Proposal for a COUNCIL REGULATION amending Regulation (EU) 2017/1970 fixing for 2018 the fishing opportunities for certain fish stocks and groups of fish stocks applicable in the Baltic Sea
Date: 2018-07-05
Institutions: Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, European Commission
Subjects: Baltic Sea, authorised catch, catch by species, catch quota, conservation of fish stocks, fishing area, fishing controls, sea fish, sea fishing

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   EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Brussels, 5.7.2018  COM(2018) 500 final 2018/0264 (NLE)  Proposal for a COUNCIL REGULATION amending Regulation (EU) 2017/1970 fixing for 2018 the fishing opportunities for certain fish stocks and groups of fish stocks applicable in the Baltic Sea   
 
 
EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM 

1. 

CONTEXT OF THE PROPOSAL 

The Council, by Council Regulation (EU) 2017/1970, fixed the fishing opportunities for the 
Gulf of Bothnia herring (subdivisions 30-31) in 2018 based on and in line with the Baltic Sea 
Multi-annual Management Plan (Regulation (EU) 2016/1139). The EU quota was set at 84599 
tonnes corresponding to the fishing mortality at MSY point value, i.e. 0.15 for the respective 
part of the stock with full analytical assessment that was provided by ICES.  

In 2018 the amendment to Regulation (EU) 2016/1139 came into force as regards the MSY 
values  for  the  Gulf  of  Bothnia  herring  stock  in  line  with  the  latest  advice  provided  by  the 
International  Council  for  the  Exploration  of  the  Sea  (ICES).  The  amendment  increases  the 
numerical  values  of  the  MSY  fishing  mortality  ranges  from  0.11-0.15  to  0.15-0.21  and 
provides  the  legal  basis  to  amend  the  respective  fishing  opportunities  set  in  the  Council 
Regulation (EU) 2017/1970. 

This proposal sets the EU quota for the Gulf of Bothnia herring at the level of 95566 tonnes 
corresponding to the fishing mortality at MSY point value i.e. 0.21. 

2. 

RESULTS OF CONSULTATIONS WITH THE INTERESTED PARTIES AND 
IMPACT ASSESSMENTS 

The  issue  has  been  raised  and  discussed  by  the  Member  States  concerned  during  the 
AGRIFISH  Council  on  9-10  October  2017.  The  Commission  agreed  to  consider  the 
submitting as a matter of urgency an appropriate proposal to adapt the ranges for herring in 
the Gulf of Bothnia in the Baltic Sea Multi-annual Management Plan with a view to amend 
consequently the respective Baltic fishing opportunities for 2018. 

The  Baltic  Sea  Advisory  Council  submitted  its  position  to  the  Commission  on  15  January 
2018  indicating  that it  would  welcome  a  fast  amendment  of  the  Baltic fishing  opportunities 
reflecting  the  latest  scientific  advice  following  the  adoption  of  the  amended  Baltic 
multiannual  management  plan.  It  further  stated  that  timely  changes  to  the  Baltic  fishing 
opportunities as regards the stock of Gulf of Bothnia herring would make it possible for the 
national  administrations  to  allocate  the  quotas  to  their  fishermen  without  any  losses  or 
interruptions before the trapnet season starts in May. 

3. 

LEGAL ELEMENTS OF THE PROPOSAL 

The  proposed  amendment  seeks  to  modify  Council  Regulation  (EU)  No  2017/1970  as 
described below. 

The  figures  in  the  table  pertaining  to  herring  in  zone:  Subdivisions  30-31  (HER/30/31.)  as 
established  in  the  annex  to  the  Regulation  (EU)  No  2017/1970  will  have  to  be  increased 
reflecting the changes to the fishing mortality as laid down in Regulation (EU) 2016/1139 as 
last amended by Regulation (EU) 2018/YYYY. 

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2018/0264 (NLE) 

Proposal for a 

COUNCIL REGULATION 

amending Regulation (EU) 2017/1970 fixing for 2018 the fishing opportunities for 
certain fish stocks and groups of fish stocks applicable in the Baltic Sea  

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, 

Having  regard  to  the  Treaty  on  the  Functioning  of  the  European  Union,  and  in  particular 
Article 43(3) thereof, 

Having regard to the proposal from the European Commission, 

Whereas: 

(1) 

(2) 

(3) 

(4) 

(5) 

Council  Regulation  (EU)  2017/19701  establishes,  among  others, 
the  fishing 
opportunities  for  herring  in  ICES  Subdivisions  30-31  ('the  Gulf  of  Bothnia  herring 
stock')  in  accordance  with  the  provisions  of  Regulation  (EU)  2016/1139  of  the 
European Parliament and of the Council2. 

Regulation  (EU)  2016/1139  has  been  amended  by  Regulation  (EU)  YYYY/XXXX 
of…  as  regards  the  Gulf  of  Bothnia  herring  stock,    taking  into  account  the  latest 
scientific information provided by ICES3. 

 Following that amendment to Regulation (EU) 2016/1139,   the fishing opportunities 
for the Gulf of Bothnia herring stock should be increased.  

Regulation (EU) 2017/1970 should therefore be amended accordingly. 

The  main  season  for  the  herring  fishery  using  trap  nets  starts  in  May.  In  order  for 
Member States to allocate the fishing opportunities at national level in time before the 
season,  this  Regulation  should  enter  into  force  on  the  day  following  that  of  its 
publication, 

HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:  

Article 1 

In Annex to Regulation (EU) 2017/1970, the entry for herring in ICES Subdivisions 30-31 is 
replaced by the following:  

1 

Council Regulation (EU) 2017/1970 of 27 October 2017 fixing for 2018 the fishing opportunities for 
certain  

fish stocks and groups of fish stocks applicable in the Baltic Sea and amending Regulation (EU) 2017/127 (OJ  
L 281, 31.10.2017, p. 1) 
2 

Regulation (EU) 2016/1139 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 6 July 2016 establishing 
a  

multiannual plan for the stocks of cod, herring and sprat in the Baltic Sea and the fisheries exploiting those  
stocks, amending Council Regulation (EC) No 2187/2005 and repealing Council Regulation (EC) No 1098/2007  
(OJ L 191, 15.7.2016, p. 1) 
3 
Regulation (EU) 2016/1139 as regards fishing mortality ranges and safeguard levels for certain herring stocks in  
the Baltic Sea (OJ…) 

Regulation (EU) 2018/xxxx of the European Parliament and of the Council of xx xxx 2018 amending  

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"Species: 

Herring 

Zone: 

Subdivisions 30-31 

Clupea harengus 

(HER/30/31.) 

Finland 

Sweden 

Union 

TAC 

78351 

17215 

95566 

95566 

Analytical TAC"  

Article 2 

This  Regulation  shall  enter  into  force  on  the  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, 

For the Council 
The President 

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