CHAPTER VI SPECIAL PROVISIONS FOR FISHING IN THE GFCM AREA

SECTION 1 Conservation measures

Article 30 Minimum mesh size of trawl nets deployed in certain local and seasonal demersal trawl fisheries in the Mediterranean Sea
1. By way of derogation from Article 8(1)(h) and from point (2) of Article 9(3) of Regulation (EC) No 1967/2006, Member States may continue to authorise fishing vessels flying their flag the use of codend mesh size smaller than 40 mm diamond to operate in certain local and seasonal demersal trawl fisheries exploiting fish stocks that are not shared with third countries.
2. Paragraph 1 shall apply only to fishing activities formally authorised by Member States in accordance with national law in force on 1 January 2007 and shall not involve any future increase in fishing effort with respect to the year 2006.
3. Member States shall submit to the Commission by 15 January 2009, through the accustomed data-processing support, the list of vessels authorised in accordance with paragraph 1.
4. The list of authorised vessels shall include the following information:
(a) the name of the vessel;
(b) the vessel's Community fleet register number (CFR) and external marking as defined in Annex I to Regulation (EC) No 26/2004;
(c) the authorised fishery(ies) carried out by each vessel defined in terms of target stock(s), the fishing area set out in Annex VII and the technical mesh size characteristics of the fishing gear deployed;
(d) the authorised fishing period.
5. Where the list of authorised vessels as referred to in paragraph 4 does not contain changes with respect to what was communicated in the year 2008, Member States shall inform the Commission by 15 January 2009 that no changes have occurred.
6. The Commission shall forward the information received from the Member States to the Executive Secretary of the GFCM.