Proposal for a Council Regulation amending Regulation (EU) No 2015/104 as regards certain fishing opportunities

Council Regulation (EU) No 2015/104 fixed for 2015 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. These fishing opportunities are usually amended several times during the period in which they are in effect.

The imposition of catch limits for particular types of fishing gear and the use of a closed area has been extensively discussed with Member States. Member States were asked to identify specific sea bass fisheries and to identify how they could reduce the catches of sea bass and reduce mortality in their respective fisheries. In response France and the United Kingdom identified a range of catch limits and their effects on various metiers active in the sea bass fishery.

Emergency measures have already been enacted in January 2015 to implement urgent protection for spawning aggregations. The Commission has been clear that these emergency measures are the first of three parts of the management response needed in 2015 and that it has been working with Member States to develop these further. The first amendment of Regulation (EU) No 104/2015 fixing the fishing opportunities has already been adopted to introduce catch limits for recreational anglers and this represents the second part of the management response on sea bass.

This proposal represents the third part of measures which have been discussed with the Member States with fishing interests in the stock. These are the introduction of monthly catch limits for particular metiers and a prohibition which underpins the conservation actions already taken by Ireland, as Irish national legislation prevents the commercial exploitation of sea bass by Irish vessels. Introducing a comparable prohibition and widening it to all EU vessels active in the area would be beneficial to the stock; avoiding the development of further targeted fisheries and preventing displacement into this area.

• Primary Source

EUR-Lex: COM(2015)212: Follow the progress of this proposal through the decision-making procedure http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/HIS/?uri=COM:2015:212:FIN

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