L 303/14
EN
Official Journal of the European Union
23.11.2022
(21)
For the reasons given by the STECF, with which the Commission agrees, the exemption should therefore be granted until 31 December 2023.
(22)
Article 13(1)(f) of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/2015 granted until 31 December 2022 a de minimis exemption for boarfish (Caprus aper) caught by vessels using bottom trawls in ICES divisions 7b to 7c and 7f to 7k.
(23)
The joint recommendation requested an extension of this exemption until 31 December 2023.
(24)
The STECF acknowledged testing gears to improve the selectivity only for boarfish is challenging.
Therefore, the STECF noted that it will be difficult to improve further selectivity for this species and will be hard to achieve without the fleets concerned having to incur disproportionate costs.
(25)
For the reasons given by the STECF, with which the Commission agrees, the exemption should therefore be granted until 31 December 2023.
(26)
Article 13(1)(d) of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/2015 granted until 31 December 2022 a de minimis exemption for haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus), up to a maximum of 5 % of the total annual catches of that species caught: — by vessels operating with a mesh size greater than or equal to 100 mm for all bottom trawls, seines (OTB, OTT, OT, PTB, PT, SSC, SDN SPR, SX, SV, TBN, TBS, TB, TX) in ICES divisions 7b, 7c and 7e to 7k with catches comprising not more than 30 % Norway lobster and excluding beam trawls, — by vessels operating with mesh sizes greater than or equal to 80 mm in ICES divisions 7b, 7c and 7e to 7k with catches comprising more than 30 % of Norway lobster, — by vessels operating with beam trawls using mesh sizes greater than or equal to 80 mm in ICES divisions 7b, 7c and 7e to 7k in conjunction with the use of a Flemish panel.
(27)
The joint recommendation requested an extension of this exemption until 31 December 2023.
(28)
The STECF noted both the continued efforts by the NWW Member States to improve selectivity in the relevant fisheries and the introduction of more selective gears into the Celtic Sea.
The STECF also noted that it will be difficult to further improve selectivity for this species.
(29)
For the reasons given by the STECF, with which the Commission agrees, the exemption should therefore be granted until 31 December 2023.
Furthermore, and with the view of ensuring that this exemption is closely monitored, the Member States are requested to ensure strict monitoring of the exemption and collect the relevant discard data to be submitted to Commission before 1 May 2023.
(30)
Article (13)(1)(i) of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/2015 granted a de minimis exemption until 31 December 2022 for greater silver smelt (Argentina silus), caught by vessels using bottom trawls (OTT, OTB, TBS, TBN, TB, PTB, OT, PT, TX) with a mesh size greater or equal to 100 mm (TR1) in ICES division 5b (EU waters) and ICES subarea 6, up to 0,6 % of the total annual catches of that species from all gears in those areas.
(31)
The joint recommendation requested an extension of this exemption until 31 December 2023.
(32)
The STECF noted that the low level of discards reported indicates the impact of this exemption is likely to be low.
Moreover, improvements of selectivity measures are difficult to achieve without the fleets concerned incurring in disproportionate costs.
For the reasons given by the STECF, with which the Commission agrees, the exemption should therefore be granted until 31 December 2023.
(33)
Article (13)(1)(j) of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/2015 granted until 31 December 2022 a de minimis exemption for horse mackerel (Trachurus spp.), up to a maximum of 3 % of the total annual by-catches of those species, caught in demersal mixed fisheries, by vessels using bottom trawls, seines and beam trawls (OTB, OTT, OT, PTB, PT, SSC, SDN, SPR, SX, SV, TBB, TBN, TBS, TB, TX) in ICES subarea 6 and ICES divisions 7b to 7k.