Council Regulation (EU) 2021/1069 of 28 June 2021 amending Regulation (EU) 2020/1579 as regards certain fishing opportunities in the Baltic Sea, and amending Regulation (EU) 2021/92 as regards certain fishing opportunities for 2021 in Union and non-Union waters
Date: 2021-06-28
Institutions: Council of the European Union
Subjects: Baltic Sea, EU waters, catch by species, catch quota, conservation of fish stocks, fishing area, fishing rights, international waters, sea fish, sea fishing








L_2021230EN.01000501.xml










30.6.2021   


EN


Official Journal of the European Union


L 230/5








            COUNCIL REGULATION (EU) 2021/1069
of 28 June 2021
         
amending Regulation (EU) 2020/1579 as regards certain fishing opportunities in the Baltic Sea, and amending Regulation (EU) 2021/92 as regards certain fishing opportunities for 2021 in Union and non-Union waters


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)


Council Regulation (EU) 2020/1579 (1) fixes for 2021 the fishing opportunities for certain fish stocks and groups of fish stocks applicable in the Baltic Sea. On 28 May 2021, the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) published a revised scientific catch advice for herring in the Gulf of Bothnia for 2021. The advice updates the catch figure and upgrades the advice to category 1 maximum sustainable yield (MSY) advice. The fishing opportunities for herring in the Gulf of Bothnia should be adjusted accordingly, and therefore Regulation (EU) 2020/1579 should be amended accordingly.












(2)


Council Regulation (EU) 2021/92 (2) fixes for 2021 the fishing opportunities for certain fish stocks and groups of fish stocks applicable in Union waters and, for Union vessels, in certain non-Union waters.












(3)


According to the ICES advice of 13 April 2021, catches of sprat (Sprattus sprattus) in ICES division 3a (Kattegat/Skagerrak) and ICES subarea 4 (North Sea) should be no more than 106 715 tonnes for the period from 1 July 2021 to 30 June 2022. The fishing opportunities for sprat for that period should therefore be set at 87 186 tonnes in Union waters of ICES division 2a and ICES subarea 4, and at 19 529 tonnes in ICES division 3a, in line with the maximum sustainable yield.












(4)


Regulation (EU) 2021/92 set at zero the total allowable catch (TAC) for anchovy (Engraulis encrasicolus) in ICES subareas 9 and 10 and Union waters of the Fishery Committee for the Eastern Central Atlantic 34.1.1 for the period from 1 July 2021 to 30 June 2022, pending the scientific advice for that period. ICES will issue its advice for that stock at the end of June 2021. In order to ensure that fishing activity may continue until the TAC is set on the basis of the latest scientific advice, a provisional TAC of 5 744 tonnes, based on the catches in the third quarter of 2020, should be established.












(5)


The numbers in point 6 of Annex VI to Regulation (EU) 2021/92 should be amended in order to reflect agreements concluded between some Member States to temporarily transfer between themselves, exclusively for year 2021, certain amounts of bluefin tuna farming input and capacity. Those changes have been notified to the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) through an amended Union farming plan and do not affect the total farming capacity and input capacity of the Union in the ICCAT Convention Area.












(6)


The catch limits provided for in Regulation (EU) 2020/1579 apply from 1 January 2021. The provisions introduced by this amending Regulation concerning catch limits for herring in the Gulf of Bothnia should therefore also apply from that date. Such retroactive application is without prejudice to the principles of legal certainty and protection of legitimate expectations, as the fishing opportunities concerned have not yet been exhausted.












(7)


This Regulation should enter into force on the day after its publication in order to enable the fishing season for sprat and anchovy to start on time on 1 July 2021,





HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:



Article 1

Amendment of Regulation (EU) 2020/1579

Regulation (EU) 2020/1579 is amended as set out in Part A of the Annex to this Regulation.


Article 2

Amendment of Regulation (EU) 2021/92

Regulation (EU) 2021/92 is amended as set out in Parts B and C of the Annex to this Regulation.


Article 3

Entry into force and application

This Regulation shall enter into force on the day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.
Article 1 shall apply from 1 January 2021.
Article 2 shall apply from 1 July 2021.




This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States.
Done at Luxembourg, 28 June 2021.


For the Council


The President

M. do C. ANTUNES
            





(1)  Council Regulation (EU) 2020/1579 of 29 October 2020 fixing for 2021 the fishing opportunities for certain fish stocks and groups of fish stocks applicable in the Baltic Sea and amending Regulation (EU) 2020/123 as regards certain fishing opportunities in other waters (OJ L 362, 30.10.2020, p. 3).

(2)  Council Regulation (EU) 2021/92 of 28 January 2021 fixing for 2021 the fishing opportunities for certain fish stocks and groups of fish stocks, applicable in Union waters and, for Union fishing vessels, in certain non-Union waters (OJ L 31, 29.1.2021, p. 31).




ANNEX
PART A
In the Annex to Regulation (EU) 2020/1579, the fishing opportunities table for herring in ICES subdivisions 30-31 is replaced by the following:










‘Species:


Herring

Clupea harengus



Zone:


Subdivisions 30-31
(HER/30/31.)




Finland


96 321 


 


Analytical TAC’




Sweden


21 164 


 




 




Union


117 485 


 




 




TAC


117 485 


 





PART B
Annex IA to Regulation (EU) 2021/92 is amended as follows:






(1)


the fishing opportunities table for sprat and associated by-catches in Union waters of ICES division 3a is replaced by the following:









‘Species:


Sprat and associated by-catches

Sprattus



Zone:


3a
(SPR/03A.)




Denmark


13 086 



 (1)
 (2)



Analytical TAC




Germany


27 



 (1)
 (2)





Sweden


4 951 



 (1)
 (2)





Union


18 064 



 (1)
 (2)





 




TAC


19 529 



 (2)















(2)


the fishing opportunities table for sprat and associated by-catches in United Kingdom and Union waters of ICES subarea 4 and United Kingdom waters of ICES division 2a is replaced by the following:









‘Species:


Sprat and associated by-catches

Sprattus



Zone:


United Kingdom and Union waters of 4; United Kingdom waters of 2a
(SPR/2AC4-C)




Belgium


993 



 (3)
 (4)



Analytical TAC




Denmark


78 553 



 (3)
 (4)





Germany


993 



 (3)
 (4)





France


993 



 (3)
 (4)





The Netherlands


993 



 (3)
 (4)





Sweden


1 330 



 (3)
 (4)
 (5)





Union


83 855 



 (3)
 (4)





Norway


0 



 (3)





Faroe Islands


0 



 (3)
 (6)





United Kingdom


3 331 



 (3)





 




TAC


87 186 



 (3)















(3)


the table for fishing opportunities for anchovy in ICES subareas 9 and 10 and Union waters of CECAF division 34.1.1 is replaced by the following:









‘Species:


Anchovy

Engraulis encrasicolus



Zone:


9 and 10; Union waters of CECAF 34.1.1
(ANE/9/3411)




Spain


2 747 



 (7)



Precautionary TAC




Portugal


2 997 



 (7)





Union


5 744 



 (7)





 




TAC


5 744 



 (7)









PART C
In Annex VI to Regulation (EU) 2021/92, point 6 is replaced by the following:






‘6.


Maximum bluefin tuna farming capacity and fattening capacity for each Member State and maximum input of wild caught bluefin tuna that each Member State may allocate to its farms in the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean.
Table A







Maximum bluefin tuna farming capacity and fattening capacity




 


Number of farms


Capacity (in tonnes)




Spain


10


11 852 




Italy


13


9 564 




Greece


2


2 100 




Cyprus


3


3 000 




Croatia


7


7 880 




Malta


6


14 511 




Table B (8)







Maximum input of wild caught bluefin tuna (in tonnes)




Spain


6 850 




Italy


1 739,5 




Greece


785




Cyprus


2 195 




Croatia


2 947 




Malta


10 260,5 




Portugal


350










(1)  Up to 5 % of the quota may consist of by-catches of whiting and haddock (OTH/*03A.). By-catches of whiting and haddock counted against the quota pursuant to this provision and by-catches of species counted against the quota pursuant to Article 15(8) of Regulation (EU) No 1380/2013 shall, together, not exceed 9 % of the quota.

(2)  This quota may only be fished from 1 July 2021 to 30 June 2022. Transfers of this quota may be effected to United Kingdom and Union waters of 2a and 4. However, such transfers shall be notified in advance to the Commission and to the United Kingdom.’
         

(3)  The quota may only be fished from 1 July 2021 to 30 June 2022.

(4)  Up to 2 % of the quota may consist of by-catches of whiting (OTH/*2AC4C). By-catches of whiting counted against the quota pursuant to this provision and by-catches of species counted against the quota pursuant to Article 15(8) of Regulation (EU) No 1380/2013 shall, together, not exceed 9 % of the quota.

(5)  Including sandeel.

(6)  May contain up to 4 % of by-catch of herring.’
         

(7)  The quota may only be fished from 1 July 2021 to 30 September 2021.’
         

(8)  The farming capacity of Portugal of 500 tonnes is covered by the unused capacity of the Union set out in table A.’.