Regulation 2012/5 - Fixing for 2012 of the fishing opportunities for certain fish stocks and groups of fish stocks applicable in the Black Sea - Main contents

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

L 3/1

Article 43(3) of the Treaty provides that the Council, on a proposal from the Commission, is to adopt measures on the fixing and allocation of fishing opportunities.

Council Regulation (EC) No 2371/2002 of 20 December 2002 on the conservation and sustainable exploitation of fisheries resources under the common fisheries policy (1) requires that measures governing access to waters and resources and the sustainable pursuit of fishing activities be established taking into account available scientific advice and, in particular, the report drawn up by the Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries (STECF).

It is incumbent upon the Council to adopt measures on the fixing and allocation of fishing opportunities by fishery or group of fisheries, including certain conditions functionally linked thereto, as appropriate. Fishing opportunities should be distributed among Member States in such a way as to assure each Member State relative stability of fishing activities for each stock or fishery and having due regard to the objectives of the common fisheries policy established in Regulation (EC) No 2371/2002.

The total allowable catches (TACs) should be established on the basis of available scientific advice, taking into account biological and socioeconomic aspects whilst ensuring fair treatment between fishing sectors, as well as in the light of the opinions expressed during the consultation of stakeholders.

The use of fishing opportunities set out in this Regulation should be subject to Council Regulation (EC) No 1224/2009 of 20 November 2009 establishing a Community control system for ensuring compliance with the rules of the common fisheries policy (2) and in particular to Articles 33 and 34 thereof concerning respectively the recording of catches and fishing effort and the notification of data on the exhaustion of fishing opportunities. It is therefore necessary to specify the codes to be used by the Member States when sending data to the Commission relating to landings of stocks subject to this Regulation.

In accordance with Article 2 of Council Regulation (EC) No 847/96 of 6 May 1996 introducing additional conditions for year-to-year management of TACs and quotas (3), the stocks that are subject to the various measures referred to therein must be identified.

In order to avoid interruption of fishing activities and to ensure the livelihood of Union fishermen, it is important to open those fisheries on 1 January 2012. For reasons of urgency, this Regulation should enter into force immediately after its publication,

‘GFCM’ means General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean;

‘Black Sea’ means the GFCM geographical sub-area as defined in resolution GFCM/33/2009/2;

‘EU vessel’ means a fishing vessel flying the flag of a Member State and registered in the Union;

‘total allowable catch’ (TAC) means the quantity that can be taken from each stock each year;

‘quota’ means a proportion of the TAC allocated to the Union, a Member State or a third country.

exchanges made pursuant to Article 20(5) of Regulation (EC) No 2371/2002;

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

additional landings allowed pursuant to Article 3 of Regulation (EC) No 847/96;

quantities withheld in accordance with Article 4 of Regulation (EC) No 847/96;

deductions made pursuant to Articles 37, 105 and 107 of Regulation (EC) No 1224/2009.

the catches have been taken by vessels of a Member State having a quota and that quota is not exhausted; or

the catches consist of a share in a Union quota which has not been allocated by quota among Member States, and that Union quota has not been exhausted.