Brussels, 22/06/2015 (Agence Europe) - On Friday 19 June, the Council adopted a regulation modifying the current regulation on fishing opportunities in 2015, with reductions in catch of seabass in particular.
The Commission had already adopted emergency measures to reduce the fishing mortality caused by pelagic vessels targeting spawning aggregations of seabass. That implementing regulation expired on 30 April 2015.
The Commission believes that a further reduction in catch is required. The regulation reduces the catch of commercial fisheries, laying down monthly catch limits in the ICES IV b and IV c divisions, and also in the VII d, VII e, VII f and VII h divisions. In the ICES divisions VII a and VII g, the monthly caps will apply in the territorial waters of the United Kingdom only.
For pelagic trawlers, the limit is 1,500 kg a month, for demersal trawlers, 1,800, for driftnet fisheries, 1,000 kg a month, for long lines or pole and line or rod and line fisheries, 1,300 kg a month, and for purse seines, 3,000 kg a month.
Additionally, the conservation measures taken by Ireland, namely prohibitions on the catching, retaining on board, transshipping, relocating or landing of seabass, have been maintained and extended to all Union vessels operating in the ICES divisions VII b, VII c, VII j and VII k. These measures will also apply in ICES divisions VII a and VII g, with the exception of waters within 12 nautical miles of the baseline under the sovereignty of the United Kingdom, where the monthly catch limit regime applies.
Catches of seabass will, furthermore, be monitored on a monthly basis, in the form of the collection of data from the member states.
Capelin. On 13 May of this year, the Union was notified by the Greenland authorities that the TAC (total allowable catch) for capelin in Greenland waters of ICES sub-areas V and XIV had been established for the period from 20 June 2015 to 30 April 2016, offering the Union quota of 23,100 tonnes. The Union fishing opportunities will be fixed and allocated accordingly.
In the framework of the annual consultations on fisheries between the Union in Norway, the Union undertook to provide Norway with an additional quantity of 20,000 tonnes of capelin in Greenland waters of ICES sub-area XIV for 2015. This quantity is to be allocated out of the quota available to the Union in the waters in question. The catch limits laid down in the regulation for capelin will apply from 20 June 2015.
Norway. Norway has agreed to increase the Union quotas for the following stocks: cod in the Norwegian waters of ICES sub-areas I and II by 1,512 tonnes, haddock in the Norwegian of ICES sub-areas I and II by 88 tonnes, ling in the Norwegian waters of sub-area IV by 150 tonnes and haddock in the sub-area IV and Union waters of division II by 250 tonnes. The corresponding TAC tables have been updated accordingly.
Redfish. The parties to the North-East Atlantic Fisheries Commission (NEAFC) were unable to agree on an appropriate management measure for redfish in the international waters of ICES sub-areas I and II for 2015 and ICES has advised that the recommended catch by all parties should not exceed 30,000 tonnes. At the annual meeting of the NEAFC in November 2014, the EU recommended that a measure be adopted to limit these fisheries to 19,500 tonnes. As was the case in 2014, in the absence of an NEAFC management measure, the fishery in international waters for 2015 should be limited to 19,500 tonnes for vessels from all NEAFC parties fishing in the area, including Union vessels.
Consultations on fishing opportunities for the redfish stock in the Norwegian waters of sub-areas I and II will continue in 2015. Catch limits for this stock will be fixed during 2015, taking account of the outcome of these consultations.
The regulation also: - clarifies the 5% inter-area flexibility (special condition) for undulate ray but applies only to the by-catch quota of this species; - authorises certain catches of tope shark (but keeps in place the ban on catching tope shark with long lines). (Lionel Changeur)