Proposal for a Council Regulation (EC) amending Regulation (EC) No 45/98 fixing, for certain fish stocks and groups of fish stocks, the total allowable catches for 1998 and certain conditions under which they may be fished
Date: 1998-03-11
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: authorised catch, catch by species, catch quota, fishery management, fishing area

COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES 

Brussels, 11.03.1998 
COM(1998) 144  final 

Proposal for a 

COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) 

amending  Regulation (EC) No.45/98 
fixing, for certain fish stocks and groups offish stocks, the total allowable 
catches for 1998 and certain conditions under which they may be fished 

(presented by the Commission) 

EXPLANATORY  MEMORANDUM 

The objective  of the  present  proposal  is to  fix  fishing  possibilities  for  certain  stocks  offish  and 
to  allocate  these  equitably  to  Member  States.  The  fixing  and  the  sharing  of  possibilities  for 
fishing  falls  exclusively  within  the  competence  of  the  Community  and  arises  from  obligations 
set  out  in  Article  8(4)  of  Regulation  (EEC)  No 3760/92  of the  Council  of  20 December  19921, 
establishing  a Community  regime for fishing  and  aquaculture. 

According  to  scientific  evidence,  a  number  of  fish  stocks  in  the  North  Sea,  which  at  present 
constitute  an  important  by-catch  in traditional  fisheries,  could be  in the near  future  subject  to an 
increased  exploitation  which  may  put them  in biological  risk.  It would  be  therefore  desirable  to 
set  limits to their catch  in order that, without being necessarily  restrictive  in the  short  term,  they 
would  prevent an uncontrolled  expansion of exploitation rates. 

The  allocation  of  these  catch  limits  must,  in  accordance  with  the  second  sub-paragraph  of 
Article  8(4) of Regulation  (EEC) No  3760/92, ensure relative  stability  of  fishing  activities.  This 
can  be approached  by setting  Member  States' fish quotas for  1998 as the highest  catch  observed 
during  the  last  five-year  period. 

in  the 
The  Commission  had  already  presented  a  similar  proposal  to  the  Council  in  1997 
framework  of  the  general  decisions  on  TACs  for  1998.  However,  the  Council  postponed  its 
decision  in  order  to  allow  a  revision  of  catch  statistics.  Accordingly,  the  present  proposal 
replaces  the  former  by  updating  the  relevant  catch  statistics  on  the  basis  of  Member  States' 
catch  declarations. 

This  proposal 
N° 4S/983 . 

intends  to  address  these  matters  by  modifying  Council  Regulation  (EC) 

()J.Nof389.  31.12.1992, p. I 

COM(97)669  final 

O.J. N o L I 2,  19.1.1998, p.  I 

SU 

Proposal for a 

Council Regulation (EC) No 

/98 of 

1998 

amending  Regulation (EC) No.45/98 
fixing, for certain fish stocks and groups of fish stocks, the total allowable 
catches for 1998 and certain conditions under which they may be  fished 

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, 

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, 

Having  regard  to  Council  Regulation  (EEC)  No.  3760/921  of  20  December  1992 

establishing  a  Community  system  for  fisheries  and  aquaculture  as  amended  by  the 

Act  of  Accession  of  Austria,  Finland  and  Sweden,  and  in  particular  Article  8  (4) 

thereof, 

Having regard to the proposal  from  the Commission, 

Whereas Regulation  (EC) No. 45/98  fixes,  for  certain fish stocks and  groups of fish 

stocks, the TACs for  1998 and certain conditions under which they may be fished; 

Whereas  it  is desirable  to  set  new  TACs  for  1998  in  order  to  limit  the  catches  of a 

number  of  additional  fish  stocks  or  group  of  fish  stocks  in  the  North  Sea;  whereas 

these TACs should be allocated  among Member States in accordance with the second 

sub-paragraph of Article 8(4) of Regulation (EEC) No 3760/92; 

Whereas  Council  Regulation  (EC)  No.  45/98  should 

therefore  be  amended 

accordingly, 

HAS ADOPTED THIS  REGULATION 

O.J. No L389, 31.12.1992, p. 1 

O.J.NoL12,  19.1.1998, p.l 

3 

Article 1 

The  tables  in  annexes  1  and  II  to  this  Regulation  shall  be  inserted,  respectively,  in 

Annexes I and  III to Regulation (EC) No 45/98. 

Article 2 

This Regulation shall enter into force on the third day following  that of its publication 

in the Official  Journal of the European Communities. 

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

States. 

Done at Brussels. 

For the Council, 

The President 

* 

Annex I, p. 1 

Species: 

Belgie / Belgique 
Danmark 
Deutschland 
Ellada 
Espana 
France 
Ireland 
Italia 
Luxembourg 
Nederland 
Osterrelch 
Portugal 
Suomi/Finland 
Sverige 
United Kingdom 

EC 

TAC 

Megrims 
Lepidorhombus spp. 
(1) 

|Zone: iia(i). North sea(i) 

Community waters 

10 
10 
10 

50 

40 

2880 

3000 

3000 

Zone: iia(i), North sea (1) 

(1) 

Community waters 

i 

Species: 

Belgie / Belgique 
Danmark 
Deutschland 
Ellada 
Espana 
France 
Ireland 
Italia 
Luxembourg 
Nederland 
Osterreich 
Portugal 
Suomi/Finland 
Sverige 
United Kingdom 

EC 

TAC 

Anglerfish 
Lophiklae 
770 
1710 
830 

150 

580 

10 
17950 

22000 

22000 

s~ 

Annex I, p. 2 

Zone: iia(i), North sea 

(1) 

( 2) 

Community waters 

Including brill (Scophthalmus rhombus) 

Species: 

Belgie  /  Belgique 

Danmark 
Deutschland 
Ellada 
Espana 
France 
Ireland 
Italia 
Luxembourg 
Nederland 
Osterreich 
Portugal 
Suomi/Finland 
Sverige 
United Kingdom 

EC 

TAC 

(2) 

Turbot 
Psetta maxima 
6 60 

1410 
360 

170 

5000 

10 
1390 

9000 

9000 

Species: 

Skates and rays  Zone: iia(i), North Sea 
Rajidae 

i 

(1) 

Community waters 

Belgie / Belgique 
Danmark 
Deutschland 
Ellada 
Espana 
France 
Ireland 
Italia 
Luxembourg 
Nederland 
Osterreich 
Portugal 
Suomi/Finland 
Sverige 
United Kingdom 

EC 

TAC 

1010 
30 
40 

150 

860 

3910 

6000 

6000 

£ 

Species: 

Belgie /  Belgique 
Danmark 
Deutschland 
Ellada 
Espana 
France 
Ireland 
Italia 
Luxembourg 
Nederland 
Osterreich 
Portugal 
Suomi/Finland 
Sverige 
United Kingdom 

EC 

TAC 

Species: 

Belgie /  Belgique 
Danmark 
Deutschland 
Ellada 
Espana 
France 
Ireland 
Italia 
Luxembourg 
Nederland 
Osterreich 
Portugal 
Suomi/Finland 
Sverige 
United Kingdom 

EC 

TAC 

Annex I, p. 3 

Dab  (2) 
Limanda limanda 
760 
2860 
4300 

Zone:  iia(i), North sea(i) 

i 

(1) 
(2) 

Community waters 
including flounder (PiaOchthys  flesus) 

290 

17380 

0 
2410 

28000 

28000 

Lemon sole (2) 
Microstomus kitt 
600 
1640 
210 

Zone: iia (1), North Sea (1) 

(1) 
(2) 

Community waters 
including witch (Glyptocephalus cynoglossus) 

450 

1370 

20 
6710 

11000 

11000 

3-

Annex II 

Common name 

Species 

Stocks 

Latin name 

Area 

Megrims 
Anglerfish 
Turbot and brill 
Skates and Rays 
Dab and flounder 
Lemon sole and witch 

Lepidorhombus  spp. 
Lophius spp. 
Psetta maxima & ScophthaJmus rhombus 
Rajidae spp. 
Umanda limanda & Platichthys  flesus 
Microstomas kitt & Gtyptocephalus cynoglossus 

lla(1) 
Ha(1) 
Had) 
lla(1) 
lla(1) 
lla(1) 

, North Sea (1) 
, North Sea (1) 
, North Sea (1) 
, North Sea (1) 
,  North Sea (1) 
, North Sea (1) 

Type of TAC 
A=analytical 
P= precautionary 
P 
P 
P 
P 
P 
P 

Articles 3 and 4 of  Regulation 
(EC) No 847/96 applicable 
(  1/0 = yes/no) 

Deductions of Article 5(2) 
of Regulation (EC) No 847/96 
applicable ( 1/0  = yes/no ) 
0 
0 
0 
0 
0 
0 

(1) Community waters 

°^ 

ISSN 0254-1475 

COM(98) 144 final 

DOCUMENTS 

EN 

03  02  14  10 

Catalogue  number  :  CB-CO-98-148-EN-C 

ISBN  92-78-31920-1 

Office  for Official  Publications of the European Communities 

L-2985 Luxembourg 

9