Proposal for a Council Regulation amending for the fourth time Regulation (EC) No 1626/94 laying down certain technical measures for the conservation of fishery resources in the Mediterranean and for the fourth time Regulation (EC) No 850/98 for the conservation of fishery resources through technical measures for the protection of juveniles of marine organisms
Date: 1999-11-04
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: Mediterranean Sea, conservation of fish stocks, fishery resources, fishing regulations, fishing vessel

29.2.2000

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 56 E/7

Proposal for a Council Regulation amending for the fourth time Regulation (EC) No 1626/94 laying
down certain technical measures for the conservation of fishery resources in the Mediterranean
and for the fourth time Regulation (EC) No 850/98 for the conservation of fishery resources
through technical measures for the protection of juveniles of marine organisms

(2000/C 56 E/04)

(Text with EEA relevance)

COM(1999) 552 final (cid:151) 1999/0222(CNS)

(Submitted by the Commission on 4 November 1999)

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Council Regulation (EC) No 1626/94 set out seasonal
closures
these Regulations
should consequently be amended,

in the Mediterranean Sea;

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European
Community and, in particular, Article 37 thereof,

HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:

Having regard to the proposal from the Commission,

Article 1

Having regard to the opinion of the European Parliament,

Council Regulation (EC) No 1626/94 is modified as follows:

Having regard to the opinion of
Committee,

the Economic and Social

text:

1. In Article 3a, paragraph 1 shall be replaced by the following

Whereas:

(1) According to Article 2 of Council Regulation (EEC) No
the
3760/92 of
general objectives of the common fisheries policy shall be
to protect and conserve living marine aquatic resources;

the Council of 20 December 1992 (1),

(2) The International Commission for the Conservation of
Atlantic Tuna (ICCAT), at its 11th extraordinary session
from 16 to 23
held in Santiago de Compostela, Spain,
November 1998, recommended certain specific rules on
seasonal closures and on minimum landing sizes of
bluefin tuna; whereas these rules are drawn up on scientific
advice; this recommendation entered into force on 21 June
1999;

(3) The Community is a member of

it is therefore
necessary to implement those recommendations, in order
to avoid an excessive fishing pressure on bluefin tuna;

ICCAT;

(4) Council Regulation (EC) No. 1626/94 of 27 June 1994 (2)
and Council Regulation (EC) No 850/98 of 30 March
1998 (3) set out minimum sizes for bluefin tuna in, respect-
ively, the Mediterranean Sea and in regions 1 to 5, except
Skagerrak and Kattegat, of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans;

(1) OJ L 389, 31.12.1992, p. 1.
(2) OJ L 171, 6.7.1994, p. 1. Regulation as amended by Council Regu-

lation (EC) No 782/98 (OJ L 113, 15.4.1998, p. 6).

(3) OJ L 125, 27.4.1998, p. 1. Regulation as amended by Council

Regulation (EC) No 308/1999 (OJ L 38, 12.2.1999, p. 6).

It shall be forbidden to take bluefin tuna with an

(cid:145)1.
encircling net:

(cid:151) For vessels whose exclusive or predominant area of
operation is the Adriatic,
from 1 to 31 May in the
whole Mediterranean Sea and from 16 July to 15
August in the Mediterranean Sea excluding the Adriatic;

(cid:151) For vessels whose exclusive or predominant area of
operation is the Mediterranean, excluding the Adriatic,
from 16 July to 15 August in the whole Mediterranean
Sea and from 1 to 31 May in the Adriatic;

Member States shall ensure that all vessels flying their flag
or registered in them are affected by the above-mentioned
rules

For the purposes of this Regulation, the southern limit of
the Adriatic Sea shall be a line drawn between the
Albanian-Greek border and Cape Santa Maria-Leuca.(cid:146)

2. The following text shall replace the corresponding entries of

Annex IV to Regulation (EC) No 1626/94:

(cid:145)Species

Minimum size

Thunnus thynnus

70 cm or 6,4 kg (1)

(1) However, the rules set out in Article 8, paragraph 3, shall not apply to
fish, up to 15 % in number of individuals, weighing between 3,2 kg and
6,4 kg, and caught accidentally.(cid:146)

C 56 E/8

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

29.2.2000

Article 2

Article 3

The following text shall replace the corresponding entries of
Annex XII to Council Regulation (EC) No 850/98:

(cid:145)Species

Minimum size

Bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus) (1)

6,4 kg or 70 cm

This regulation shall enter into force the day following that of
its publication in the Official Journal of the European Commun-
ities.

(1) However, the rules set out in Article 19, paragraph 1, shall not apply to fish,
up to 15 % in number of individuals, weighing between 3,2 kg and 6,4 kg,
and caught accidentally.(cid:146)

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