26.7.93 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities NoC201/27
OpinionontheproposalforaCouncilRegulation (EEC)harmonizingvarioustechnical
measuresinMediterranean fisheries
93/C201/10
On11January1993theCouncildecidedtoconsulttheEconomicandSocialCommittee,
underArticle198oftheTreatyestablishingtheEuropeanEconomicCommunity,onthe
abovementioned proposal.
TheSectionforAgricultureandFisheries,whichwasresponsibleforpreparingtheCom­
mittee'sworkonthesubject,adopteditsOpinionon6May1993.TheRapporteurwas
MrMuiiizGuardado.
Atits306thPlenarySession(meetingof26May1993),theEconomicandSocialCommittee
adoptedthefollowingOpinionunanimously .
BroadlyspeakingtheCommitteeapprovestheCom­
missionproposal,butwouldmakethefollowingcom­
ments.proximityofislands.Applicationofthedistance
criterionwoulddrivefishermenintointernational
fishingwaters;
employmentofasignificantproportionofthepopu­
lationintraditionalfishing.1.Generalcomments
Theseproblemswillhaveto'besolved. 1.1.TheaimoftheproposedRegulationistohar­
monizethetechnicalmeasuresofthefourMediterrane­
anMemberStates.Noattemptismadetoapplytechni­
calmeasuresanalogoustothoseestablishedforthe
Atlanticsincethesituationisdifferent.Harmonization
shouldserveasaplatformforimmediatenegotiations
withthirdcountrieswhosefleetsfishintheMediter­
ranean.1.5.Progressmustbemadeondrawingupa
resourcesconservationpolicyinlinewithArticles117
and119oftheUNConventionontheLawoftheSea.
1.2.Accountmustbetakenoftheactivitiesinthe
Mediterranean ofvesselsfromthirdcountryMediter­
raneanandnon-Mediterranean countriesoperatingout­
sideECterritorialwaters.Furtherstepsarethus
urgentlyneededtoestablishaMediterranean Fisheries
PolicywhichextendsbeyondtheECMemberStates.1.6.Theresourcesconservationpolicyshouldapply
toallvesselsfishingintheMediterranean sothatthe
technicalrulesdonotaffectCommunityvesselsonly
andplacethematadisadvantagecomparedwithrival
fleets(whichinsomecasesuselarge-scalefishing
methods).Thispolicymustcoverallcountriesifthe
requisiteinternationaleffortistobeachieved.
1.3.Accountmustbetakenofthespecificfeatures
ofMemberStatesasregards:Communityterritorial
waters(12milesforItaly,FranceandSpain,6milesfor
Greece),fishinggroundsandmethodsusedtolimitthe
fishingeffort(e.g.reductioninfishingtime,limitation
offishingzones).1.7.Asregardstheconservationandmanagementof
fisheryresourcesintheMediterranean ,itmustbeborne
inmindthattheparticularcircumstances thereare
differentfromthoseintheNorthAtlanticandNorth
Sea.Itisthereforeappropriatetointroduceaharmoni­
zedconservationandmanagementsystembasedon
existingnationalregulations,startingwithacheckon
thelandingsinECportsofbothECandnon-ECvessels
fishingintheMediterranean .Theminimumsizesof
speciesshouldalsobechecked.1.4.FortheAegeaninparticular,accountshouldbe
takenofspecificnatural(geographicalandgeological)
andsocialfeatures,suchas:
—thenarrownessofthecontinentalshelf,wherethe
distancecriterionwouldhaveharmfuleffectson
islandfishing.Coastal(shallow-water )fishingisthe-
onlyresponsetothisproblem;
—narrow,smallinlets;1.8.TheRegulationshoulddefineandharmonize
thetechnicalcharacteristics ofthetypesoffishinggear

26.7.93NoC201/28 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities
2.2.3.Paragraph 3 usedintheMediterraneanandlaydownminimumsizes
forcertainspeciesoffish,crustaceansandmolluscsso
astoachieveasustainableyield.
1.9.Measuresproposedbyfishermen'sorganiza­
tions(protectionzones,useoffishinggear,limitation
offishingtime,etc.)whichgobeyondtheminimum
requirementscurrentlylaiddownbytheMemberStates
shouldreceiveconsideration ,providedtheyarecompat­
iblewithCommunitylawandinlinewiththeCommon
FisheriesPolicy.Shoreseines(encirclingnetsandtowednetssetfroma
boatandoperatedfromtheshore)shouldbeprohibited
assoonasthisRegulationisapproved,unlessthere
areexceptionalscientific,socialorotherreasonsfor
waitinguntil1January1997.
2.3.Article3
2.Specificcomments2.3.1.Paragraph 1—Replacebythe
following :
'1.Bottomfishingwithtowedgearshallbeprohibit­
edwithinthe50misobath(exemptionsmaybelaid
downinspecialcases).'
2.3.2.Paragraph 2—Replacebythe
following :
'2.Itshallbeprohibitedtosetanytypeofencircling
netinwaterswhicharelessthan30mdeep(exemp­
tionsmaybelaiddown—catchingoflivebaitfor
tunafishing).'2.1.Article1
2.1.1.Paragraph 1—Addthefollowing :
'andtothetranshipmentandlandinginCommunity
portsandwatersoffisheryresourcescaughtinthe
Mediterraneanbyvesselsflyingtheflagofthird
countries.
ForthepurposesofthisRegulation,theMediter­
raneanshallbedelimitedinthewestbythemeridian
ofPuntaMarroqui,longitude05°36'west,inthe
vicinityofTarifa.'
2.3.3.Paragraph 3
Theprohibitiononsettingbottomnetsatadepthof
lessthandoublethedropofthenetshallapplywhere
thisimpedesfreenavigation.2.2.Article2
2.2.1.Paragraph 1—Replacebythe
following :
'Theholdingonboardanduseforfishingpurposes
ofsubstancesandequipmentsuchasthefollowing
shallbeprohibited :
a)toxic,poisonous,narcoticandcorrosivesub­
stances;
b)explosives;
c)vacuumturbocompressors ;2.4.Article4
2.4.1.Paragraph 1—Addthefollowing :
'orforotherreasons(inordertosecureasustainable
yieldwhichrespectsthebalancebetweenresources
andfishingeffort).'
d)equipmentforproducingelectricaldischarges;
2.5.Article5
e)pneumaticdrills.'
2.2.2.Paragraph 2
Theharvestingofcoralshouldbemorecloselyregu­
lated;theuseofSaintAndrew'sandSaintGeorge's
crosses,'Italianbars'andsimilartowedgearshouldbe
prohibited.Itisalsonecessarytostipulatethegear
appropriatetoeachdepth.2.5.1.Paragraph 3—Replacebythe
following :
'TheCommission ,whenitdecideswhethersuch
measuresareinconformitywithCommunitylaw
andtheCommonFisheriesPolicyonthebasisof
AnnexII,shalltakeaccountoftraditionalfishing
practicesintheMemberStates.'

26.7.93 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities NoC201/29
2.6.Article6
2.6.1.Paragraph 1—Replacebythe
following :
'1.Itisprohibitedtouseorhaveonboardany
bottomtrawlnets,gillnetsorencirclingnetswitha
meshsizesmallerthanthoselistedinAnnexIII.'3.2.Bottom-setandfloatinglonglines
Replacebythefollowing:
'Theminimumdistancebetweenalonglinerwhich
issettingitsgearandtheheadingofatrawlerwhich
isfishingshallbe1mile.
Thelonglinermaynotsetitsgearlessthan1.5miles
fromthebowsofavesseltrawlinginitspath.
Linesshallbesetparalleltotheisobathsofbanks,
beaches,channelsandshelveswheretheyexist,and
inothercasesparalleltotheshore.
Aminimumdistanceof2milesmustbekept
betweenthebuoyswhichmarktheendsoftwo
longlinesinoperation.'2.6.2.Paragraph 3—Replacebythe
following :
'3.Thelengthofnetsshallbedefinedbythelength
ofthefloatline.Thedropofnetsshallbeequalto
thedistancebetweenthefloatlineandthebottom
linewhenthenetiswetandstretched.'
2.7.Article7
4.AnnexII
4.1.Trawls2.7.1.Replacebythefollowing:
'TheMemberStatesshallestablishchecksoncatch­
esastheyarelanded.Suchchecksshallbepermitted
onlyatplacesspeciallypreparedorrecognizedas
suitableforthatpurpose,andshallalsoapplytoall
vesselsfromthirdcountriesfishingintheMediter­
ranean.Suchvesselsshalllikewisebesubjecttoall
otherchecksestablishedeithernoworinthefuture
forCommunityvessels.'Addthefollowingparagraphs :
'Withaviewtoprotectingrocksandcoralonthe
seabed,whenriggingthebottomlineitispermitted
touseweightssuchassinkers,chainsorrollersonly
wheretheyaremountedonthelineitselfandnot
suspendedfromit.
Itisprohibitedtouseanyadditionalweights,to
addchainsandusedevicessuchasbobbinsandthe
like,thepurposeofwhichistofacilitatefishing
overrockyseabeds.'2.8.Article8
2.8.1.Paragraph 3—Replacebythe
following :
'3.Vesselsflyingtheflagofathirdcountrymay
notland,transhiporsellspeciesbelowtheminimum
sizeslaiddowninthisRegulationinCommunity
portsorwaters.
Therulesonminimumsizesshallalsoapplyto
importsfromvesselsofthirdcountriesoperatingin
theMediterranean .'4.2.Encirclingnets
Replacebythefollowing:
'Whenfishingforcoastalpelagicspecies,thelength
ofnettingmaynotexceed450mandthedepth
90m.
Whenfishingforoceanicpelagicspecies,thelength
ofnettingmaynotexceed600mandthedepth
150m.'3.AnnexI
4.3.Bottom-setnets(gillnetsandentanglingnets)3.1.Bottom-setnetsanddriftnets
Replacebythefollowing:
'Bottom-setanddriftnetsmustbesetwithamini­
mumintervalbetweennetsof300m.'Replacebythefollowing:
'Themaximumlengthshallbe5000mpervessel
andmaximumdrop4m.'

26.7.93NoC201/30 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities
4.4.Trammelnets
Replacebythefollowing:
'—Maximumdrop:4m.—Encirclingnets:
Coastalpelagic:14mm,
Oceanicpelagic:80mm.
—Anchoredseinenets
('artebolador'(surfaceanchoredseines),
beachseines,etc.):40mm.
—Anchoredbottomnets:
Gillnets:40mm,—Eachvesselmaysetamaximumof5000mof
trammelnets(trammelorcombinedgillnet­
trammelnets)
Trammel:40mm(inner)—200mm(outer),
Combinedgillnet-trammel nets:40mm
(inner)—200mm(outer).
—Driftnets:
Gillnets:50mmfortunaandthelike—18mm—Itisprohibitedtousecombinedgillnet-trammel
netsfordriftfishing.'
5.AnnexIII
5.1.Minimummeshsizes
Replacebythefollowing:
'—Bottomtrawls:40mm.
DoneatBrussels,26May1993.forsardineandthelike,
Trammel:40mm(inner)—200mm(outer).
Themeshsizeofgearusedforcatchingfrigate
mackerel,tunaandthelikemaynotexceed
150mm.'
TheChairman
oftheEconomicandSocialCommittee
SusanneTIEMANN