Council Regulation (EC) No 2425/2001
of 3 December 2001
amending Regulation (EC) No 2848/2000 fixing for 2001 the fishing opportunities and associated conditions for certain fish stocks and groups of fish stocks, applicable in Community waters and, for Community vessels, in waters where limitations in catch are required
THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION
,
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community,
Having regard to Council Regulation (EEC) No 3760/92 of 20 December 1992 establishing a Community system for fisheries and aquaculture(1), and in particular Article 8(4) thereof,
Having regard to the proposal from the Commission,
Whereas:
(1) In accordance with the Agreed Record between the European Community and the Faroe Islands, the Faroe Islands are entitled to a Norway pout quota higher than that allocated in Council Regulation (EC) No 2848/2000(2). Therefore, the fishing possibilities for 2001 on this stock need to be revised.
(2) The Community, on behalf of Sweden, has agreed with Poland that the right to fish for herring allocated to Sweden in Polish waters shall be transferred to Community waters.
(3) A definitive catch limitation for capelin in the North Atlantic has been fixed and, consequently, the definitive Community catch quota for this stock within the waters of Greenland should be fixed.
(4) The area of distribution of redfish in the North East Atlantic Fisheries Commission (NEAFC) area overlaps with certain areas of the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO) Regulatory Area; it is therefore necessary to introduce a mechanism to consider catches in both areas as part of the same stock, as recommended by NEAFC and NAFO at their meetings in March 2001.
(5) Within the framework of NAFO, new limits on the number of days to fish for northern prawn have been established in March 2001.
(6) The Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC) adopted, at its annual meeting in June 2001, catch limitations for yellowfin tuna. Although the Community is not a member of this organisation, it is necessary to implement those catch limitations to ensure sustainable management of this fish resource.
(7) In the framework of NEAFC, new protected areas were recommended in March 2001 to protect haddock.
(8) Within the framework of the International Baltic Sea Fisheries Commission (IBSFC), new technical conservation measures have been recommended in March 2001 for the cod fishery. Those recommendations should be implemented by the Community.
(9) Agreements have been reached between the European Community, Norway and the Faroe Islands on the arrangement of fishing licences.
(10) The biological situation of the blue whiting stock does not allow any additional fishing in areas outside national jurisdiction in ICES subarea II. Consequently, a TAC of 0 should be introduced for this year for the areas in ICES subareas I and II that belong to the NEAFC Regulatory area.
(11) Regulation (EC) No 2848/2000 should therefore be amended accordingly.
(12) In order to ensure the long-term livelihood of Community fishermen, it is important to implement fisheries legislation involving TACs and quotas during the year to which they apply. Given the urgency of the matter, it is imperative to grant an exception to the six-week period mentioned in paragraph 1(3) of the Protocol on the role of national Parliaments in the European Union, annexed to the Treaty on European Union and the Treaties establishing the European Communities,
Regulation (EC) No 2848/2000 is hereby amended as follows:
1. the entry in Annex I to this Regulation shall replace the corresponding entry in Annex IB;
2. the entry in Annex Ia to this Regulation shall replace the corresponding entry in Annex IA;
3. the entries in Annex II to this Regulation shall replace the corresponding entries in Annex IC;
4. the entry in Annex IIa to this Regulation shall be inserted in Annex IC;
5. Annex IE shall be amended as follows:
(i) the entry in Annex III to this Regulation shall replace the corresponding entry;
(ii) the entry in Annex IV to this Regulation shall be added;
6. the entry in Annex V to this Regulation shall be added in Annex IF;
7. Annex V shall be amended as follows:
(i) the text under point 1 shall be replaced by the following: "Notwithstanding the conditions set out in Annex V of Regulation (EC) No 88/98, and in order to guarantee the selectivity of the trawls, Danish seines and similar nets with special mesh openings as referred to in Annex IV of the same Regulation, the two models of exit windows described in Appendix I and the model described in Appendix II to this Annex shall be authorised in 2001";
(ii) a new point 9 shall be inserted as follows: "9. Haddock box
All fishing, except with longlines, shall be prohibited in waters beyond the areas under national jurisdiction of Member States in the box bounded by the following coordinates:
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(iii) Annex VI to this Regulation shall be added as Appendix II;
8. the entries in Annex VII to this Regulation shall replace the corresponding entries in Annex VI, Part I and Part II.
This Regulation shall enter into force on the third day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Communities.
This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States.