Fishing for horse mackerel in the Southern Bay of Biscay is banned from today after the Portuguese fleet reached its quota.
“Given the current level of catch by the Portuguese fleet of horse mackerel (‘trachurus spp.’) in subzone 8c, it appears that the catch quota allocated to Portugal has been exhausted,” the agency General Directorate of Natural Resources, Security and Maritime Services said in a note published Monday (DGRM).
Subzone 8C corresponds to the Southern Bay of Biscay.
Taking into account this scenario, it was decided to prohibit horse mackerel fishing in the area under consideration, keeping on board, transshipment and unloading of the catch to be carried out “from 24:00 on May 21”.
At the end of April, the DGRM already warned about the possibility of closing this fishery, since 80% of the quota had already been used.
The DGRM is a central service of the direct administration of the state, with administrative autonomy, whose purpose is the development of maritime security and services, the implementation of fisheries policy and the conservation of resources.