Proposal for a Council Regulation establishing measures to be applicable in 2002 for the recovery of the stock of cod in the Irish Sea (ICES Division VIIa)
Date: 2001-11-28
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: Irish Sea, animal breeding, fishery management, fishing net, fishing regulations, fishing vessel, sea fish

26.3.2002

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 75 E/255

Proposal for a Council Regulation establishing measures to be applicable in 2002 for the recovery
of the stock of cod in the Irish Sea (ICES Division VIIa)

(2002/C 75 E/15)

(Text with EEA relevance)

COM(2001) 699 final (cid:151) 2001/0279(CNS)

(Submitted by the Commission on 28 November 2001)

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:

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

Having regard to the proposal from the Commission,

Having regard to the opinion of the European Parliament,

Article 1

This Regulation lays down measures to protect mature cod
during their spawning season of 2002 in the Irish Sea (ICES
Division VIIa as defined in Council Regulation (EEC) No
submission of
3880/91 of 17 December 1991 on the
fishing in the
national catch statistics by Member States
Northeast Atlantic (4)).

Whereas:

Article 2

(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.

1.
In the period 11 February to 30 April 2002 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:

(2) Further advice from ICES indicates

that quantities of
mature cod in the Irish Sea have remained at a very low
level during 2000 and 2001 and will continue to be low
during 2002.

(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) Council Regulation (EC) No 300/2001 of 14 February 2001
the
establishing measures
recovery of
the stock of cod in the Irish Sea (ICES
Division VIIa) (3) put in place measures to protect adult
cod during the spawning season of 2001.

to be applied in 2001 for

(5) During the period of application of previous measures,
further scientific work has been completed and practical
experience has been gained which imply
the
conditions applied in 2001 should be modified for 2002.

that

(6) In particular,

the use of semi-pelagic trawls within the
closed area should no longer be permitted and the use of
separator trawls should be extended to a larger part of the
closed area. As a consequence, it is no longer necessary to
provide for observers to be present on the vessels using
such gear,

(1) OJ L 35, 10.2.2000, p. 10.
(2) OJ L 80, 31.3.2000, p. 14.
(3) OJ L 44, 15.2.2001, p. 12.

(cid:151) the east coast of Ireland and the east coast of Northern

Ireland and

(cid:151) straight lines sequentially joining the following geographical

coordinates:

(cid:151) a point on the east coast of
Northern Ireland at 54(cid:176)30’N,

the Ards peninsula in

(cid:151) 54(cid:176)30’N, 04(cid:176)50’W,

(cid:151) 53(cid:176)15’N, 04(cid:176)50’W,

(cid:151) a point on the east coast of Ireland at 53(cid:176)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:

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

to 89 mm and

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

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

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Official Journal of the European Communities

26.3.2002

(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(cid:176)30’N, 05(cid:176)30’W,

53(cid:176)30’N, 05(cid:176)20’W,

54(cid:176)20’N, 04(cid:176)50’W,

54(cid:176)30’N, 05(cid:176)10’W,

54(cid:176)30’N, 05(cid:176)20’W,

54(cid:176)00’N, 05(cid:176)50’W,

54(cid:176)00’N, 06(cid:176)10’W,

53(cid:176)45’N, 06(cid:176)10’W,

53(cid:176)45’N, 05(cid:176)30’W,

53(cid:176)30’N, 05(cid:176)30’W.

(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:

Furthermore, separator trawls may also be used within an area
enclosed by straight lines sequentially joining the following
geographical coordinates:

53(cid:176)45’N, 06(cid:176)00’W,

53(cid:176)45’N, 05(cid:176)30’W,

53(cid:176)30’N, 05(cid:176)30’W,

53(cid:176)30’N, 06(cid:176)00’W,

53(cid:176)45’N, 06(cid:176)00’W.

Article 3

separator

trawls under

the conditions

Catches retained on board and taken by demersal otter trawls
or
laid down in
paragraph 2 of Article 2 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.

Article 4

(i) comply with the conditions laid down in subparagraphs

This Regulation shall enter into force on the . . .

(a), (i) to (iv) and

(ii) are constructed in conformity with the technical details

provided in the Annex.

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

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

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Official Journal of the European Communities

C 75 E/257

ANNEX

TECHNICAL DETAILS OF SEPARATOR TRAWL