Proposal for a Council Regulation establishing measures to be applicable in 2001 for the recovery of the stock of cod in the Irish Sea (ICES Division VIIa)
Date: 2000-11-22
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: Irish Sea, conservation of fish stocks, fishing regulations, protection of animal life, sea fish

27.2.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 62 E/311

Proposal for a Council Regulation establishing measures to be applicable in 2001 for the recovery
of the stock of cod in the Irish Sea (ICES Division VIIa)

(2001/C 62 E/22)

(Text with EEA relevance)

COM(2000) 745 final (cid:16) 2000/0292(CNS)

(Submitted by the Commission on 22 November 2000)

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

national catch statistics by Member States
Northeast Atlantic (3)).

fishing in the

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

Article 2

Having regard to the proposal from the Commission,

Having regard to the opinion of the European Parliament,

Whereas:

(1) In November 1999, the International Council for the Explo-
ration of the Sea (ICES) indicated that the stock of cod in
the Irish Sea (ICES Division VIIa)
is at serious risk of
collapse;

(2) The advice from ICES also indicated that quantities of
mature cod in the Irish Sea will remain at a very low
level during 2000 and 2001;

(3) 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) (1) as last modified
by Regulation (EC) No 660/2000 (2) put in place measures
to protect adult cod during the spawning season of 2000;

(4) During the period of application of these measures, further
scientific work
practical
been
experience has been gained which imply that the precise
conditions applicable in 2000 require to be modified for
2001;

completed

and

has

1.
In the period 14 February to 30 April 2001 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 enclosed by:

? the east coast of Ireland and the east coast of Northern

Ireland and

? straight lines sequentially joining the following geographical

coordinates;

a point on the east coast of the Ards peninsula in Northern
Ireland at 54@30’N.

54@30’N, 04@50’W

53@15’N, 04@50’W

a point on the east coast of Ireland at 53@15’N.

By way of derogation from paragraph 1: within the area

2.
and time period referred to therein,

(a) the use of demersal otter trawls shall be permitted provided
that no other type of fishing gear is retained on board and
that such nets:

(5) Therefore, conditions similar to those established in 2000

need to be established for 2001;

(i) are of mesh size either 70 mm to 79 mm or 80 mm to

89 mm and

(6) In particular, two types of fishing which had previously
been prohibited within an area of the Irish Sea are now
permitted;

(7) Furthermore, these types of fishing should be subject to
observation and to conditions whereby such activities will
cease if the by-catch of cod becomes excessive,

HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:

Article 1

This Regulation lays down measures to protect mature cod
during their spawning season of 2001 in the Irish Sea (ICES
Division VIIa as defined in Council Regulation (EEC) No
submission of
3880/91 of 17 December 1991 on the

(1) OJ L 35, 10.2.2000, p. 10.
(2) OJ L 80, 31.3.2000, p. 14.

(ii) are of only one of the permitted mesh size ranges and

(iii) incorporate no individual mesh,

its
position within the net, of mesh size greater than
300 mm and

irrespective of

(iv) are deployed only within an area

enclosed by
sequentially joining with straight lines the following
geographical coordinates:

53@30’N, 05@30’W

53@30’N, 05@20’W

54@20’N, 04@50’W

54@30’N, 05@10’W

(3) OJ L 365, 31.12.1991, p. 1.

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EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

27.2.2001

54@30’N, 05@20’W

54@00’N, 05@50’W

54@00’N, 06@10’W

53@45’N, 06@10’W

53@45’N, 05@30’W

53@30’N, 05@30’W.

Furthermore, catches retained on board and taken by
demersal otter trawls under these conditions shall not be
landed unless their percentage composition complies with
conditions laid down in Annex I to Regulation (EC) No
850/98 of 30 March 1998 for the protection of juveniles
of marine organisms (1) with respect
to towed gears of
mesh size range 70 mm to 79 mm.

(b) The use of separator trawls shall be permitted provided that
no other type of fishing gear is retained on board and that
such nets:

(i) comply with

conditions
subparagraphs (i), (a), (b), (c) and

the

laid

down

in

(ii) are constructed in conformity with the technical details

provided in the Annex and

(iii) are deployed only within an area enclosed by straight
lines sequentially joining the following geographical
coordinates:

53@45’N, 06@00’W

53@45’N, 05@30’W

53@30’N, 05@30’W

53@30’N, 06@00’W

53@45’N, 06@00’W.

Furthermore, whenever the total weight of cod retained on
board a fishing vessel deploying under these conditions a
separator trawl is greater than 18 % of the weight of the
totality of marine organisms retained on board, that vessel
shall immediately cease fishing in this area and shall not
return to fish in this area until a period of at least 24 hours
has elapsed.

(c) The use of semi-pelagic trawls shall be permitted provided
that no other type of fishing gear is retained on board and
such nets:

(iii) are deployed only in the period 14 February to 22

March

(iv) are deployed only within the area enclosed by straight
lines sequentially joining the following geographical
coordinates:

54@30’N, 05@30’W

54@30’N, 04@50’W

53@15’N, 04@50’W

53@15’N, 05@30’W

54@30’N, 05@30’W.

Furthermore, whenever the total weight of cod retained on
board a fishing vessel deploying under these conditions a
semi-pelagic trawl is greater than 15 % of the weight of the
totality of marine organisms retained on board, that vessel
shall immediately cease fishing in this area and shall not
return to fish in this area until a period of at least 24 hours
has elapsed.

Article 3

The authorities of Member States shall ensure that, on at least
50 fishing voyages, observers shall be present on board fishing
vessels deploying either semi-pelagic trawls or separator trawls
under the conditions laid down in Article 2.

For fishing activities carried out under the conditions laid
down in Article 2, the observers shall record:

(a) The total quantity by weight of all marine organisms caught

by each operation of the fishing gear

(b) The total quantity by weight of cod caught by each

operation of the fishing gear

(c) The length to the nearest centimetre below the absolute

length of each cod caught

(d) The total quantity of all marine organisms landed

(e) The total quantity of cod landed

(f) The length to the nearest centimetre below the absolute

length of each cod landed.

Article 4

(i) are of mesh size equal to or greater than 100 mm

This Regulation shall enter into force on 14 February 2001.

(ii) incorporate at least 500 individual meshes of mesh size

at least 300 mm

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

(1) OJ L 125, 27.4.1998, p. 1.

27.2.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 62 E/313

ANNEX

TECHNICAL DETAILS OF SEPARATOR TRAWL