| In 1983, the European Community (EC) agreed on a system for the conservation and management of fishery resources whi h is based largely on the use of annual total allowable catch (TAC). Nevertheless, the state of many European stocks of demersal species has worsened since 1983. A review of TAC enforcement shows that landings have exceeded TACs to a limited estent for these resources. The contrary is observed for the stocks of pelagic species of which the state has improved although landings have frequently been larger than TACs. This double paradox generates a feeling of limited impact of the TAC system inmplemented by the EC. To investigate the reasons, the closeness between agreed TACs and scientific recommendations has been examined. The results show... |
