Quota top-ups and monitoring progress of TAC decisions towards MSY – Why top-up calculations are both crucial and challenging

This briefing explains why quota top-up calculations pose a challenge for monitoring progress of Total Allowable Catch (TAC) decisions towards achieving the fundamental Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY) objective of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP).

Appropriate quota top-ups are crucial to account for catches that could previously be discarded but will have to be landed under the landing obligation. This briefing highlights a range of issues primarily associated with a lack of transparency about the data and methodology used to determine these quota top-ups. It also presents recommendations on how these should be addressed to ensure the resulting TACs are sustainable and in line with the CFP’s requirements.

This briefing is the third of a series of four briefings entitled ‘Matching fishing limits with sustainability and the law: difficulties and recommendations’.