Commission Regulation (EC) No 304/2000 of 9 February 2000 establishing measures for the recovery of the stock of cod in the Irish Sea (ICES division VIIa)
Date: 2000-02-09
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: Irish Sea, fishery management, fishing regulations, sea fish

L 35/10

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

10. 2. 2000

COMMISSION REGULATION (EC) No 304/2000

of 9 February 2000

establishing measures for the recovery of the stock of cod in the Irish Sea (ICES division VIIa)

THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,

HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European
Community,

Article 1

Having regard to Council Regulation (EEC) No 3760/92 of 20
December 1992 establishing a Community system for fisheries
and aquaculture (1), as last amended by Regulation (EC) No
1181/98 (2), and in particular Article 15(1) thereof,

Whereas:

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

(5)

(6)

In November 1999, the International Council for the
Exploration of the Sea indicated that the stock of cod in
the Irish Sea (ICES division VIIa) is at serious risk of
collapse.

At the Council meeting of 16 and 17 December 1999,
the Commission and the Council noted the urgent
requirement to establish a recovery plan for cod in the
Irish Sea.

The immediate requirement is to allow as many cod as
possible to spawn during the period mid-February to the
end of April 2000.

Therefore, a closure to fishing for cod in this time period
is urgently required in the appropriate geographical area
of the Irish Sea.

However, the stocks of Norway lobster (Nephrops norve-
gicus), shrimps and flatfish in the Irish Sea are not in
danger and are of considerable commercial importance.
The closure to protect cod should, therefore, be estab-
lished in such a way that fisheries for Norway lobster,
shrimps and flatfish, should not be significantly dimin-
ished while minimising risk to cod.

Additionally, transitional measures for 2000 laid down
in footnote 6 of Annex I to Council Regulation (EC) No
850/98 of 30 March 1998 for the conservation of
fishery resources through technical measures for the
protection of juveniles of marine organisms (3), as last
amended by Regulation (EC) No 2723/1999 (4), which
might allow a high by-catch of cod to be taken in the
Irish Sea (ICES division VIIa) should be made inapplic-
able,

(1) OJ L 389, 31.12.1992, p. 1.
(2) OJ L 164, 9.6.1998, p. 1.
(3) OJ L 125, 27.4.1998, p. 1.
(4) OJ L 328, 22.12.1999, p. 9.

1.
In the period 14 February to 30 April 2000 it shall be
prohibited to use any demersal trawl, seine or similar towed
net, any gill net, trammel net, tangle net or similar static net or
any fishing gear incorporating hooks within that part of ICES
division VIIa situated:

— south of a straight line drawn between a point on the coast
of Northern Ireland at 54° 30' N and a point on the coast
of England at 54° 30' N, and

— north of a line drawn by sequentially joining with straight

lines the following geographical coordinates:

a point on the east coast of Ireland at 53° 15' N

53° 15(cid:1) N, 05° 00(cid:1) W

54° 00(cid:1) N, 05° 00(cid:1) W

54° 00(cid:1) N, 04° 00(cid:1) W

53° 30(cid:1) N, 04° 00(cid:1) W

a point on the west coast of England at 53° 30(cid:1) N.

2.
By way of derogation from paragraph 1 the use of
demersal otter trawls within the area and the period referred to
therein shall be permitted provided that:

(a) the mesh size of such trawls lies either in the range 70 mm

to 79 mm or in the range 80 mm to 99 mm;

(b) no other type of fishing gear is retained on board;

(c) all demersal otter trawls retained on board are of only one

of the permitted mesh size ranges;

(d) no individual mesh, irrespective of its position within any

such trawl

is of mesh size greater than 300 mm;

(e) such trawls are used only within either or both of the

following areas:

(i) an area enclosed by sequentially joining with straight

lines the following geographical coordinates:

53° 30(cid:1) N, 05° 30(cid:1) W

53° 30(cid:1) N, 05° 20(cid:1) W

54° 20(cid:1) N, 04° 50(cid:1) W

54° 30(cid:1) N, 05° 10(cid:1) W

54° 30(cid:1) N, 05° 20(cid:1) W

54° 00(cid:1) N, 05° 50(cid:1) W

54° 00(cid:1) N, 06° 10(cid:1) W

53° 45(cid:1) N, 06° 10(cid:1) W

53° 45(cid:1) N, 05° 30(cid:1) W

53° 30(cid:1) N, 05° 30(cid:1) W;

10. 2. 2000

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

L 35/11

(ii) an area enclosed by sequentially joining with straight

(a) they are of a mesh size range 16 mm to 31 mm or are of

lines the following geographical coordinates:

a mesh size equal to or greater than 80 mm;

54° 00(cid:1) N, 03° 50(cid:1) W
54° 00(cid:1) N, 03° 20(cid:1) W
54° 30(cid:1) N, 03° 40(cid:1) W
54° 30(cid:1) N, 03° 50(cid:1) W
54° 20(cid:1) N, 04° 00(cid:1) W
54° 00(cid:1) N, 03° 50(cid:1) W.

Furthermore, catches retained on board and taken by demersal
otter trawls in either or both of the geographical areas indi-
cated in subparagraphs (i) and (ii) shall not be landed unless
their percentage composition complies with the conditions laid
down in Annex I to Regulation (EC) No 850/98 with respect to
towed gears of mesh size range 70 mm to 79 mm.

3.
By way of derogation from paragraph 1 the use of beam
trawls within the area and the period referred to therein shall
be permitted provided that:

(b) they are used only within that part of the area indicated in

paragraph 1 to the east of 05° 30(cid:1) W.

Article 2

Footnote 6 of Annex I to Regulation (EC) No 850/98 shall not
apply to ICES division VIIa.

Article 3

This Regulation shall enter into force on the day following that
of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Communi-
ties.

It shall be applicable until 30 April 2000.

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

Done at Brussels, 9 February 2000.

For the Commission

Franz FISCHLER

Member of the Commission