Proposal to amend Regulation (EU) 2016/1903 fixing for 2017 fishing opportunities for certain fish stocks and groups of fish stocks applicable in the Baltic Sea

At its meeting on 10-11 October 2016, the Council, by Council Regulation (EU) no 2016/1903, fixed fishing opportunities for Western Baltic cod in 2017 based on and in line with the Baltic Sea Multi-annual Management Plan and in order to ensure a rapid return of that stock to levels above the level capable of producing maximum sustainable yield (MSY). The Council set total allowable catches (quota) at a level consistent with a fishing mortality below the MSY point value and decided further measures to ensure a rapid return of the stock to the said level.

In particular, the Council allowed the said quota to be fished only from 1 to 31 January and from 1 April to 31 December 2017. Not allowing the use of the quota for two months during the spawning season of the Western Baltic cod stock will facilitate the recovery of the stock above and beyond the quantitative reduction of catches, by improving recruitment conditions due to less disrupted spawning and favourable changes in its age structure.

Science indicates that spawning of Western Baltic cod takes place in sea areas deeper than 20 metres, whereas small coastal vessels that depend particularly on catches of cod also fish in areas shallower than 20 metres. Analysis by the Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries (STECF) indicates that restricting fishing to areas shallower than 20 metres, and only to vessels below a length of 15 metres, does not significantly impact the simulated outcome for the stock status.

It is to be noted as well that during the year 2015, while vessels under 12 meters were excluded from the derogation, the pressure on the stock was significantly reduced and the closure period served its objective. Furthermore, a total prohibition for fishing could have an undesirable effect on another Baltic cod stock, i.e. an increased fishing pressure on the Eastern cod stock.

Moreover, allowing fishing for vessels of less than 15 metres and in sea areas shallower than 20 metres will provide a possibility for a limited number of small-scale fishermen to continue their fishing operations and to obtain a more stable income that would be the case if fishing were to discontinue altogether. These vessels also fish for other species, therefore discontinuing cod fishery for these vessels would effectively limit fishery for other species as cod is usually caught as by-catch there.

In order to ensure the compliance with the requirement not to fish in areas deeper than 20 metres, only vessels equipped with the vessel monitoring system (VMS) should be entitled to fish in the said area.

EUR-Lex: COM(2017)4: Follow the progress of this proposal through the decision-making procedure http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/HIS/?uri=COM:2017:004:FIN

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