The role of producer organisations (POS) in the allocation and consuption of fishing quotas: Case study on Bay of Biscay common sole

Common sole (Solea solea) is an important resource for French professional fishermen in the Bay of Biscay : in 2020, 389 vessels caught more than one tonne of sole and 821 vessels more than one kilo of sole in thisregion (Ifremer 2022). Since 1988, sole fishing has been subject to a Total Allowable Catch (TAC) set at European level as part of the Common Fisheries Policy. Despite this framework for fishing opportunities, estimates of the decline in sole recruitment and abundance in this region have led to a reduction in the TACin recent years (-37% by 2022). Reductions in the TAC in recent years have therefore restricted fishing opportunities for vessels in the fishery, with potential socio-economic consequences. An analysis of the arrangements for allocating fishing quotas for this stock, carried out in 2011 (Lagière et al.2012), showed the key role played by Producer Organisations (POs) in allocating sole fishing opportunities between vessels in the fishery. In particular, some POs had adopted a system of individual fishing limits in response to the growing constraints on quota availability. The purpose of the study presented here was to analyse how the management of fishing opportunities has evolved since that time. The document presents the main current features of this management, and the nature of the questions that this management makes it possible to answer. The study addressed the following questions : What role do POs play in the allocation and consumption of fishing quotas in France ? What mechanisms are currently used by the POs to allocate sole fishing opportunities to the various stakeholders in the fishery and to reallocate them during the year, and how are they determined ?