Council Regulation (EC) No 2347/2002 of 16 December 2002 establishing specific access requirements and associated conditions applicable to fishing for deep-sea stocks

Council Regulation (EC) No 2347/2002
of 16 December 2002
establishing specific access requirements and associated conditions applicable to fishing for deep-sea stocks
THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION
,
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, and in particular Article 37 thereof,
Having regard to the proposal from the Commission(1),
Having regard to the opinion of the European Parliament(2),
Whereas:
(1) Council Regulation (EEC) No 3760/92 of 20 December 1992 establishing a Community system for fisheries and aquaculture(3) requires the Council to adopt, in the light of the available scientific advice and, in particular, of the report prepared by the Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries, the measures necessary to ensure the rational and responsible exploitation of resources on a sustainable basis, and the conditions of access to resources.
(2) Scientific advice concerning certain stocks of fish found in the deep sea indicates that these stocks are vulnerable to exploitation, and that fishing opportunities for these stocks should be limited or reduced in order to assure their sustainability.
(3) Scientific advice further indicates that management of fishing effort is an appropriate method for securing the precautionary management of the stocks in the deep sea.
(4) It is therefore appropriate to provide for the issuing of a special fishing permit to vessels fishing for deep-sea species and to limit the fishing effort for those fish stocks to recent levels.
(5) Accurate and up-to-date information about fishing operations is a prerequisite for provision of high quality scientific advice, and such information can best be collected by trained and independent scientific observers in collaboration with the fishing industry and other interested parties.
(6) Appropriate, verifiable and up-to-date information for scientific advice about fisheries and the marine environment should be made available to the relevant scientific and management bodies as soon as possible.
(7) In order to ensure effective and precautionary management of fishing effort directed at deep-sea species, it is necessary to identify the vessels fishing for these species, by means of special fishing permits issued in accordance with Council Regulation (EC) No 1627/94 of 27 June 1994 laying down general provisions concerning special fishing permits(4) and Commission Regulation (EC) No 2943/95 of 20 December 1995 setting out detailed rules for applying Council Regulation (EC) No 1627/94(5).
(8) Control measures additional to those laid down in Council Regulation (EEC) No 2847/93 of 12 October 1993 establishing a control system applicable to the common fisheries policy(6) and in Commission Regulation (EC) No 1489/97 of 29 July 1997 laying down detailed rules for the application of Council Regulation (EEC) No 2847/93 as regards satellite-based vessel monitoring systems(7) are required to ensure compliance with the measures laid down in this Regulation.
(9) The measures necessary for implementation of this Regulation should be adopted in accordance with Council Decision 1999/468/EC of 28 June 1999 laying down the procedures for exercise of implementing powers conferred on the Commission(8),