On Tuesday 22 August, the European Commission presented a series of delegated acts on derogations from the rules on the landing obligation (ban on discarding at sea) for fish caught in EU waters.
These texts relate to:
- the establishment of a de minimis exemption to the landing obligation for certain demersal fisheries in the Adriatic and south-eastern Mediterranean Sea;
- the terms of the landing obligation for certain fisheries in Western Waters for the period 2024-2027 (exemptions based on survivability for Norway lobster, sole, skates, plaice and pelagic species, as well as de minimis exemptions for whiting and sole, up to a maximum of 3% of the total annual catch of these species);
- the terms of the landing obligation for certain fisheries in the North Sea for the period 2024-2027 (including an exemption based on survivability for mackerel and herring);
- the arrangements for implementing the landing obligation for certain demersal stocks in the western Mediterranean Sea (survivability exemptions for scallops, clams, red seabream, lobster and crawfish, and de minimis exemptions for sea bass and hake);
- the establishment of a de minimis exemption from the landing obligation for certain small pelagic fisheries in the Mediterranean Sea (anchovy, sardine, mackerel and horse mackerel).
These delegated acts will be published in the Official Journal of the EU and will enter into force if the European Parliament or the Council of the EU express no objection. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)