COUNCIL REGULATION (EU) No 43/2012
of 17 January 2012
fixing for 2012 the fishing opportunities available to EU vessels for certain fish stocks and groups of fish stocks which are not subject to international negotiations or agreements
THE 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)
Article 43(3) of the Treaty provides that the Council, on a proposal from the Commission, is to adopt measures on the fixing and allocation of fishing opportunities.
(2)
Council Regulation (EC) No 2371/2002 of 20 December 2002 on the conservation and sustainable exploitation of fisheries resources under the Common Fisheries Policy (1) requires that measures governing access to waters and resources and the sustainable pursuit of fishing activities be established taking into account available scientific, technical and economic advice and, in particular, reports drawn up by the Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries (STECF), as well as in the light of any advice received from Regional Advisory Councils.
(3)
It is incumbent upon the Council to adopt measures on the fixing and allocation of fishing opportunities by fishery or by group of fisheries, including certain conditions functionally linked thereto, as appropriate. Fishing opportunities should be distributed among Member States in such a way as to assure each Member State relative stability of fishing activities for each stock or fishery and having due regard to the objectives of the common fisheries policy established in Regulation (EC) No 2371/2002.
(4)
In order to ensure uniform conditions for the implementation concerning the granting individual Member State an authorisation to benefit from the system of managing its fishing effort allocations in accordance with a kilowatt days system, implementing powers should be conferred on the Commission.
(5)
In order to ensure uniform conditions for the implementation of this Regulation, implementing powers should be conferred on the Commission relating to granting of additional days at sea for permanent cessation of fishing activities and for enhanced scientific observer coverage as well as to establishing the formats of spreadsheet for the collection and transmission of information concerning transfer of days at sea between fishing vessels flying the flag of a Member State. Those powers should be exercised in accordance with Regulation (EU) No 182/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 February 2011 laying down the rules and general principles concerning mechanisms for control by Member States of the Commission's exercise of implementing powers (2).
(6)
Where a total allowable catch (TAC) relating to a stock is allocated to one Member State only, it is appropriate to empower the Member State concerned in accordance with Article 2(1) of the Treaty to determine the level of such TAC. Provisions should be made to ensure that, when fixing that TAC level, the Member State concerned acts in a manner fully consistent with the principles and rules of the common fisheries policy.
(7)
Certain TACs allow Member States to grant additional allocations for vessels participating in trials on fully documented fisheries. The aim of those trials is to test a catch-quota system to avoid discards and the waste of otherwise usable fish resources it entails. Uncontrolled discards of fish are a threat to the long term sustainability of fish as a public good and thus to the common fisheries policy objectives. By contrast, catch-quota systems inherently present the fishers with an incentive to optimise the catch selectivity of their operations. In order to achieve a rational management of discards, a fully documented fishery should cover every operation at sea, rather than what is landed at port. The conditions for Member States to grant such additional allocations should therefore include an obligation to ensure the use of close circuit television cameras (CCTV) associated to a system of sensors. This should enable to record in detail all retained and discarded parts of catches. A system based on human observers operating in real time on board would be less efficient, more costly, and less reliable. Consequently, the use of CCTV is at this time a prerequisite for the achievement of discard reduction schemes such as fully documented fisheries, provided that the requirements of Directive 95/46/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 24 October 1995 on the protection of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data (3) are complied with.
(8)
The TACs should be established on the basis of available scientific advice, taking into account biological and socio-economic aspects whilst ensuring fair treatment between fishing sectors, as well as in the light of the opinions expressed during the consultation of stakeholders, in particular at the meetings with the Advisory Committee for Fisheries and Aquaculture and the Regional Advisory Councils concerned.
(9)
For stocks subject to specific multiannual plans, the TACs should be established in accordance with the rules laid down in those plans. Consequently, the TACs for stocks of hake, of Norway lobster, of sole in the Bay of Biscay and the Western Channel, of herring to the west of Scotland and of cod in the Kattegat, to the west of Scotland and in the Irish Sea should be established in accordance with the rules laid down in: Council Regulation (EC) No 811/2004 of 21 April 2004 establishing measures for the recovery of the northern hake stock (4); Council Regulation (EC) No 2166/2005 of 20 December 2005 establishing measures for the recovery of the Southern hake and Norway lobster stocks in the Cantabrian Sea and Western Iberian peninsula (5); Council Regulation (EC) No 388/2006 of 23 February 2006 establishing a multiannual plan for the sustainable exploitation of the stock of sole in the Bay of Biscay (6); Council Regulation (EC) No 509/2007 of 7 May 2007 establishing a multi-annual plan for the sustainable exploitation of the stock of sole in the Western Channel (7); Council Regulation (EC) No 1300/2008 of 18 December 2008 establishing a multi-annual plan for the stock of herring distributed to the west of Scotland and the fisheries exploiting that stock (8); and Council Regulation (EC) No 1342/2008 of 18 December 2008 establishing a long-term plan for cod stocks and the fisheries exploiting those stocks (9) (the ‘Cod Plan’).
(10)
For stocks for which there is no sufficient or reliable data in order to provide size estimates, management measures and TAC levels should follow the precautionary approach to fisheries management as defined in point (i) of Article 3 of Council Regulation (EC) No 2371/2002, while taking into account stock-specific factors, including, in particular, available information on stock trends and mixed fisheries considerations.
(11)
In accordance with Article 2 of Council Regulation (EC) No 847/96 of 6 May 1996 introducing additional conditions for year-to-year management of TACs and quotas (10), the stocks that are subject to the various measures referred to therein should be identified.
(12)
For certain species, such as certain species of sharks, even a limited fishing activity could result in a serious risk to their conservation. Fishing opportunities for such species should therefore be fully restricted through a general prohibition on fishing those species.
(13)
Norway lobster is caught in mixed demersal fisheries together with various other species. In a zone to the west of Ireland, known as the Porcupine Bank, scientific advice has recommended that catches of this species do not increase in 2012. In order to help continue the recovery of the stock, it is appropriate to keep fishing opportunities confined, in a certain part of that zone and in certain periods, to the catching of pelagic species with which Norway lobster is not caught.
(14)
Since there is no scientific evidence that the TAC areas for pollack correspond to distinct biological stocks and the distribution of this species is continuous from the north of the British Isles to the south of the Iberian Peninsula, it is appropriate, in order to guarantee full use of the fishing opportunities, to allow the implementation of a flexible arrangement between some of the TAC areas.
(15)
It is necessary to establish the fishing effort ceilings for 2012 in accordance with Article 8 of Regulation (EC) No 2166/2005, Article 5 of Regulation (EC) No 509/2007, Articles 11 and 12 of Regulation (EC) No 1342/2008, while taking into account Council Regulation (EC) No 754/2009 of 27 July 2009 excluding certain groups of vessels from the fishing effort regime laid down in Chapter III of Regulation (EC) No 1342/2008 (11).
(16)
The use of fishing opportunities available to EU vessels set out in this Regulation is subject to Council Regulation (EC) No 1224/2009 of 20 November 2009 establishing a Community control system for ensuring compliance with the rules of the common fisheries policy (12), and in particular to Articles 33 and 34 thereof concerning the recording of catches and fishing effort and the notification of data on the exhaustion of fishing opportunities. It is therefore necessary to specify the codes to be used by Member States when sending data to the Commission relating to landings of stocks subject to this Regulation.
(17)
In order to avoid the interruption of fishing activities and to ensure the livelihood of the fishermen of the Union, this Regulation should apply from 1 January 2012, except for the provisions concerning fishing effort limits, which should apply from 1 February 2012. For reasons of urgency, this Regulation should enter into force immediately after its publication.
(18)
Fishing opportunities should be used in full compliance with the applicable law of the Union,
HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:
TITLE I
SCOPE AND DEFINITIONS
Article 1
Subject matter
1. This Regulation fixes the fishing opportunities available to EU vessels for certain fish stocks and groups of fish stocks which are not subject to international negotiations or agreements.
2. The fishing opportunities referred to in paragraph 1 shall include:
(a)
catch limits for the year 2012; and
(b)
fishing effort limits for the period from 1 February 2012 to 31 January 2013.
Article 2
Scope
This Regulation shall apply to EU vessels.
Article 3
Definitions
For the purposes of this Regulation the following definitions shall apply:
(a)
‧EU vessel‧ means a fishing vessel flying the flag of a Member State and registered in the Union;
(b)
‧EU waters‧ means waters under the sovereignty or jurisdiction of the Member States with the exception of waters adjacent to the overseas countries and territories listed in Annex II to the Treaty;
(c)
‧total allowable catch‧ (TAC) means the quantity that can be taken and landed from each fish stock each year;
(d)
‧quota‧ means a proportion of the TAC allocated to the Union or a Member State;
(e)
‧international waters‧ means waters falling outside the sovereignty or jurisdiction of any State;
(f)
‧mesh size‧ means the mesh size of fishing nets as determined in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 517/2008 (13);
(g)
‧EU fishing fleet register‧ means the register set up by the Commission in accordance with Article 15(3) of Regulation (EC) No 2371/2002;
(h)
‧fishing logbook‧ means the logbook referred to in Article 14 of Regulation (EC) No 1224/2009.
Article 4
Fishing zones
For the purposes of this Regulation the following zone definitions shall apply:
(a)
ICES (International Council for the Exploration of the Sea) zones are the geographical areas specified in Annex III to Regulation (EC) No 218/2009 (14);
(b)
‧Skagerrak‧ means the geographical area bounded on the west by a line drawn from the Hanstholm lighthouse to the Lindesnes lighthouse and on the south by a line drawn from the Skagen lighthouse to the Tistlarna lighthouse and from this point to the nearest point on the Swedish coast;
(c)
‧Kattegat‧ means the geographical area bounded on the north by a line drawn from the Skagen lighthouse to the Tistlarna lighthouse and from this point to the nearest point on the Swedish coast and on the south by a line drawn from Hasenøre to Gnibens Spids, from Korshage to Spodsbjerg and from Gilbjerg Hoved to Kullen;
(d)
‧VII (Porcupine Bank - Unit 16)‧ means the geographical area bounded by rhumb lines sequentially joining the following positions:
-
53° 30′ N 15° 00′ W,
-
53° 30′ N 11° 00′ W,
-
51° 30′ N 11° 00′ W,
-
51° 30′ N 13° 00′ W,
-
51° 00′ N 13° 00′ W,
-
51° 00′ N 15° 00′ W,
-
53° 30′ N 15° 00′ W;
(e)
‧Gulf of Cádiz‧ means the geographical area of ICES division IXa east of longitude 7° 23′ 48″ W;
(f)
CECAF (Committee for Eastern Central Atlantic Fisheries) areas are the geographical areas specified in Annex II to Regulation (EC) No 216/2009 (15).
TITLE II
FISHING OPPORTUNITIES
Article 5
TACs and allocations
The TACs for EU vessels in EU waters or in certain non-EU waters and the allocation of such TACs among Member States, and the conditions functionally linked thereto, where appropriate, are set out in Annex I.
Article 6
Special provisions on certain TACs
1. The TACs for certain fish stocks shall be determined by the Member State concerned. Those stocks are identified in Annex I.
2. The TACs to be determined by a Member State shall:
(a)
be consistent with the principles and rules of the common fisheries policy, in particular the principle of sustainable exploitation of the stock; and
(b)
result:
(i)
if analytical assessments are available, in the exploitation of the stock consistent with maximum sustainable yield from 2015 onwards, with as high a probability as possible;
(ii)
if analytical assessments are unavailable or incomplete, in the exploitation of the stock consistent with the precautionary approach to fisheries management.
3. By 15 March 2012, each Member State concerned shall submit to the Commission the following information:
(a)
the TACs adopted;
(b)
the data collected and assessed by the Member State concerned on which the TACs adopted are based; and
(c)
details on how the TACs adopted comply with paragraph 2.
Article 7
Additional allocation for vessels participating in trials on fully documented fisheries
1. For certain stocks, a Member State may grant an additional allocation to vessels flying its flag participating in trials on fully documented fisheries. Those stocks are identified in Annex I. The additional allocation shall not exceed an overall limit set out in Annex I as a percentage of the quota allocated to that Member State.
2. The additional allocation referred to in paragraph 1 may be granted only in accordance with the following conditions:
(a)
the vessel makes use of close circuit television cameras (CCTV) associated to a system of sensors to record all fishing and processing activities on board the vessels;
(b)
the amount of the additional allocation granted to an individual vessel that participates in trials on fully documented fisheries shall be no more than 75 % of the discards estimated for the type of vessel to which it belongs, and in any case shall not represent more than a 30 % increase of the vessel's basic allocation; and
(c)
all catches of the relevant stock subject to the additional allocation by that vessel shall be counted against its total allocation.
Notwithstanding point (b), a Member State may exceptionally grant to vessel flying its flag additional allocation that corresponds to more than 75 % of the estimated discards for the type of vessel to which the vessel concerned belongs, provided that:
(i)
the estimated discards for the type of vessel are less than 10 %;
(ii)
it can be demonstrated that the inclusion of that type of vessel is important to evaluate the potential of the CCTV system for control purposes; and
(iii)
an overall limit of 75 % of the estimated discards is not exceeded for all vessels participating in the trials.
To the extent that the recordings obtained in accordance with point (a) involve the processing of personal data within the meaning of Directive 95/46/EC, that Directive shall apply to the processing of such data.
3. Where a Member State detects that a vessel participating in trials on fully documented fisheries fails to comply with the conditions set out in paragraph 2, it shall immediately withdraw the additional allocation granted to that vessel and exclude it from participation in those trials for the remainder of the year 2012.
4. Prior to granting the additional allocation referred to in paragraph 1, a Member State shall submit to the Commission the following information:
(a)
the list of vessels flying its flag participating in trials on fully documented fisheries;
(b)
the specifications of the remote electronic monitoring equipment installed on board those vessels;
(c)
the capacity, type and specification of gears used by those vessels;
(d)
the estimated discards for each type of vessel participating in the trials; and
(e)
the amount of catches of the stock subject to the relevant TAC made in 2011 by the vessels participating in the trials.
5. The Commission may request that the assessment of the estimated discards for the type of vessel referred to in point (b) of paragraph 2, be submitted to a scientific advisory body for review. In the absence of a confirming assessment, the Member State concerned shall inform the Commission, in writing, of the measures taken to ensure that the relevant vessels comply with the estimated discards condition established in point (b) of paragraph 2.
Article 8
Conditions for landing catches and by-catches
Fish from stocks for which TACs are established shall be retained on board or landed only if:
(a)
the catches have been taken by vessels flying the flag of a Member State having a quota and that quota is not exhausted; or
(b)
the catches consist of a share in a EU quota which has not been allocated by quota among Member States, and that EU quota has not been exhausted.
Article 9
Fishing effort limits
From 1 February 2012 to 31 January 2013, the fishing effort measures laid down in:
(a)
Annex IIA, shall apply for the management of cod stocks in the Kattegat, ICES divisions VIIa and VIa, and EU waters of ICES division Vb;
(b)
Annex IIB, shall apply for the recovery of hake and Norway lobster in ICES divisions VIIIc and IXa, with the exception of the Gulf of Cádiz;
(c)
Annex IIC, shall apply for the management of the sole stock in ICES division VIIe.
Article 10
Special provisions on allocations of fishing opportunities
1. The allocation of fishing opportunities among Member States as set out in this Regulation shall be without prejudice to:
(a)
exchanges made pursuant to Article 20(5) of Regulation (EC) No 2371/2002;
(b)
reallocations made pursuant to Article 37 of Regulation (EC) No 1224/2009 or pursuant to Article 10(4) of Regulation (EC) No 1006/2008 (16);
(c)
additional landings allowed under Article 3 of Regulation (EC) No 847/96;
(d)
quantities withheld in accordance with Article 4 of Regulation (EC) No 847/96;
(e)
deductions made pursuant to Articles 37, 105, 106 and 107 of Regulation (EC) No 1224/2009.
2. Except where otherwise specified in Annex I to this Regulation, Article 3 of Regulation (EC) No 847/96 shall apply to stocks subject to precautionary TAC and Article 3(2) and (3) and Article 4 of that Regulation shall apply to stocks subject to analytical TAC.
Article 11
Closed fishing season
1. It shall be prohibited to fish or retain on board any of the following species in the Porcupine Bank during the period from 1 May to 31 July 2012: cod, megrims, anglerfish, haddock, whiting, hake, Norway lobster, plaice, pollack, saithe, skates and rays, common sole and spurdog.
2. For the purposes of this Article, the Porcupine Bank shall comprise the geographical area bounded by rhumb lines sequentially joining the following positions:
Point
Latitude
Longitude
1
52° 27′ N
12° 19′ W
2
52° 40′ N
12° 30′ W
3
52° 47′ N
12° 39,600′ W
4
52° 47′ N
12° 56′ W
5
52° 13,5′ N
13° 53,830′ W
6
51° 22′ N
14° 24′ W
7
51° 22′ N
14° 03′ W
8
52° 10′ N
13° 25′ W
9
52° 32′ N
13° 07,500′ W
10
52° 43′ N
12° 55′ W
11
52° 43′ N
12° 43′ W
12
52° 38,800′ N
12° 37′ W
13
52° 27′ N
12° 23′ W
14
52° 27′ N
12° 19′ W
3. By way of derogation from paragraph 1, transit through the Porcupine Bank, carrying on board the species referred to in that paragraph, shall be permitted in accordance with Article 50(3), (4) and (5) of Regulation (EC) No 1224/2009.
Article 12
Prohibitions
1. It shall be prohibited for EU vessels to fish for, to retain on board, to tranship or to land the following species:
(a)
basking shark (Cetorhinus maximus) and white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) in EU waters and non-EU waters;
(b)
porbeagle (Lamna nasus) in all waters, except where it is provided otherwise in Annex I Part B;
(c)
angel shark (Squatina squatina) in EU waters;
(d)
common skate (Dipturus batis) in EU waters of ICES division IIa and ICES subareas III, IV, VI, VII, VIII, IX and X;
(e)
undulate ray (Raja undulata) and white skate (Rostroraja alba) in EU waters of ICES subareas VI, VII, VIII, IX and X;
(f)
guitarfishes (Rhinobatidae) in EU waters of ICES subareas I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX, X and XII.
2. When accidentally caught, species referred to in paragraph 1 shall not be harmed. They shall be promptly released.
Article 13
Data transmission
When, pursuant to Articles 33 and 34 of Regulation (EC) No 1224/2009, Member States submit to the Commission data relating to landings of quantities of stocks caught, they shall use the stock codes set out in Annex I to this Regulation.
TITLE III
FINAL PROVISIONS
Article 14
Committee procedure
1. The Commission shall be assisted by the Committee for Fisheries and Aquaculture established by Regulation (EC) No 2371/2002. That committee shall be a committee within the meaning of Regulation (EU) No 182/2011.
2. Where reference is made to this paragraph, Article 5 of Regulation (EU) No 182/2011 shall apply.
Article 15
Entry into force and application
This Regulation shall enter into force on the day following its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.
It shall apply from 1 January 2012.
However, Article 9 shall apply from 1 February 2012.
This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States.
Done at Brussels, 17 January 2012.