Brussels, 25/09/2009 (Agence Europe) - On 23 September, the European Commission adopted a proposal that will allow a number of member states to exclude certain categories of vessels from the fishing effort scheme (cap on days at sea) in place to protect cod stocks in the waters of the North Sea, Kattegat, Skagerrak, West Scotland and the Irish Sea. A similar regulation was adopted by the EU Council of Ministers for Spanish and Swedish vessels of 27 July (see EUROPE 9949).
Following a proposal from the Commission and in the light of the opinion of the Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries (STECF), the EU Council of Ministers may, under the terms of the 2008 regulation on the cod recovery plan, exclude certain vessels from the application of the fishing effort regime. This, however, is only on condition that: - the appropriate data on catches and discards of cod from the vessels concerned are available; - cod catches do not exceed 1.5% of the total catches of the group of vessels concerned; - the inclusion of the group of vessels in the effort regime does not constitute an administrative burden disproportionate to its overall impact on cod stocks.
The Commission proposes that the following vessels should be excluded from the recovery plan rules, with the result that they no longer have to comply with any restriction on the number of days at sea: - the group of vessels flying the flag of Germany, involved in the high sea fishery targeting saithe in the North Sea and in the area to the west of Scotland, fishing with bottom trawls of mesh size equal to or larger than 100mm at a depth of 300 metres or more; - the group of vessels flying the flag of France, targeting deep-sea species in the area to the west of Scotland, fishing with bottom trawls of mesh size equal to or larger than 100mm at a depth of 300 metres or more; - the group of vessels flying the flag of France targeting anglerfish in the area to the west of Scotland, fishing with gillnets at a depth of 300 metres or more; - the group of vessels flying the flag of Spain targeting hake in the area to the west of Scotland, fishing with longlines at a depth of 300 metres or more; - the group of vessels flying the flag of Poland targeting saithe in the North Sea, fishing with bottom trawls of mesh size equal to or larger than 100mm at a depth of 300 metres or more. Once adopted by the Council, the regulation will apply retroactively from 1 February 2009. (L.C./transl.rt)