Article 2(1) of Regulation (EC) No 1434/98, shall not apply to herring caught in ICES zones IIIa, IV and VIId and EC waters of ICES zone IIa.

When catch limits of a Member State for herring in ICES zones IIIa, IV and VIId and EC waters of ICES zone IIa are exhausted, vessels flying the flag of that Member State, registered in the Community and operating within the fisheries to which the relevant catch limitations apply, shall be prohibited from landing catches which are unsorted and which contain herring.

Member States shall ensure that an adequate sampling programme is in place allowing an efficient monitoring of unsorted landings by species caught in ICES zones IIIa, IV and VIId and EC waters of ICES zone IIa.

Unsorted catches in ICES zones IIIa, IV and VIId and EC waters of ICES zone IIa shall be landed only at ports and landing locations where a sampling programme as referred to in paragraph 1 is in place.