CHAPTER ISCOPE AND DEFINITIONS

Article 1Subject matter

This Regulation fixes fishing opportunities for the year 2006, for certain fish stocks and groups of fish stocks, and the associated conditions under which such fishing opportunities may be used.

In addition, it fixes certain effort limits and associated conditions for January 2007, and for certain Antarctic stocks it fixes the fishing opportunities and specific conditions for the periods set out in Annex IE.

Article 2Scope

1.

If not otherwise provided for, this Regulation shall apply to:

(a)

Community fishing vessels (‘Community vessels’); and

(b)

fishing vessels flying the flag of, and registered in, third countries (‘third - country fishing vessels’) in Community waters (‘EC waters’).

2.

By way of derogation from paragraph 1, this Regulation shall not apply to fishing operations conducted solely for the purpose of scientific investigations which are carried out with the permission and under the authority of the Member State concerned and of which the Commission and the Member State in whose waters the research is carried out have been informed in advance.

Article 3Definitions

For the purposes of this Regulation, in addition to the definitions laid down in Article 3 of Regulation (EC) No 2371/2002, the following definitions shall apply:

  1. (a)

    ‘total allowable catches’ means the quantity that can be taken from each stock each year;

  2. (b)

    ‘quota’ means a fixed proportion of the TAC allocated to the Community, Member States or third countries;

  3. (c)

    ‘international waters’ means waters falling outside the sovereignty or jurisdiction of any State;

  4. (d)

    ‘NAFO Regulatory Area’ means the part of the area of the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organisation (NAFO) Convention not falling under the sovereignty or within the jurisdiction of coastal States;

  5. (e)

    ‘Skagerrak’ means the area bounded on the west by a line drawn from the Hanstholm lighthouse to the Lindesnes lighthouse and on the south by a line drawn from the Skagen lighthouse to the Tistlarna lighthouse and from this point to the nearest point on the Swedish coast;

  6. (f)

    ‘Kattegat’ means the area bounded on the north by a line drawn from the Skagen lighthouse to the Tistlarna lighthouse and from this point to the nearest point on the Swedish coast and on the south by a line drawn from Hasenøre to Gnibens Spids, from Korshage to Spodsbjerg and from Gilbjerg Hoved to Kullen;

  7. (g)

    ‘Gulf of Cadiz’ means the area of ICES Subdivision IXa east of longitude 7o23'48"W.

Article 4Fishing zones

For the purposes of this Regulation, the following zone definitions shall apply:

  1. (a)

    ICES (International Council for the Exploration of the Sea) zones are as defined in Regulation (EEC) No 3880/91. If ‘EC waters’ is added to a zone, it means that the zone refers only to EC waters of that zone;

  2. (b)
    CECAF (Eastern Central Atlantic or FAO major fishing zone 34) zones are as defined in Council Regulation (EC) No 2597/95 of 23 October 1995 on the submission of nominal catch statistics by Member States fishing in certain areas other than those of the North Atlantic25;
  3. (c)
    NAFO (Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organisation) zones are as defined in Council Regulation (EEC) No 2018/93 of 30 June 1993 on the submission of catch and activity statistics by Member States fishing in the Northwest Atlantic26;
  4. (d)

    CCAMLR (Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources) zones are as defined in Regulation (EC) No 601/2004 .