The fisheries resources in the European Union.: The distribution of TACs: principle of relative stability and quota-hopping

Distribution of fisheries resources is based on the principle of relative stability, from which the total allowable catches (TACs) are divided into national quotas based each year on a fixed percentage per stock. This does not fit well with the interaction of economic dynamics of fishing fleets and the Community’s legal framework (right of establishment, free movement of workers). This has led to the so-called “quota-hopping”. The Member State can nevertheless require a ship under its flag to have a “real economic link”. But this is too vague to afford fisheries-dependent regions an efficient tool to meet their demands.