Council Regulation (EU) 2015/960 of 19 June 2015 amending Regulation (EU) 2015/104 as regards certain fishing opportunities
Corrected by
Corrigendum to Council Regulation (EU) 2015/960 of 19 June 2015 amending Regulation (EU) 2015/104 as regards certain fishing opportunities, 32015R0960R(01), July 28, 2015
Council Regulation (EU) 2015/960of 19 June 2015amending Regulation (EU) 2015/104 as regards certain fishing opportunitiesTHE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, and in particular Article 43(3) thereof,Having regard to the proposal from the European Commission,Whereas:(1)In June 2014 the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) released scientific advice on the stock of sea bass in the North-East Atlantic, and confirmed that this stock had been in rapid decline since 2012. Furthermore, the Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries (STECF) has evaluated the extent to which national measures in place protect sea bass and, in general, has deemed those measures ineffective. Sea bass is a late-maturing and slow-growing species. The fishing mortality of sea bass in the North-East Atlantic is currently four times higher than the level which would ensure maximum sustainable yield (MSY).(2)By means of Implementing Regulation (EU) 2015/111Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2015/111 of 26 January 2015 establishing measures to alleviate a serious threat to the conservation of the sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) stock in the Celtic Sea, Channel, Irish Sea and southern North Sea (OJ L 20, 27.1.2015, p. 31)., based on Article 12 of Regulation (EU) No 1380/2013 of the European Parliament and of the CouncilRegulation (EU) No 1380/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 December 2013 on the Common Fisheries Policy, amending Council Regulations (EC) No 1954/2003 and (EC) No 1224/2009 and repealing Council Regulations (EC) No 2371/2002 and (EC) No 639/2004 and Council Decision 2004/585/EC (OJ L 354, 28.12.2013, p. 22)., the Commission has adopted urgent measures to reduce the fishing mortality caused by pelagic vessels targeting spawning aggregations of sea bass. That Implementing Regulation expired on 30 April 2015.(3)Council Regulation (EU) 2015/104Council Regulation (EU) 2015/104 of 19 January 2015 fixing for 2015 the fishing opportunities for certain fish stocks and groups of fish stocks, applicable in Union waters and, for Union vessels, in certain non-Union waters, amending Regulation (EU) No 43/2014 and repealing Regulation (EU) No 779/2014 (OJ L 22, 28.1.2015, p. 1). has been amended by Council Regulation (EU) 2015/523Council Regulation (EU) 2015/523 of 25 March 2015 amending Regulations (EU) No 43/2014 and (EU) 2015/104 as regards certain fishing opportunities (OJ L 84, 28.3.2015, p. 1)., with the aim of reducing the impact of recreational fisheries on fishing mortality.(4)Further reduction of catches is necessary and catches of targeting commercial fisheries should therefore be reduced by the imposition of monthly catch limits in ICES divisions IVb and IVc, as well as VIId, VIIe, VIIf and VIIh. In ICES divisions VIIa and VIIg, monthly catch limits should apply in the UK territorial sea only. Such reduction of catches should allow fishermen to adapt their current fishing behaviour in order to avoid sea bass, while being allowed to retain a level of incidental by-catch.(5)In addition, the conservation actions taken by Ireland, namely prohibitions on the catching, retaining on board, transhipping, relocating or landing of sea bass, should be maintained and extended to cover all Union vessels active in ICES divisions VIIb, VIIc, VIIj and VIIk. These actions should also apply in ICES divisions VIIa and VIIg, with the exception of the waters within 12 nautical miles of the baseline under the sovereignty of the United Kingdom, where the monthly catch-limit regime applies.(6)Catches of sea bass should be monitored on a monthly basis through the collection of data from the Member States.(7)The Fisheries Partnership Agreement between the European Community on the one hand, and the Government of Denmark and the Home Rule Government of Greenland, on the other handOJ L 172, 30.6.2007, p. 4., and the Protocol setting out the fishing opportunities and financial contribution provided for in that AgreementOJ L 293, 23.10.2012, p. 5., provide that the Union is to receive 7,7 % of the total available catches (TAC) for capelin in Greenland waters of ICES zones V and XIV.(8)Regulation (EU) 2015/104 fixed a Union quota of 0 tonnes for 2015 for the stock of capelin in those Greenland waters.(9)On 13 May 2015 the Union received information from the Greenland authorities that the TAC for capelin in Greenland waters of ICES subareas V and XIV had been established for the period from 20 June 2015 until 30 April 2016, offering the Union a quota of 23100 tonnes. It is appropriate to fix and allocate the Union fishing opportunities accordingly.(10)In the framework of the annual consultations on fisheries between the Union and Norway, the Union undertook to provide Norway with an additional quantity of 20000 tonnes of capelin in Greenland waters of ICES zone XIV for 2015. It is appropriate to allocate that amount from the Union quota available in those waters. The capelin catch limits provided for by this Regulation should apply from 20 June 2015.(11)Norway agreed to increase the Union quotas for the following stocks: for cod in Norwegian waters of I and II by 1512 tonnes; for haddock in Norwegian waters of I and II by 88 tonnes; for ling in Norwegian waters of IV by 150 tonnes; and for haddock in IV and Union waters of IIa by 250 tonnes. The corresponding TAC tables should therefore be updated accordingly.(12)It is necessary to clarify that the 5 % inter-area flexibility (special condition) for undulate ray only applies to the by-catch quota of undulate ray.(13)Certain catches of tope shark may be allowed, while maintaining the prohibition on catching tope shark with long lines.(14)The Parties to the North-East Atlantic Fisheries Commission (NEAFC) were unable to agree upon an appropriate management measure for redfish in international waters of ICES subareas I and II for 2015, and ICES advised that the recommended catch by all Parties should not exceed 30000 tonnes. Taking into account that the fishery on this stock takes place both inside the waters of the Coastal States as well as in international waters, the Union had recommended at the NEAFC Annual Meeting in November 2014 that a measure be adopted to limit these fisheries to 19500 tonnes. In the absence of an NEAFC management measure, as in 2014, the fishery in international waters for 2015 should be limited to 19500 tonnes for vessels from all NEAFC Parties fishing in the area, including Union vessels.(15)Consultations will continue in 2015 on fishing opportunities for the redfish stock in Norwegian waters of I and II. Catch limits for this stock will be fixed during 2015, taking account of the outcome of these consultations.(16)In order to reflect correctly the gear distribution of the Spanish 2015 bluefin-tuna fishing fleet, it is necessary to amend Annex IV of Regulation (EU) 2015/104, which sets out the fishing, farming and fattening limitations for bluefin tuna.(17)A vessel flying the flag of France and targeting tropical tunas in the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) Convention Area was recently reflagged as an Italian vessel. The corresponding capacity in gross tonnage allocated to France in Annex VI to Regulation (EU) 2015/104 should therefore be transferred to Italy. This transfer neither exceeds the capacity limits for Italy established in Annex II of Regulation (EU) No 1380/2013 nor affects the capacity limits established by the IOTC.(18)Some corrections to Regulation (EU) 2015/104 should be made in order to ensure that, because of the rounding, the total of the Member States' quotas does not exceed the quota available for the Union, and also either to address typographical inaccuracies or to add reporting codes.(19)Regulation (EU) 2015/104 should therefore be amended accordingly.(20)It is necessary for the measures included in this Regulation to start to apply as soon as possible. This Regulation should, therefore, enter into force on the date following that of its publication,HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION: