Council Regulation (EU) 2015/2072 of 17 November 2015 fixing for 2016 the fishing opportunities for certain fish stocks and groups of fish stocks applicable in the Baltic Sea and amending Regulations (EU) No 1221/2014 and (EU) 2015/104

Subject matter

Article 1

This Regulation fixes the fishing opportunities for certain fish stocks and groups of fish stocks in the Baltic Sea for 2016.

Scope

Article 2

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

Definitions

Article 3

For the purposes of this Regulation the following definitions shall apply: (1) ‘ICES’ means International Council for the Exploration of the Sea; (2) ‘Baltic Sea’ means ICES zones IIIb, IIIc and IIId; (3) ‘subdivision’ means an ICES subdivision of the Baltic Sea as defined in Annex I to Council Regulation (EC) No 2187/2005  ( 7 ) ; (4) ‘fishing vessel’ means any vessel equipped for commercial exploitation of marine biological resources; (5) ‘Union fishing vessel’ means a fishing vessel flying the flag of a Member State and registered in the Union; (6) ‘stock’ means a marine biological resource that occurs in a given management area; (7) ‘total allowable catch’ (TAC) means the quantity of each stock that can be: (i) caught over the period of a year, for fisheries that are subject to a landing obligation pursuant to Article 15 of Regulation (EU) No 1380/2013; or (ii) landed over the period of a year, for fisheries that are not subject to a landing obligation pursuant to Article 15 of Regulation (EU) No 1380/2013; (8) ‘quota’ means a proportion of the TAC allocated to the Union, a Member State or a third country.

TACs and allocations

Article 4

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

Special provisions on allocations of fishing opportunities

Article 5

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, 106 and 107 of Regulation (EC) No 1224/2009.

Conditions for landing catches and by-catches not subject to the landing obligation

Article 6

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 Article 15 of that Regulation. 2.   Catches and by-catches of plaice shall be retained on board or landed only where they have been taken by Union fishing vessels flying the flag of a Member State that has a quota provided that that quota is not exhausted. 3.   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 for the purpose of the derogation from the obligation to count catches against the relevant quota provided for in that Article.

Amendment to Regulation (EU) 2015/104

Article 7

In Regulation (EU) 2015/104, the following Article is inserted: ‘Article 18a Flexibility in the fixing of fishing opportunities of certain stocks 1.   This Article shall apply to the following stocks: (a) mackerel in zones IIIa and IV; Union waters of IIa, IIIb, IIIc and IIId; (b) mackerel in areas VI, VII, VIIIa, VIIIb, VIIId and VIIIe; Union and international waters of Vb; international waters of IIa, XII and XIV; (c) mackerel in Norwegian waters of IIa and IVa; (d) herring in Union, Norwegian and international waters of I and II; (e) herring in the North Sea north of 53° N; (f) herring in areas IVc and VIId; (g) herring in zones VIIa, VIIg, VIIh, VIIj and VIIk; (h) horse mackerel in Union waters of IIa, IVa, VI, VIIa-c, VIIe-k, VIIIa, VIIIb, VIIId and VIIIe; in Union and international waters of Vb; in international waters of XII and XIV. 2.   Any quantities up to 25 % of a Member State's initial quota of the stocks identified in points (d) to (h) of paragraph 1 that have not been used in 2015 shall be added for the purpose of calculating the quota of the Member State concerned for the relevant stock for 2016. That percentage shall be 17,5 % for stocks identified in points (a) to (c) of paragraph 1. Any quantities transferred to other Member States pursuant to Article 16(8) of Regulation (EU) No 1380/2013 and any quantities deducted pursuant to Articles 37, 105 and 107 of Regulation (EC) No 1224/2009 shall be taken into account for the purpose of establishing quantities used and quantities not used under this paragraph. 3.   Where a Member State has used the option provided for in paragraph 2 of this Article in respect of a particular stock, no other flexibility as regards a carry-over of unused fishing opportunities shall apply in respect of that stock.’.

Amendment to Regulation (EU) No 1221/2014

Article 8

In Regulation (EU) No 1221/2014, the following Article is inserted: ‘Article 5a Flexibility in the fixing of fishing opportunities of certain stocks 1.   This Article shall apply to the following stocks: (a) herring in ICES subdivision 30-31; (b) herring in Union waters of ICES subdivisions 25-27, 28.2, 29 and 32; (c) herring in ICES subdivision 28.1; (d) sprat in Union waters of ICES subdivision 22-32. 2.   Any quantities up to 25 % of a Member State's initial quota of the stocks identified in paragraph 1 that have not been used in 2015 shall be added for the purpose of calculating the quota of the Member State concerned for the relevant stock for 2016. Any quantities transferred to other Member States pursuant to Article 16(8) of Regulation (EU) No 1380/2013 and any quantities deducted pursuant to Articles 37, 105 and 107 of Regulation (EC) No 1224/2009 shall be taken into account for the purpose of establishing quantities used and quantities not used under this paragraph. 3.   Where a Member State has used the option provided for in paragraph 2 of this Article in respect of a particular stock, no other flexibility as regards a carry-over of unused fishing opportunities shall apply in respect of that stock.’.

Data transmission

Article 9

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.

Flexibility

Article 10

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 TAC 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.

Entry into force

Article 11

This Regulation shall enter into force on the day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union . It shall apply from 1 January 2016. However, Articles 7 and 8 shall apply with effect from 1 January 2015.

ANNEXSupplementary provisions

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: Subdivisions 30-31 HER/3D30.; HER/3D31. Finland 99 098     Sweden 21 774     Union 120 872     TAC 120 872   Analytical TAC Species: Herring Clupea harengus Zone: Subdivisions 22-24 HER/3B23.; HER/3C22.; HER/3D24. Denmark 3 683     Germany 14 496     Finland 2   Article 6(3) of this Regulation shall apply. Poland 3 419     Sweden 4 674     Union 26 274     TAC 26 274   Analytical TAC Article 3(2) and (3) of Regulation (EC) No 847/96 shall not apply. Article 4 of Regulation (EC) No 847/96 shall not apply. Species: Herring Clupea harengus Zone: Union waters of Subdivisions 25-27, 28.2, 29 and 32 HER/3D25.; HER/3D26.; HER/3D27.; HER/3D28.2; HER/3D29.; HER/3D32. Denmark 3 905     Germany 1 035     Estonia 19 942   Article 6(3) of this Regulation shall apply. Finland 38 927     Latvia 4 921     Lithuania 5 182     Poland 44 224     Sweden 59 369     Union 177 505     TAC Not relevant   Analytical TAC Species: Herring Clupea harengus Zone: Subdivision 28.1 HER/03D.RG Estonia 16 124     Latvia 18 791   Article 6(3) of this Regulation shall apply. Union 34 915     TAC 34 915   Analytical TAC Species Cod Gadus morhua Zone: Union waters of Subdivisions 25-32 COD/3D25.; COD/3D26.; COD/3D27.; COD/3D28.; COD/3D29.; COD/3D30.; COD/3D31.; COD/3D32. Denmark 9 451     Germany 3 760     Estonia 921     Finland 723     Latvia 3 514     Lithuania 2 315     Poland 10 884     Sweden 9 575     Union 41 143     TAC Not relevant   Precautionary TAC Article 3(2) and (3) of Regulation (EC) No 847/96 shall not apply. Article 4 of Regulation (EC) No 847/96 shall not apply. Species: Cod Gadus morhua Zone: Subdivisions 22-24 COD/3B23.; COD/3C22.; COD/3D24. Denmark 5 552  ( 1 )     Germany 2 715  ( 1 )     Estonia 123  ( 1 )     Finland 109  ( 1 )     Latvia 459  ( 1 )     Lithuania 298  ( 1 )     Poland 1 486  ( 1 )     Sweden 1 978  ( 1 )     Union 12 720  ( 1 )     TAC 12 720  ( 1 )   Analytical TAC Article 3(2) and (3) of Regulation (EC) No 847/96 shall not apply. Article 4 of Regulation (EC) No 847/96 shall not apply. Species: Plaice Pleuronectes platessa Zone: Union waters of Subdivisions 22-32 PLE/3B23.; PLE/3C22.; PLE/3D24.; PLE/3D25.; PLE/3D26.; PLE/3D27.; PLE/3D28.; PLE/3D29.; PLE/3D30.; PLE/3D31.; PLE/3D32. Denmark 2 890     Germany 321     Poland 605     Sweden 218     Union 4 034     TAC 4 034   Analytical TAC Species: Atlantic salmon Salmo salar Zone: Union waters of Subdivisions 22-31 SAL/3B23.; SAL/3C22.; SAL/3D24.; SAL/3D25.; SAL/3D26.; SAL/3D27.; SAL/3D28.; SAL/3D29.; SAL/3D30.; SAL/3D31. Denmark 19 879  ( 2 )     Germany 2 212  ( 2 )     Estonia 2 020  ( 2 )     Finland 24 787  ( 2 )     Latvia 12 644  ( 2 )     Lithuania 1 486  ( 2 )     Poland 6 030  ( 2 )     Sweden 26 870  ( 2 )     Union 95 928  ( 2 )     TAC Not relevant   Analytical TAC Article 3(2) and (3) of Regulation (EC) No 847/96 shall not apply. Article 4 of Regulation (EC) No 847/96 shall not apply. Species: Atlantic salmon Salmo salar Zone: Union waters of Subdivision 32 SAL/3D32. Estonia 1 344  ( 3 )     Finland 11 762  ( 3 )     Union 13 106  ( 3 )     TAC Not relevant   Precautionary TAC Species: Sprat Sprattus sprattus Zone: Union waters of Subdivisions 22-32 SPR/3B23.; SPR/3C22.; SPR/3D24.; SPR/3D25.; SPR/3D26.; SPR/3D27.; SPR/3D28.; SPR/3D29.; SPR/3D30.; SPR/3D31.; SPR/3D32. Denmark 19 958     Germany 12 644     Estonia 23 175     Finland 10 447     Latvia 27 990     Lithuania 10 125     Poland 59 399     Sweden 38 582     Union 202 320     TAC Not relevant   Analytical TAC ( 1 )   This quota may be fished from 1 January to 14 February and from 1 April till 31 December 2016. ( 2 )   Expressed by number of individual fish. ( 3 )   Expressed by number of individual fish.