Megrim (Lepidorhombus whiffiagonis) in divisions 8.c and 9.a (Cantabrian Sea and Atlantic Iberian waters)

CES advises that when the EU multiannual plan (MAP) for Western Waters and adjacent waters is applied, catches in 2024 that correspond to the F ranges in the plan are between 859 and 1915 tonnes. According to the MAP, catches higher than those corresponding to FMSY (1271 tonnes) can only be taken under conditions specified in the MAP, while the entire range is considered precautionary when applying the ICES advice rule.

The use of combined species TAC for the two megrim species, megrim (Lepidorhombus whiffiagonis) and four-spot megrim (Lepidorhombus boscii), prevents effective control of the single-species exploitation rates and could lead to the overexploitation of either species.