The Icelandic Marine Research Institute is recommending a 2% increase in its TAC (to total 244 000 tonnes). At the same time, ICES is recommending a 9% cut in the quota in the Barents Sea. For 2017, ICES has recommended a cod quota of 805 000 tonnes, down from 894 000 tonnes in 2016. The haddock quota suggested by ICES for 2017 was set at 233 000 tonnes, down from 244 000 tonnes in 2016.
In the North Sea, ICES has recommended a 2017 cod quota of 47 431 tonnes, down from 49 259 in 2016. The saithe quota in the North Sea, on the other hand, will be increased by 60% to 116 605 tonnes.
Canada's Atlantic cod stocks are reported to be slowly recovering. According to a report by the CBC News, the stocks are the largest they have been since 1992, but this does not mean that large-scale commercial fishing is being resumed. The Canadian Government imposed a moratorium on this fishery in 1992 because the stock was in danger of extinction. As a result, the stock is now recovering, and has grown to 300 000 tonnes in 2013 and to 538 000 tonnes in 2015.
The 2016 quota for US hake (also called Pacific whiting) has been increased by 13% to 367 553 tonnes. Of the total quota, 17.5% (64 322 tonnes) is reserved for Native Americans, 1 500 tonnes are set aside for by-catch, and the rest is for commercial operations.
The FAO General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean has announced that countries bordering on the Mediterranean have agreed to limit the fishing for hake in the Strait of Sicily in an effort to rebuild the resource. The measures introduced include closure of bottom trawling in three breeding areas, the introduction of a minimum reference size of 20 cm, and catch limits for 2017 and 2018.