Allocation of additional Quota in England
Updated 5 January 2016
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1. Allocation of additional quota in England
To reflect the fact that species subject to the landing obligation will no longer be discarded there will be an increase in England’s quota for those species. The amount of quota uplift available for 2016 was decided at the EU Annual TAC and Quota negotiations on 14/15 December.
The UK has worked closely with the Commission and other Member States to agree the method to calculate quota uplifts.
The Commission methodology calculates the total amount of uplift for a stock based on the fleets to be covered by the landing obligation in 2016, but deducting any agreed de minimis exemption amounts. This is then shared between Member States in accordance with relative stability shares.
2. How any additional quota will be distributed across England’s fleets.
The allocation of any uplifted quota at the English level will be done separately to the usual Fixed Quota Allocations (FQAs) via Uplift Quota Allowances (UQAs). This allows Government the maximum flexibility to review and amend allocation annually as the landing obligation is phased in.
In 2016 the non-sector pools will receive the first 100 tonnes of any quota uplift received and 10% of any remaining quota. This quota will be used to maximise the income that can be achieved, whilst minimising discards for both the under ten and over ten metre pool fishermen. Therefore, it will be distributed between the two pools flexibly on an individual stock basis. The MMO welcome your views on quota management and utilisation of quota uplift for the non –sector via the MMO coastal quota advisory meetings and monthly quota consultations.
The remaining uplift will be issued to the POs on the basis of the FQAs of their members affected by the landing obligation.
For the general landing obligations which are dependent on gear and location only, UQAs will be allocated to all those that hold FQAs for that stock, including those held on dummy licences. For the landing obligations that apply based on gear, location and historic landing records, UQAs will be awarded based on the FQAs held by those subject to those specific landing obligations only, plus all FQAs for that stock held on a dummy licence. That means if a PO has 10 members that hold FQAs units for VIIb-k whiting for instance, but only 4 of them are actually subject to the landing obligation for whiting, that PO will receive an uplift based on the FQA holdings of those 4 vessels.
PO’s will receive the additional quota on behalf of their members and the MMO quota managers will utilise the uplift quota on behalf of the non-sector pools.
MMO will be working with fishermen and POs to include the allocation of uplift within initial quota allocations as soon as practicable in 2016.