Council Regulation (EU) 2018/1201 fixes the fishing opportunities for certain fish stocks and groups of fish stocks for 2018, applicable in Union waters and, for Union vessels, in certain non-Union waters.

The International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) submitted revised advice for European seabass (Dicentrarchus labrax) in ICES divisions 4b–c, 7a, and 7d–h (central and southern North Sea, Irish Sea, English Channel, Bristol Channel, and Celtic Sea) for 2018. According to that advice, in order to be in line with the maximum sustainable yield, total commercial and recreational removals in 2018 should be no more than 880 tonnes. Owing to the set of measures ensuring the recovery of the stock, the biomass is expected to increase in 2018. According to that advice, ICES also indicated a lower fishing mortality from recreational fisheries. In addition, ICES estimated a higher survival rate from the catch-and-release practice (a 5 % mortality rate from that practice compared to the previously estimated 15 %). Therefore, it is appropriate that one fish per fisherman per day may be retained in recreational fisheries that take place in October – December 2018. This should also apply to ICES division 6a.

Regulation (EU) 2018/120 should therefore be amended accordingly,