02007R0520 — EN — 22.12.2022 — 005.001

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COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 520/2007

of 7 May 2007

laying down technical measures for the conservation of certain stocks of highly migratory species and repealing Regulation (EC) No 973/2001







TITLE I

INTRODUCTORY PROVISIONS

Article 1

Object

This Regulation lays down technical conservation measures applicable to the capture and landing of certain stocks of highly migratory species as referred to in Annex I and to the capture of by-catches.

Article 2

Scope

Without prejudice to Article 9, this Regulation shall apply to vessels flying the flag of a Member State and registered in the Community, hereinafter ‘Community fishing vessels’.

Article 3

Definitions

For the purposes of this Regulation:

1. ‘Highly migratory species’ means the species listed in Annex I.

2. ‘Tunas and related species covered by ICCAT’ means the species listed in Annex II.

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4. ‘Leisure fisheries’ means fishing activities exploiting living aquatic resources for recreation or sport.

5. ‘Encircling nets’ means nets which catch fish by surrounding them both from the sides and from below; they may or may not be equipped with a purse line.

6. ‘Purse seines’ means any encircling net the bottom of which is drawn together by means of a purse line at the bottom of the net, which passes through a series of rings along the groundrope, enabling the net to be pursed and closed. Purse seines may be used to catch small pelagic species, large pelagic species or demersal species.

7. ‘Longlines’ means a fishing gear which comprises a main line carrying numerous hooks on branch lines (snoods) of variable length and spacing depending on the target species. It may be deployed either vertically or horizontally to the sea surface; it may be set either at or near the bottom (bottom-set longline) or drifting in midwater or near the surface (surface longline).

8. ‘Hook’ means a bent, sharpened piece of steel wire usually with barb. The point of a hook may be either straight or even reversed and curved. The shank can be of varying length and form and its cross section can be round (regular) or flattened (forged). The total length of a hook shall be measured as the maximum overall length of the shank from the tip of the hook which serves for fastening the line and is usually shaped as an eye, to the apex of the bend. The width of a hook shall be measured as the greatest horizontal distance from the external part of the shank to the external part of the barb.

9. ‘Fish-aggregating devices (FADs)’ means any equipment floating on the sea surface and with the objective of attracting fish.

10. ‘Pole and line tuna vessel’ means vessels equiped for catching tuna by pole and line.

Article 4

Areas

For the purposes of this Regulation, the following definitions of maritime waters shall apply:

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CHAPTER 1

Restrictions on the use of certain types of vessels and gears

Article 5

Protection of bigeye tuna in certain tropical waters

1. Fishing by purse seiners and pole-and-line tuna vessels shall be prohibited during the period 1 to 30 November in the following area: — southern limit: latitude 0° S, — northern limit: latitude 5° N, — western limit: longitude 20° W, — eastern limit: longitude 10° W.

2. Member States shall send the Commission each year by 15 August at the latest a report on the implementation of this measure, including where applicable a list of breaches committed by Community fishing vessels flying their flag and being pursued by their competent authorities.

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Article 7

Fishing for skipjack, bigeye and yellowfin tuna in certain Portuguese waters

It shall be prohibited to retain on board any quantity of skipjack, bigeye or yellowfin tuna caught using purse seines in waters under the sovereignty or jurisdiction of Portugal in ICES subarea X north of 36°30′ N or in CECAF areas north of 31° N and east of 17°30′ W, or to fish for those species in the said areas with the said gears.







CHAPTER 2

Minimum size

Article 8

Sizes

1. A species shall be considered undersized if its dimensions are smaller than the minimum dimensions specified in Annex IV for the relevant species.

2. The dimensions set out in Annex IV may be modified pursuant to ICCAT recommendations which are binding on the Community and in accordance with the procedure referred to in Article 30.

Article 9

Prohibitions

1. Undersized fish of the species listed in Annex IV which are captured in Area 1 shall not be retained on board or transshipped, landed, transported, stored, displayed or offered for sale, sold or marketed. These species shall be returned immediately to the sea.

2. The release for free circulation or marketing in the Community of undersized fish of the species listed in Annex IV originating in third countries and captured in Area 1 shall be prohibited.

Article 10

Measurement of size

1. All species with the exception of istiophoridae shall be measured fork length, that is to say the vertical distance drawn from the tip of the upper jaw to the extremity of the shortest caudal ray.

2. The size of istiophoridae shall be measured from the tip of the lower jaw to the fork of the caudal fin.

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CHAPTER 3

Restrictions on the number of vessels

Article 12

North Atlantic bigeye and albacore tuna

1. The Council, acting in accordance with the procedure laid down in Article 20 of Regulation (EC) No 2371/2002, shall determine the number and total capacity in gross tonnage (GT) of Community fishing vessels greater than 24 metres in length fishing in Area 1 for bigeye tuna as a target species. These shall be determined: (a) as the average number and the capacity in GT of Community fishing vessels fishing in Area 1 for bigeye tuna as a target species during the period 1991 to 1992; and (b) on the basis of the restriction on the number of Community vessels fishing for bigeye tuna in 2005 notified to ICCAT on 30 June 2005.

2. The Council, acting in accordance with the procedure laid down in Article 20 of Regulation (EC) No 2371/2002, shall determine the number of Community fishing vessels fishing for North Atlantic albacore tuna as a target species. The number of vessels shall be fixed as the average number of Community fishing vessels fishing for North Atlantic albacore tuna as a target species during the period 1993 to 1995.

3. The Council, acting in accordance with the procedure laid down in Article 20 of Regulation (EC) No 2371/2002, shall distribute among the Member States: (a) the number and capacity in GT determined in accordance with paragraph 1; (b) the number of vessels determined in accordance with paragraph 2.

4. Before 15 May each year each Member State shall send the Commission by the customary means of data transmission: (a) a list of vessels flying its flag and greater than 24 metres in length fishing for bigeye tuna; (b) a list of vessels flying its flag and participating in a fishery targeting albacore tuna in the North Atlantic.

The Commission shall send this information to the ICCAT Secretariat before 31 May each year.

5. The lists referred to in paragraph 4 shall give the internal fishing fleet register number assigned to the vessel in accordance with Annex I to Commission Regulation (EC) No 26/2004 of 30 December 2003 on the Community fishing fleet register ( 1 ) and the type of gear used.







CHAPTER 4

Species not targeted and sport and recreational fishing

Article 13

Marlins

Member States shall encourage the use of monofilament streamer lines on swivels so that live blue marlins and white marlins may be easily released.

Article 14

Sharks

1. Member States shall encourage the release of live sharks captured accidentally, in particular juveniles.

2. Member States shall encourage the reduction of discards of sharks by improving the selectivity of fishing gears.

Article 15

Sea turtles

Member States shall encourage the release of live sea turtles captured accidentally.

Article 16

Sport and recreational fishing in the Mediterranean

1. Member States shall take the measures necessary to prohibit the use in the Mediterranean for sport and recreational fishing activities of towed nets, encircling nets, purse seines, dredges, gill nets, trammel nets and longlines to fish for tuna and related species.

2. Member States shall ensure that tuna and related species captured during sport and recreational fishing in the Mediterranean are not marketed.

Article 17

Report

Member States shall send the Commission not later than 15 August each year a report on the implementation of this Chapter.







TITLE III

TECHNICAL MEASURES APPLICABLE IN AREA 2

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TITLE V

TECHNICAL MEASURES APPLICABLE IN AREA 4

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TITLE VI

GENERAL PROVISIONS

Article 29

Marine mammals

1. The encircling with purse seines of any school or group of marine mammals shall be prohibited.

2. Paragraph 1 shall apply to all Community fishing vessels with the exception of the vessels referred to in Article 23.







TITLE VII

FINAL PROVISIONS

Article 30

Comitology

The measures to be taken under Articles 6(4) and 8(2) shall be adopted in accordance with the procedure laid down in Article 30(3) of Regulation (EC) No 2371/2002.

Article 31

Repeal

Regulation (EC) No 973/2001 is hereby repealed.

Article 32

Entry into force

This Regulation shall enter into force on the 20th day following its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.

This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States.









ANNEX I

List of highly migratory species

— Albacore: Thunnus alalunga

— Bluefin tuna: Thunnus thynnus

— Bigeye tuna: Thunnus obesus

— Skipjack tuna: Katsuwonus pelamis

— Atlantic bonito: Sarda sarda

— Yellowfin tuna: Thunnus albacares

— Blackfin tuna: Thunnus atlanticus

— Little tuna: Euthynnus spp.

— Southern bluefin tuna: Thunnus maccoyii

— Frigate tuna: Auxis spp.

— Oceanic sea breams: Bramidae

— Marlins: Tetrapturus spp. ; Makaira spp.

— Sailfish: Istiophorus spp.

— Swordfish: Xiphias gladius

— Sauries: Scomberesox spp. ; Cololabis spp.

— Dolphinfish; common dolphinfish: Coryphaena hippurus ; Coryphaena equiselis

— Sharks: Hexanchus griseus ; Cetorhinus maximus ; Alopiidae Rhincodon typus ; Carcharhinide ; Sphyrnidae ; Isuridae ; Lamnidae

— Cetaceans (whales and porpoises): Physeteridae ; Balenidae ; Eschrichtiidae ; Monodontidae ; Ziphiidae ; Delphinidae

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