Proposal for a COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) amending Council Regulation (EC) No 3075/95 laying down, for 1996, certain measures for the conservation and management of fishery resources applicable to vessels flying the flag of Norway
Date: 1996-07-26
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: EU waters, Norway, authorised catch, catch quota, fishery management

COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES 

Brussels,  26.07.1996 
COM(%) 404 final 

Proposal  for  a 

COUNCIL  REGITTATTON  (EC) 

amending Council Regulation (EC) No 3075/95  laying down, for  1996, 
certain measures for the conservation and management  of fishery resources 
applicable to vessels flying the flag of Norway 

(presented  by  the  Commission) 

EXPLANATORY  MEMORANDUM 

Under  Council  Regulation  (EC)  No  3075/95,  Norway  was  granted  a  certain 
quota  for  North  Sea  herring  in  Community  fishing  waters  for  1996.  The 
quota  was  set  on  the  basis  of  a TAC  which  was  agreed  upon  between  the 
Community  and  Norway  on  the  basis  of  the  then  available  scientific 
information. 

According  to  the  most  recent  scientific 
information  from  the  Advisory 
Committee  for  Fisheries  Management  of  the  International  Council  for  the 
Exploration  of 
is  declining  so 
the  Sea,  the  North  Sea  herring  stock 
dramatically  that  a moratorium  will  be inevitable  in the  years to  come,  unless 
rapid  action  is taken  in  1 996  to  reduce  the  fishing  mortality  and  rebuild  the 
spawning  stock.  Such action  should consist  of  a 5 0% reduction  in the  North 
Sea TAC  set  for  1996  and  a  5 0%  reduction  in  the  fishing  mortality  rate  on 
North  Sea  herring  taken  in  other  fisheries. 

In view  of  this  situation,  the  Community  and  Norway  held  consultations,  in 
the  framework  of  the  bilateral  fisheries  agreement,  on  12  June  1996,  in 
order  to  agree  on  the  appropriate  measures  for  this  joint  stock.  These 
consultations  resulted  in an agreement to  reduce, inter  alia,  the current  North 
Sea  TAC  by  5 0%  and  to  reduce  the  corresponding  quotas  for  each  Party 
accordingly.  Consequently, the Norwegian catch quota for  North Sea herring 
in Community  fishing  waters  is to  be reduced from  50,000 tonnes to  45,240 
tonnes. 

Under Council Regulation  (EC) No 3075/95, Norway  was also granted  certain 
quotas  for  plaice  and  blue  whiting  in  Community  waters  for  1996.  The 
fishery  arrangements  agreed  upon  by  the  Community  and  Norway  for  1996 
provides  for  the  possibility  to  consider  a  further  transfer  of  plaice  from 
Norway  to  the  Community  after  1 August  1996. 

Following  a request  from  an interested  Member  State,  further  consultations 
were  held  with  Norway,  which  resulted  in  an  agreement  to  transfer,  by  1 
August  1996,  1,250  tonnes  of  plaice  from  Norway  to  the  Community  in 
exchange  for  a transfer  of  an  equivalent  quantity  of  10,000  tonnes  of  blue 
whiting  from  the  Community  to  Norway.  Consequently,  the  Norwegian 
quota  for  plaice  in  Community  fishing  waters  is  to  be  reduced  from  2,460 
tonnes  to  1,210 
tonnes  and  the  Norwegian  quota  for  blue  whiting  in 
Community  fishing  waters  is  to  be  increased  from  249,000  tonnes  to 
259,000  tonnes. 

The  objective  of  this  proposal  is  to  implement  the  measures  agreed  with 
Norway  and to  amend the  above  mentioned  Council  Regulation  accordingly. 

Proposal  for  a 

COUNCIL  REGULATION  (EC)  No 

amending  Council  Regulation  (EC)  No  3075/95  laying  down,  for  1996, 
certain  measures  for  the  conservation  and  management  of  fishery  resources 
applicable  to  vessels  flying  the  flag  of  Norway 

THE  COUNCIL  OF  THE  EUROPEAN  UNION, 

having  regard  to  the  Treaty  establishing  the  European  Community, 

having  regard  to  Council  Regulation  (EEC)  No  3760/92  of  20  December  1992 
establishing  a Community  system  for  fisheries  and aquaculture'11 and, in  particular, 
Article  8(4)  thereof, 

having  regard  to  the  proposal  from  the  Commission, 

Whereas  Council  Regulation  (EC)  No  3075/95( 2)  allocates,  for  1996,  certain  catch 
quotas  to  vessels  flying  the  flag  of  Norway  in  Community  waters; 

Whereas  a  catch  quota  of  50,000  tonnes  of  herring  was  allocated  to  Norway  in 
Community  fishing  waters  in  ICES  Divisions  IVa  and  IVb  for  1996;  whereas  this 
quota  has  to  be  reduced  in  order  to  reflect  the  reduction  in  the  underlying  North 
Sea  TAC  for  herring; 

Whereas  the  most  recent  scientific  information  and, in  particular,  the  report  of  the 
Advisory  Committee  for  Fisheries  Management  of  the  International  Council  for  the 
Exploration  of  the  Sea,  indicates  that  North  Sea  herring  stock  is  outside  safe 
biological  limits  and that,  in order to  protect  this  stock,  it  is necessary  to  take  rapid 
management  measures,  including, inter  alia,  a 5 0%  reduction  in the  relevant  TAC; 

Whereas,  in  accordance  with  the  procedure  provided  for  in  Articles  2  and  7  of  the 
Fisheries Agreement  between the European Economic  Community  and the  Kingdom 
of  Norway'3', the  Parties have held consultations  on the  urgent  measures  which  are 
required  in the  light  of  the  new  scientific  information;  whereas  these  consultations 
have been concluded  successfully  and, as a result, the  aforementioned  catch  quota 
has  been  reduced; 

Whereas the  fishery  arrangements  agreed upon  by the  Community  and  Norway  for 
1996 provide for the  possibility to  consider  a further  transfer  of  plaice from  Norway 
to  the  Community  after  1 August  1996; 

(.2; 

(3) 

OJ  No  L  389,  3 1 . 1 2 . 1 9 9 2,  p.  1.  Regulation  as  amended  by  the  1994  Act  of  Accession. 
OJ  No  L  3 3 0,  3 0 . 1 2 . 1 9 9 5,  p.  43. 
OJ  No  L  226,  29.8.1980,  p.  48. 

3 

Whereas further  consultations  were  held with  Norway,  which  led to  an  agreement 
to  transfer,  by  1  August  1996,  1,250  tonnes  of  plaice  from  Norway  to  the 
Community  in exchange  for  a transfer  of  10,000  tonnes  of  blue  whiting  from  the 
Community  to  Norway;  whereas,  as a result of this  agreement,  these  quotas  have 
to  be  modified  accordingly; 

Whereas  it  is  now  necessary  to  implement  these  agreed  measures; 

Whereas  it is for the  Council to  lay down the  specific  conditions  under  which  such 
catches  must  be taken, 

HAS  ADOPTED  THIS  REGULATION: 

Article  1 

In  Annex  I to  Council  Regulation  (EC)  No  3075/95,  the  figures  relating  to  plaice, 
blue  whiting  and  herring  shall  be  replaced  by  those  set  out  in the  Annex  to  this 
Regulation. 

Article  2 

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

However,  the  amendments  relating  to  plaice  and  blue  whiting  shall  apply  from 
1  August  1996. 

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

Done  at  Brussels, 

For the  Council 
The  President 

ANNEX 

Norwegian  catch quotas for  1996 

' 

. 
p e G i es 

"Plaice 

Area within  which 
fishing  is authorised 

ICES IV 

Q  *  **t 
y 

un 

1,210" 

^ 

"Blue  whiting 

I C E SVlbI NVM^, a (2 ' 

259,000(9H10)" 

"Herring 

ICES IVa,  b 

45,240(16>" 

5 

ISSN 0254-1475 

COM(96) 404 final 

DOCUMENTS 

EN 

03  11 

Catalogue number  :  CB-CO-96-396-EN-C 

ISBN 92-78-07666-X 

Office  for Official  Publications of the European Communities 

L-2985 Luxembourg 

t