Council Regulation (EU) No 57/2011Show full title

CHAPTER III U.K. Fishing opportunities in waters of regional fisheries management organisations

Section 1 U.K. ICCAT Convention Area

Article 16 U.K. Fishing and farming and fattening capacity limitations for bluefin tuna

1. The number of EU bait boats and trolling boats authorised to fish actively for bluefin tuna between 8 kg/75 cm and 30 kg/115 cm in the Eastern Atlantic shall be limited as set out in point 1 of Annex IV.

2. The number of EU coastal artisanal fishing vessels authorised to fish actively for bluefin tuna between 8 kg/75 cm and 30 kg/115 cm in the Mediterranean shall be limited as set out in point 2 of Annex IV.

3. The number of EU vessels fishing for bluefin tuna in the Adriatic Sea for farming purposes authorised to fish actively for bluefin tuna between 8 kg/75 cm and 30 kg/115 cm shall be limited as set out in point 3 of Annex IV.

4. The number and total capacity in gross tonnage of fishing vessels authorised to fish for, retain on board, tranship, transport, or land bluefin tuna in the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean shall be limited as set out in point 4 of Annex IV.

5. The number of traps engaged in the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean bluefin tuna fishery shall be limited as set out in point 5 of Annex IV.

6. The bluefin tuna farming capacity, the fattening capacity and the maximum input of wild caught bluefin tuna allocated to the farms in the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean shall be limited as set out in point 6 of Annex IV.

Article 17 U.K. Additional conditions to the bluefin tuna quota allocated in Annex ID

In addition to the prohibition period provided for in Article 7(2) of Regulation (EC) No 302/2009, purse-seine fishing for bluefin tuna shall be prohibited in the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean during the period from 15 April to 15 May 2011.

Article 18 U.K. Recreational and sport fisheries

Member States shall allocate a specific quota of bluefin tuna for recreational and sport fisheries from their quotas allocated in Annex ID.

Article 19 U.K. Sharks

1. Retaining on board, transhipping or landing any part or whole carcass of bigeye thresher sharks (Alopias superciliosus) in any fishery shall be prohibited.

2. It shall be prohibited to undertake a directed fishery for species of thresher sharks of the genus Alopias.

3. Retaining on board, transhipping or landing any part or whole carcass of hammerhead sharks of the family Sphyrnidae (except for the Sphyrna tiburo) in association with fisheries in the ICCAT Convention Area shall be prohibited.

4. Retaining on board, transhipping or landing any part or whole carcass of oceanic whitetip sharks (Carcharhinus longimanus) taken in any fishery shall be prohibited.

Section 2 U.K. CCAMLR Convention Area

Article 20 U.K. Prohibitions and catch limitations

1. Direct fishing of the species set out in Annex V, Part A, shall be prohibited in the zones and during the periods set out in that Annex.

2. For new and exploratory fisheries, the TACs and by-catch limits set out in Annex V, Part B, shall apply in the subareas set out in that Part.

Article 21 U.K. Exploratory fisheries

1. Only those Member States which are members of the CCAMLR Commission may participate in longline exploratory fisheries for Dissostichus spp. in FAO Subareas 88.1 and 88.2 as well as in Divisions 58.4.1 and 58.4.2 outside areas of national jurisdiction during the 2011 fishing season. If such a Member State intends to participate in such fisheries, it shall notify the CCAMLR Secretariat in accordance with Articles 7 and 7a of Regulation (EC) No 601/2004 and in any case no later than 24 July 2011.

2. With regard to FAO Subareas 88.1 and 88.2 as well as Divisions 58.4.1 and 58.4.2 TACs and by-catch limits per subarea and division, and their distribution among Small Scale Research Units (SSRUs) within each of them, shall be as set out in Annex V, Part B. Fishing in any SSRU shall cease when the reported catch reaches the specified TAC, and that SSRU shall be closed to fishing for the remainder of the season.

3. Fishing shall take place over as large a geographical and bathymetric range as possible to obtain the information necessary to determine fishery potential and to avoid over-concentration of catch and fishing effort. However, fishing in FAO Subareas 88.1 and 88.2 as well as in Divisions 58.4.1 and 58.4.2 shall be prohibited in depths less than 550 m.

Article 22 U.K. Krill fishery during the 2011/2012 fishing season

1. Only those Member States which are members of the CCAMLR Commission may fish for krill (Euphausia superba) in the CCAMLR Convention Area during the 2011/2012 fishing season. If such a Member State intends to fish for krill in the CCAMLR Convention Area, it shall notify the CCAMLR Secretariat, in accordance with Article 5a of Regulation (EC) No 601/2004, and the Commission, and in any case no later than 1 June 2011:

(a) of its intention to fish for krill, using the format laid down in Annex V, Part C;

(b) of the net configuration form, using the format laid down in Annex V, Part D.

2. The notification referred to in paragraph 1 of this Article shall include the information provided for in Article 3 of Regulation (EC) No 601/2004 for each vessel to be authorised by the Member State to participate in the krill fishery.

3. Member States intending to fish for krill in the CCAMLR Convention Area shall only notify authorised vessels flying their flag at the time of the notification.

4. Member States shall be entitled to authorise participation in a krill fishery by a vessel other than those notified to CCAMLR Secretariat in accordance with paragraphs 1, 2 and 3 of this Article, if an authorised vessel is prevented from participation due to legitimate operational reasons or force majeure. In such circumstances the Member State concerned shall immediately inform the CCAMLR Secretariat and the Commission, providing:

(a) full details of the intended replacement vessel(s), including information provided for in Article 3 of Regulation (EC) No 601/2004;

(b) a comprehensive account of the reasons justifying the replacement and any relevant supporting evidence or references.

5. Member States shall not authorise a vessel on either of the CCAMLR IUU Vessel Lists to participate in krill fisheries.

Section 3 U.K. IOTC Area

Article 23 U.K. Limitation of fishing capacity of vessels fishing in the IOTC Area

1. The maximum number of EU vessels fishing for tropical tunas in the IOTC Area and the corresponding capacity in gross tonnage shall be as set out in point 1 of Annex VI.

2. The maximum number of EU vessels fishing for swordfish (Xiphias gladius) and albacore (Thunnus alalunga) in the IOTC Area and the corresponding capacity in gross tonnage shall be as set out in point 2 of Annex VI.

3. Member States may re-allocate vessels assigned to one of the two fisheries referred to in paragraphs 1 and 2 to the other fishery, provided that they can demonstrate to the Commission that this change does not lead to an increase of fishing effort on the fish stocks involved.

4. Member States shall ensure that, where there is a proposed transfer of capacity to their fleet, vessels to be transferred are on the IOTC Record of Vessels or on the record of vessels of other tuna regional fisheries organisations. No vessels featuring on the list of vessels engaged in illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing activities (IUU vessels) of any RFMO may be transferred.

5. In order to take into account the implementation of the development plans submitted to the IOTC, Member States may only increase their fishing capacity beyond the ceilings referred to in paragraphs 1 and 2, within the limits set out in those plans.

Article 24 U.K. Sharks

1. Retaining on board, transhipping or landing any part or whole carcass of thresher sharks of all the species of the family Alopiidae in any fishery shall be prohibited.

2. The species referred to in paragraph 1 shall be promptly released unharmed to the extent practicable.

Section 4 U.K. SPRFMO Convention Area

Article 25 U.K. Pelagic fisheries – capacity limitation

Member States having actively exercised pelagic fisheries activities in the SPRFMO Convention Area in 2007, 2008, or 2009 shall limit the total level of gross tonnage of vessels flying their flag and fishing for pelagic stocks in 2011 to the levels of total 78 610 gross tonnage in that Area in such manner that sustainable exploitation of the pelagic fishery resources in South Pacific is ensured.

Article 26 U.K. Pelagic fisheries - TACs

1. Only Member States having actively exercised pelagic fisheries activities in the SPRFMO Convention Area in the years 2007, 2008 or 2009, as referred to in Article 25, may fish for pelagic stocks in that Area in accordance with the TACs set out in Annex IJ.

2. Member States shall notify the Commission on a monthly basis of the names and characteristics, including gross tonnage, of their vessels engaged in the fishery referred to in this Article.

3. For the purpose of monitoring the fishery referred to in this Article, Member States shall send to the Commission, in order to communicate them to the SPRFMO Interim Secretariat, records from vessel monitoring systems (VMS), monthly catch reports and, where available, port calls at the latest by the fifteenth day of the following month.

Article 27 U.K. Bottom fisheries

The Member States referred to in Article 25 shall limit bottom fishing effort or catch in the SPRFMO Convention Area to the average annual levels over the period from 1 January 2002 to 31 December 2006 in terms of the number of fishing vessels and other parameters that reflect the level of catch, fishing effort and fishing capacity and to only those parts of the SPRFMO Convention Area where bottom fisheries has occurred during the previous fishing season.

Section 5 U.K. IATTC Convention Area

Article 28 U.K. Purse-seine fisheries

1. The fishing by purse-seine vessels for yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares), bigeye tuna (Thunnus obesus) and skipjack tuna (Katsuwonus pelamis) shall be prohibited:

(a) either from 29 July to 28 September 2011 or from 18 November 2011 to 18 January 2012 in the area defined by the following limits:

• (a) the Pacific coastlines of the Americas,

• longitude 150° W,

• latitude 40° N,

• latitude 40° S;

(b) from 29 September to 29 October 2011 in the area defined by the following limits:

• (b) longitude 96° W,

• longitude 110° W,

• latitude 4° N,

• latitude 3° S.

2. The Member States concerned shall notify the Commission of the selected period of closure referred to in point (a) of paragraph 1 before 1 April 2011. All the purse-seine vessels of the Member States concerned shall stop purse-seine fishing in the areas defined in paragraph 1 during the period selected.

3. Purse-seine vessels fishing for tuna in the IATTC Convention Area shall retain on board and then land all yellowfin, bigeye and skipjack tuna caught, except fish considered unfit for human consumption for reasons other than size. A single exception shall be the final set of a trip when there may be insufficient well space remaining to accommodate all the tuna caught in that set.

Section 6 U.K. SEAFO Convention Area

Article 29 U.K. Measures for the protection of deep water sharks

Directed fishing for the following deep water sharks in the SEAFO Convention Area shall be prohibited:

• skates (Rajidae),

• spiny dogfish (Squalus acanthias),

• blurred smooth lanternshark (Etmopterus bigelowi),

• shorttail lanternshark (Etmopterus brachyurus),

• great lanternshark (Etmopterus princeps),

• smooth lanternshark (Etmopterus pusillus),

• ghost catshark (Apristurus manis),

• velvet dogfish (Scymnodon squamulosus),

• and deep-sea sharks of super-order Selachimorpha.

Section 7 U.K. WCPFC Convention Area

Article 30 U.K. Fishing effort limitations for bigeye tuna, yellowfin tuna, skipjack tuna and south Pacific albacore

Member States shall ensure that the total fishing effort for bigeye tuna (Thunnus obesus), yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares), skipjack tuna (Katsuwonus pelamis) and south Pacific albacore (Thunnus alalunga) in the WCPFC Convention Area is limited to the fishing effort provided for in fisheries partnership agreements between the Union and coastal States in the region.

Article 31 U.K. Closed area for FAD fishing

1. In the part of the WCPFC Convention Area located between 20° N and 20° S, fishing activities of purse-seine vessels making use of fish aggregating devices (FADs) shall be prohibited between 00:00 hours on 1 July 2011 and 24:00 hours on 30 September 2011. During that period, a purse-seine vessel may only engage in fishing operations within that part of the WCPFC Convention Area if it carries onboard an observer to monitor that at no time does the vessel:

(a) deploy or service a FAD or associated electronic device;

(b) fish on schools in association with FADs.

2. All purse-seine vessels fishing in the part of the WCPFC Convention Area referred to in paragraph 1 shall retain onboard and land or tranship all bigeye, yellowfin and skipjack tuna caught.

3. Paragraph 2 shall not apply in the following cases:

(a) in the final set of a trip, if the vessel has insufficient well space left to accommodate all fish;

(b) where the fish is unfit for human consumption for reasons other than those connected with size; or

(c) when a serious malfunction of freezer equipment occurs.

Article 32 U.K. Closed areas for purse-seine fisheries

The fishing by purse-seine vessels for bigeye tuna and yellowfin tuna shall be prohibited in the following high seas areas:

(a)

the international waters enclosed by the boundaries of the exclusive economic zones (EEZ) of Indonesia, Palau, Micronesia and Papua New Guinea;

(b)

the international waters enclosed by the boundaries of the EEZ of Micronesia, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Kiribati, Tuvalu, Fiji, Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea.

Article 33 U.K. Limitations to the number of EU vessels authorised to fish swordfish

The maximum number of EU vessels authorised to fish for swordfish (Xiphias gladius) in areas south of 20° S of the WCPFC Convention Area shall be as indicated in Annex VII.

Section 8 U.K. Bering Sea

Article 34 U.K. Prohibition on fishing in the high seas of the Bering Sea

Fishing for pollock (Theragra chalcogramma) in the high seas of the Bering Sea shall be prohibited.