Council Regulation (EU) 2016/1903 of 28 October 2016 fixing for 2017 the fishing opportunities for certain fish stocks and groups of fish stocks applicable in the Baltic Sea and amending Regulation (EU) 2016/72

Type Regulation
Publication 2016-10-28
State In force
Department Council of the European Union
Source EUR-Lex
Reform history JSON API

COUNCIL REGULATION (EU) 2016/1903

of 28 October 2016

fixing for 2017 the fishing opportunities for certain fish stocks and groups of fish stocks applicable in the Baltic Sea and amending Regulation (EU) 2016/72

CHAPTER I

GENERAL PROVISIONS

Article 1

Subject matter

This Regulation fixes the fishing opportunities for certain fish stocks and groups of fish stocks in the Baltic Sea for 2017.

Article 2

Scope
1.

This Regulation shall apply to Union fishing vessels operating in the Baltic Sea.

2.

This Regulation shall also apply to recreational fisheries where they are expressly referred to in the relevant provisions.

Article 3

Definitions

For the purposes of this Regulation, the defintions referred to in Article 4 of Regulation (EU) No 1380/2013 apply. In addition, the following definitions apply:

(1)‘subdivision’ means an ICES subdivision of the Baltic Sea as defined in Annex I to Council Regulation (EC) No 2187/2005 (1);

(2)‘total allowable catch’ (TAC) means the quantity of each stock that can be caught over the period of a year;

(3)‘quota’ means a proportion of the TAC allocated to the Union, a Member State or a third country;

(4)‘recreational fisheries’ means non-commercial fishing activities exploiting marine biological resources such as for recreation, tourism or sport.

CHAPTER II

FISHING OPPORTUNITIES

Article 4

TACs and allocations

The TACs, the quotas and the conditions functionally linked thereto, where appropriate, are set out in the Annex.

Article 5

Special provisions on allocations of fishing opportunities

The allocation of fishing opportunities among Member States, as set out in this Regulation, shall be without prejudice to:

(a)exchanges made pursuant to Article 16(8) of Regulation (EU) No 1380/2013;

(b)deductions and reallocations made pursuant to Article 37 of Regulation (EC) No 1224/2009;

(c)additional landings allowed under Article 3 of Regulation (EC) No 847/96 or under Article 15(9) of Regulation (EU) No 1380/2013;

(d)quantities withheld in accordance with Article 4 of Regulation (EC) No 847/96 or transferred under Article 15(9) of Regulation (EU) No 1380/2013;

(e)deductions made pursuant to Articles 105 and 107 of Regulation (EC) No 1224/2009.

Article 6

Conditions for landing catches and by-catches
1.

Catches of species which are subject to catch limits and which have been caught in fisheries specified in Article 15(1) of Regulation (EU) No 1380/2013 are subject to the landing obligation, as established in that Article.

2.

The stocks of non-target species within the safe biological limits referred to in Article 15(8) of Regulation (EU) No 1380/2013 are identified in the Annex of this Regulation for the purpose of the derogation from the obligation to count catches against the relevant quota provided for in that Article.

Article 7

Measures on recreational fisheries for cod in subdivisions 22-24
1.

In recreational fisheries, no more than five specimens of cod may be retained per fisherman per day in subdivisions 22-24.

2.

By derogation from paragraph 1, no more than three specimens of cod may be retained per fisherman per day in subdivisions 22-24 in the period from 1 February 2017 to 31 March 2017.

3.

Paragraphs 1 and 2 are without prejudice to more stringent national measures.

CHAPTER III

FINAL PROVISIONS

Article 8

Data transmission

When, pursuant to Articles 33 and 34 of Regulation (EC) No 1224/2009, Member States send data relating to quantities of stocks caught or landed to the Commission, they shall use the stock codes set out in the Annex to this Regulation.

Article 9

Flexibility
1.

Except where specified otherwise in the Annex to this Regulation, Article 3 of Regulation (EC) No 847/96 shall apply to stocks subject to precautionary TACs and Article 3(2) and (3) and Article 4 of that Regulation shall apply to stocks subject to an analytical TAC.

2.

Article 3(2) and (3) and Article 4 of Regulation (EC) No 847/96 shall not apply where a Member State uses the year-to-year flexibility provided for in Article 15(9) of Regulation (EU) No 1380/2013.

Article 10

Amendment to Regulation (EU) 2016/72

In Annex IA to Regulation (EU) 2016/72, the entry for Norway pout in IIIa and Union waters of IIa and IV is replaced by the following:

Species: Norway pout and associated by-catches Trisopterus esmarkii Zone: IIIa; Union waters of IIa and IV (NOP/2A3A4.)
Year 2016 2017
Denmark 128 880  (1) (3) 99 907  (1) (6)
Germany 25 (1) (2) (3) 19 (1) (2) (6)
The Netherlands 95 (1) (2) (3) 74 (1) (2) (6)
Union 129 000  (1) (3) 100 000  (1) (6)
Norway 15 000  (4)
Faroe Islands 6 000  (5)
TAC Not relevant Not relevant Analytical TAC Article 3 of Regulation (EC) No 847/96 shall not apply Article 4 of Regulation (EC) No 847/96 shall not apply
(1)Without prejudice to the landing obligation, catches of whiting may be counted against up to 5 % of the quota (OT2/2A3A4), provided that not more than 9 % in total of this quota for Norway pout is accounted for by these catches and by-catches of those species that are accounted for under Article 15(8) of Regulation (EU) No 1380/2013. (2)Quota may be fished in Union waters of ICES zones IIa, IIIa and IV only. (3)Union quota may only be fished from 1 January to 31 October 2016. (4)A sorting grid shall be used. (5)A sorting grid shall be used. Includes a maximum of 15 % of unavoidable by-catches (NOP/2A3A4), to be counted against this quota. (6)Union quota may be fished from 1 November 2016 to 31 October 2017.

Article 11

Entry into force

This Regulation shall enter into force on the day of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.

It shall apply from 1 January 2017, with the exception of Article 10 which shall apply from 1 November 2016.

This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States.

ANNEX

TACs APPLICABLE TO UNION FISHING VESSELS IN AREAS WHERE TACs EXIST BY SPECIES AND BY AREA

The following tables set out the TACs and quotas (in tonnes live weight, except where otherwise specified) by stock, and conditions functionally linked thereto.

The references to fishing zones are references to ICES zones, unless otherwise specified.

The fish stocks are referred to using the alphabetical order of the Latin names of the species.

For the purposes of this Regulation, the following comparative table of Latin names and common names is provided:

Scientific name Alpha-3 code Common name
Clupea harengus HER Herring
Gadus morhua COD Cod
Pleuronectes platessa PLE Plaice
Salmo salar SAL Atlantic salmon
Sprattus sprattus SPR Sprat
Species: Herring Clupea harengus Zone:
--- --- ---
Finland 115 599
Sweden 25 399
Union 140 998
TAC 140 998
Species: Herring Clupea harengus Zone:
--- --- ---
Denmark 3 981
Germany 15 670
Finland 2
Poland 3 695
Sweden 5 053
Union 28 401
TAC 28 401
Species: Herring Clupea harengus Zone:
--- --- ---
Denmark 4 205
Germany 1 115
Estonia 21 473
Finland 41 914
Latvia 5 299
Lithuania 5 580
Poland 47 618
Sweden 63 925
Union 191 129
TAC Not relevant
Species: Herring Clupea harengus Zone:
--- --- ---
Estonia 14 350
Latvia 16 724
Union 31 074
TAC 31 074
Species Cod Gadus morhua Zone:
--- --- ---
Denmark 7 089
Germany 2 820
Estonia 691
Finland 542
Latvia 2 636
Lithuania 1 736
Poland 8 161
Sweden 7 182
Union 30 857
TAC Not relevant
Species: Cod Gadus morhua Zone:
--- --- ---
Denmark 2 444
Germany 1 194
Estonia 54
Finland 48
Latvia 202
Lithuania 131
Poland 654
Sweden 870
Union 5 597
TAC 5 597  (1)
(1)This quota may be fished from 1 January to 31 January and from 1 April to 31 December 2017. However, fishing vessels of less than 15 metres in length overall (except pair trawling vessels) which are equipped with a vessel-monitoring system in accordance with Article 9(2) of Regulation (EC) No 1224/2009 shall also be allowed to fish this quota from 1 February to 31 March 2017 in areas where the water depth is less than 20 metres. Article 9(5) of Regulation (EC) No 1224/2009 shall not apply.
Species: Plaice Pleuronectes platessa Zone:
--- --- ---
Denmark 5 632
Germany 626
Poland 1 179
Sweden 425
Union 7 862
TAC 7 862
Species: Atlantic salmon Salmo salar Zone:
--- --- ---
Denmark 19 879  (1)
Germany 2 212  (1)
Estonia 2 020  (1)
Finland 24 787  (1)
Latvia 12 644  (1)
Lithuania 1 486  (1)
Poland 6 030  (1)
Sweden 26 870  (1)
Union 95 928  (1)
TAC Not relevant
(1)Expressed by number of individual fish.
Species: Atlantic salmon Salmo salar Zone:
--- --- ---
Estonia 1 075  (1)
Finland 9 410  (1)
Union 10 485  (1)
TAC Not relevant
(1)Expressed by number of individual fish.
Species: Sprat Sprattus sprattus Zone:
--- --- ---
Denmark 25 745
Germany 16 310
Estonia 29 896
Finland 13 477
Latvia 36 107
Lithuania 13 061
Poland 76 627
Sweden 49 770
Union 260 993
TAC Not relevant

(1) Council Regulation (EC) No 2187/2005 of 21 December 2005 for the conservation of fishery resources through technical measures in the Baltic Sea, the Belts and the Sound, amending Regulation (EC) No 1434/98 and repealing Regulation (EC) No 88/98 (OJ L 349, 31.12.2005, p. 1).

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