TAC will be fixed corresponding to a fishing mortality F=0.05.

9. Each Party may transfer to the following year unutilised quantities of up to 10% of the quota allocated to it. The quantity transferred shall be in addition to the quota allocated to the Party concerned in the following year.

10. Each Party may authorise fishing by its vessels of up to 10% beyond the quota allocated. All quantities fished beyond the allocated quota for one year shall be deducted from the Party's quota allocated for the following year.

11. The inter-annual quota flexibility scheme in paragraphs 9 and 10 should be suspended in the year following the TAC year, if the stock is forecast to be under Btrigger at the end of the TAC  year.

12. The Parties, on the basis of ICES advice, shall review this long-term management strategy at intervals not exceeding five years. The first such review shall take place no later than by December 2021.

Annex II