LUXEMBOURG, June 10 (Reuter) - Fisheries Commissioner Emma Bonino said on Monday the European Commission will take action to protect North Sea herring stocks following a scientific report last month that they were in a critical state. "It's an example of badly-managed stocks now in a state of collapse," Bonino told a news conference after a Fisheries Council. Bonino pointed out that ministers had repeatedly rejected Commission proposals to protect the stocks which are jointly managed with Norway. The International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) has called for a 50 percent cut to protect the stocks which have fallen to 490,000 tonnes. The biologically-sustainable level is 800,000 tonnes. The Commission also plans to set a total allowable catch (TAC) for Atlantic sardines following a rapid decline in stocks, Bonino added. The fishery is of special interest to Portugal.