(1)

Fishing quotas for the year 2023 have been established by Council Regulations (EU) 2022/2090 (2), (EU) 2023/194 (3) and (EU) 2023/195 (4).

(2)

Fishing quotas for the year 2024 have been established by Council Regulations (EU) 2023/2638 (5), (EU) 2024/257 (6) and (EU) 2024/259 (7).

(3)

Fishing quotas for the year 2025 have been established by Council Regulations (EU) 2024/2903 (8), (EU) 2025/202 (9) and (EU) 2025/219 (10).

(4)

Pursuant to Article 105(1) of Regulation (EC) No 1224/2009, when the Commission has established that a Member State has exceeded the fishing quotas which have been allocated to it, the Commission is to operate deductions from future fishing quotas of that Member State.

(5)

Article 105(2) and (3) of Regulation (EC) No 1224/2009 provides that such deductions are to be operated in the following year or years by applying the respective multiplying factors as set out therein.

(6)

Certain Member States have exceeded their fishing quotas for the year 2024. Deductions should therefore be operated on the fishing quotas allocated to them in 2025 and, where relevant, in subsequent years, for the overfished stocks.

(7)

Commission Implementing Regulations (EU) 2024/2407 (11) and (EU) 2025/66 (12) have set out deductions from fishing quotas for certain Member States and species for 2024. However, for certain Member States, the deductions to be applied for some species were higher than the respective quotas available in 2024 and could therefore not be operated entirely in that year. In accordance with point 2 of Communication from the Commission 2022/C 369/03 on guidelines for the deduction of quotas under Article 105(1), (2) and (5) of Regulation (EC) No 1224/2009 (13) (‘the Guidelines’) and to ensure that in such cases the full amount for the respective stocks is deducted, the remaining quantities should be taken into account when establishing deductions for 2025 and, where appropriate, from subsequent quotas.

(8)

The Guidelines state that, where applicable, the timeline for deductions in case of overfishing of a quota for stocks managed by regional fisheries management organisations is to be adapted to the timeline for deductions set in the regional fisheries management organisations concerned for these stocks. Recommendation 19-05 by ICCAT establishing a rebuilding programme for blue marlin (14) provides that any excess of the annual landings limits fixed for the year 2023 are to be deducted from the landings limits during 2025. Therefore, as established by Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/66, the deduction on account of overfishing in 2023, by Spain, for the stock of blue marlin in the Atlantic Ocean (BUM/ATLANT), managed by ICCAT, should be applied in 2025.

(9)

Moreover, Recommendation 22-03 by ICCAT for the conservation of North Atlantic swordfish (15) provides that any excess of the annual adjusted quota in the year 2024 is to be deducted from the respective quota/catch limit for 2026. On this basis, deductions – including those resulting from applicable multiplying factors – on account of overfishing by Portugal in 2024 for the stock of swordfish in the Atlantic Ocean, north of 5° N (SWO/AN05N) should be applied in 2026.

(10)

Additionally, Recommendation 22-04 by ICCAT for the conservation of South Atlantic swordfish (16) establishes that any excess of the annual quota/catch limit in 2024 is to be deducted from the respective quota/catch limit in 2026. Consequently, the deduction due on account of the overfishing in 2024, by France, for the stock of swordfish in the Atlantic Ocean, south of 5°N (SWO/AS05N) should be operated in 2026.

(11)

Furthermore, Recommendation 23-10 by ICCAT on management measures for the conservation of North Atlantic blue shark (17) provides that any amount caught in excess of the annual catch limits established for 2024 is to be deducted from the respective catch limits in 2026. Deductions on account of overfishing in 2024 by Portugal for the stock of blue shark in the Atlantic Ocean, north of 5°N (BSH/AN05N) should therefore be operated only in 2026.

(12)

In 2023, Germany overfished its quota for other species in Norwegian waters of 1 and 2 (OTH/1N2AB.) by 1,320 tonnes. Additionally, a deduction of 19,997 tonnes remained following the overfishing, by Germany, of its quota for OTH/1N2AB. in 2022, in accordance with point 2 of the Guidelines. By electronic mail dated 1 July 2024, Germany requested to spread the due deduction, namely 21,317 tonnes, over three years. Considering that, in accordance with point 3(b) of the Guidelines, a slower payback is exceptionally possible where the stock concerned is caught in a mixed fishery and a significant loss of quota would prevent the exploitation of the associated species in that mixed fishery catch, this request has been accepted. A first deduction of 7,106 tonnes has been operated on the German quota for OTH/1N2AB. in 2024. The remaining annual deductions applicable to the German quota for OTH/1N2AB. amount to 7,106 tonnes in 2025 and to 7,105 tonnes in 2026 without prejudice to any further quota adaptation.

(13)

Further updates or corrections may still occur following the detection, for the current or previous deduction exercise, of errors, omissions or misreporting in the catch figures declared by the Member States pursuant to Article 33 of Regulation (EC) No 1224/2009.

(14)

Since quotas are expressed in tonnes, overfishing involving quantities of less than one tonne should not be considered,