Brussels, 19/10/2001 (Agence Europe) - After having taken emergency measures in February 2001 (see EUROPE of 8 February, p.10) to provisionally close certain fishing areas, the Commission adopted a new series of technical measures aimed at preventing catches of juvenile cod in the North Sea and to the west of Scotland. These measures consist, as a priority, in imposing a general increase in the size of meshes for towed and static nets used for catching cod, and in defining additional conditions aimed at reducing juvenile cod catches using nets with meshes under 120 millimetres. The aim of the regulation, applicable from 1 January 2001, is to allow the largest possible number of young fish to escape the nets before they are hauled on board. The Commission is soon to present proposals concerning a multiannual plan for the reconstitution of cod stocks (technical measures, controls and other measures aimed at reducing fishing activity).
These provisions also regulate, depending on the fishing zones, the composition of catches according to the fishing practised by the boat in question: - catches using the towed demersal net with a mesh between 70 and 79 mm must comprise at least 30% Norway lobster and at most 5% cod; - catches using the towed demersal net with a mesh between 80 and 109 mm must comprise at least 30% Norway lobster only; - catches using a demersal net with mesh size between 100 and 109 mm must be made up of at least 70% of haddock, hake, whiting, megrim, lobster mixed … and at most 5% cod. Furthermore, panels made of large meshes and square mesh must be introduced in the nets and the nets, which are transported on board ship but which are banned in a sector that the fishing boat crosses, must be lashed and stowed away so that it is clear that they are not in use.
This new regulation will allow the implementation of related measures, on 22 June 2001, between the European Union and Norway, which are jointly managing cod stocks in the North Sea.