Subject-matter and scope
1. This Regulation establishes a multiannual plan (‘the plan’) for the following stocks (‘the stocks concerned’) in the Union waters of the Baltic Sea and for the fisheries exploiting the stocks concerned:
(a)
cod ( Gadus morhua ) in ICES Subdivisions 22-24 (Western Baltic cod);
(b)
cod ( Gadus morhua ) in ICES Subdivisions 25-32 (Eastern Baltic cod);
(c)
herring ( Clupea harengus ) in ICES Subdivisions 25, 26, 27, 28.2, 29 and 32 (Central Baltic herring);
(d)
herring ( Clupea harengus ) in ICES Subdivision 28.1 (Gulf of Riga herring);
(e)
herring ( Clupea harengus ) in ICES Subdivision 30 (Bothnian Sea herring);
(f)
herring ( Clupea harengus ) in ICES Subdivision 31 (Bothnian Bay herring);
(g)
herring ( Clupea harengus ) in ICES Subdivisions 22-24 (Western Baltic herring);
(h)
sprat ( Sprattus sprattus ) in ICES Subdivisions 22-32 (Baltic sprat).
2. This Regulation also applies to by-catches of plaice ( Pleuronectes platessa ), flounder ( Platichthys flesus ), turbot ( Scophthalmus maximus ) and brill ( Scophthalmus rhombus ) in ICES Subdivisions 22-32 caught when fishing for the stocks concerned.
Definitions
For the purposes of this Regulation, the definitions referred to in Article 4 of Regulation (EU) No 1380/2013, Article 4 of Regulation (EC) No 1224/2009 and Article 2 of Regulation (EC) No 2187/2005 apply. In addition, the following definitions apply:
(1)
‘pelagic stocks’ means the stocks listed in points (c) to (h) of Article 1(1) of this Regulation and any combination thereof;
(2)
‘range of F MSY ’ means a range of values where all levels of fishing mortality within the scientifically indicated boundaries of that range, in situations of mixed fisheries and in accordance with scientific advice, result in maximum sustainable yields (MSY) in the long term under existing average environmental conditions without significantly affecting the reproduction process for the stocks concerned;
(3)
‘MSY F lower ’ and ‘MSY F upper ’ mean the lowest value and the highest value within the range of F MSY , respectively;
(4)
‘MSY B trigger ’ means the spawning stock biomass reference point below which specific and appropriate management action is to be taken to ensure that exploitation rates in combination with natural variations rebuild stocks above levels capable of producing MSY in the long term;
(5)
‘Member States concerned’ means Member States having a direct management interest, namely Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Finland and Sweden.
