It shall allow Spain and Portugal an annual catch of 14,600 tonnes in 2018, of which 7,300 may be caught until the end of July and the remaining 7,300 shall be subject to a prior evaluation by the ESC

The European Commissioner for the Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Karmenu Vella, has announced to the Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries, Food and the Environment, Isabel García Tejina, and to her counterpart from Portugal, Ana Paula Vitorino, the European Commission's agreement with the proposal for the Management Plan for the Iberian Sardine, presented jointly by the Governments of Spain and Portugal, which will allow the fishery to be kept open while ensuring the recovery of the species.

This management plan includes measures such as the establishment of temporary channels for the recovery of young people, moratoriums, minimum sizes, landings limitations and strengthening of controls, as well as scientific research measures for the evaluation and monitoring of the proposed measures.

The plan will allow Spain and Portugal to catch 14,600 tonnes per year in 2018, of which 7,300 will be able to be caught by the end of July and the remaining 7,300 will be subject to a prior assessment by the International Council for the Exploitation of the Sea (ICES) confirming, with the data for the spring years, that biomass has recovered by 10% from 2017 levels. Of these, 33.5% are in the Spanish fleet.

A report prepared in 2017 by the ESC on the state of the sardine stock in the Atlantic waters of the Iberian Peninsula concluded that the biomass and recruitment rates were low, which revealed a worrying biological situation of the stock and suggested the closure of the fishery to ensure its recovery. Given the socio-economic dependence of the sardine on the Spanish and Portuguese fleets, both countries began intensive work on proposals to ensure sustainable fisheries activities, with coherent management measures to generate economic, social and employment benefits. This Management Plan, which is valid from 2018 to 2023, sets out a operating rule for this clear and precise stock, the application of which will allow a minimum increase of 10% of annual biomass.