Commission Regulation (EC) No 876/2003 of 21 May 2003 defining specific measures pursuant to Council Regulation (EC) No 2347/2002 concerning catches and landings of deep-sea species for seasonal fisheries by Denmark in the Skagerrak and North Sea
Date: 2003-05-21
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: Denmark, North Sea, authorised catch, fishery management, fishery resources, fishing area, fishing permit, fishing vessel

L 126/22

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

22.5.2003

COMMISSION REGULATION (EC) No 876/2003

of 21 May 2003

defining specific measures pursuant to Council Regulation (EC) No 2347/2002 concerning catches
and landings of deep-sea species for seasonal fisheries by Denmark in the Skagerrak and North Sea

THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,

HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European
Community,

Having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 2347/2002 of 16
December 2002 establishing specific access requirements and
associated conditions
to fishing for deep-sea
stocks (1), and in particular Article 3(3) thereof,

applicable

Whereas:

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

(5)

(6)

Regulation (EC) No 2347/2002 prohibits the retention
on board,
transhipment or landing of any aggregate
quantity of deep-sea species in excess of 100 kilograms
in question holds a
in each sea trip unless the vessel
deep-sea fishing permit.

Regulation (EC) No 2347/2002 provides however, that
upon request of a Member State, specific measures may
be laid down by the Commission to take account of
seasonal or artisanal fisheries.

Denmark has asked for specific measures to be laid
down to take account of the seasonal nature of fisheries
for deep-sea species in the Skagerrak and in Norwegian
waters of ICES Division IVa.

Denmark has made available detailed catch information
for the fisheries concerned demonstrating the evident
need for such measures in order to avoid discarding, in
that unavoidable by-catches up to 300 kilograms of
some deep-sea species are routinely taken in fisheries
targeting other species, such as witch, during some
months of the year.

It is therefore appropriate to allow Danish vessels not
holding a deep-sea fishing permit to retain on board,
tranship or land defined quantities of deep-sea species in
order to reduce discarding and to reduce waste from the
fisheries concerned.

The measures provided for in this Regulation are in
accordance with the opinion of
the Management
Committee for Fisheries and Aquaculture,

(1) OJ L 351, 28.12.2002, p. 6.

Article 1

Scope

This Regulation applies to fishing vessels flying the flag of
Denmark and registered in the Community which are engaged
in the following activities:

(a) fishing within Norwegian waters of ICES Division IVa in
the period 1 May to 31 October and returning directly to
port in the period 1 May to 10 November after having
fished in Norwegian waters of ICES Division IVa in the
period 1 May to 31 October;

(b) fishing within the Skagerrak in the period 1 April to 31
May and returning directly to port in the period 1 April to
5 June after having fished in the Skagerrak in the period 1
April to 31 May.

Article 2

Specific measures

By way of derogation from Article 3(1) of Regulation (EC) No
2347/2002:

1. vessels which are engaged in the activity defined in Article
1(a) and which do not hold a deep-sea fishing permit shall
be authorised to retain on board, tranship or to land:

(a) any quantity of blue ling (Molva dypterigia) less than 300

kilograms;

(b) any aggregate quantity of deep-sea species other than
blue ling (Molva dypterigia) less than 100 kilograms;

2. vessels which are engaged in the activity described in Article
1(b) and which do not hold a deep-sea fishing permit shall
be authorised to retain on board, tranship or to land:

(a) any quantity of

roundnose grenadier

(Coryphaenoides

rupestris) less than 300 kilograms;

(b) any aggregate quantity of deep-sea species other than
roundnose grenadier (Coryphaenoides rupestris) less than
100 kilograms;

22.5.2003

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

L 126/23

3. vessels which are engaged in both the activities defined in
Article 1(a) and Article 1(b) which do not hold a deep-sea
fishing permit shall be authorised to retain on board,
tranship or to land:

(a) any quantity of

roundnose grenadier

(Coryphaenoides

rupestris) less than 300 kilograms;

(b) any quantity of blue ling (Molva dypterigia) less than 300

kilograms;

(c) any aggregate quantity of deep-sea species other than
roundnose grenadier (Coryphaenoides rupestris) and blue
ling (Molva dypterigia) less than 100 kilograms.

Article 3

This Regulation shall enter into force on the seventh day
following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the
European Union.

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

Done at Brussels, 21 May 2003.

For the Commission

Franz FISCHLER

Member of the Commission