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

Subject matter

Article 1

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

Scope

Article 2

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.

Definitions

Article 3

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  ( 5 ) ; (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.

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

Conditions for landing catches and by-catches

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 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.

Measures on recreational fisheries for cod in subdivisions 22-24

Article 7

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.

Data transmission

Article 8

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 9

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.

Amendment to Regulation (EU) 2016/72

Article 10

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  ( 6 )  ( 8 ) 99 907  ( 6 )  ( 11 )     Germany 25  ( 6 )  ( 7 )  ( 8 ) 19  ( 6 )  ( 7 )  ( 11 )     The Netherlands 95  ( 6 )  ( 7 )  ( 8 ) 74  ( 6 )  ( 7 )  ( 11 )     Union 129 000  ( 6 )  ( 8 ) 100 000  ( 6 )  ( 11 )     Norway 15 000  ( 9 )       Faroe Islands 6 000  ( 10 )       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

Entry into force

Article 11

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.

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/30/31.) Finland 115 599     Sweden 25 399     Union 140 998     TAC 140 998   Analytical TAC Species: Herring Clupea harengus Zone: Subdivisions 22-24 (HER/3BC+24) Denmark 3 981     Germany 15 670     Finland 2     Poland 3 695     Sweden 5 053     Union 28 401     TAC 28 401   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 Article 6(2) of this Regulation shall apply Species: Herring Clupea harengus Zone: Union waters of Subdivisions 25-27, 28.2, 29 and 32 (HER/3D-R30) 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   Analytical TAC Article 6(2) of this Regulation shall apply Species: Herring Clupea harengus Zone: Subdivision 28.1 (HER/03D.RG) Estonia 14 350     Latvia 16 724     Union 31 074     TAC 31 074   Analytical TAC Article 6(2) of this Regulation shall apply Species Cod Gadus morhua Zone: Union waters of Subdivisions 25-32 (COD/3DX32.) 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   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/3BC+24) 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 )   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/3BCD-C) Denmark 5 632     Germany 626     Poland 1 179     Sweden 425     Union 7 862     TAC 7 862   Analytical TAC Species: Atlantic salmon Salmo salar Zone: Union waters of Subdivisions 22-31 (SAL/3BCD-F) 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 1 075  ( 3 )     Finland 9 410  ( 3 )     Union 10 485  ( 3 )     TAC Not relevant   Precautionary TAC Species: Sprat Sprattus sprattus Zone: Union waters of Subdivisions 22-32 (SPR/3BCD-C) 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   Analytical TAC Article 6(2) of this Regulation shall apply ( 1 )   This quota may be fished from 1 January to 31 January 2017 and from 1 April to 31 December 2017. ( 2 )   Expressed by number of individual fish. ( 3 )   Expressed by number of individual fish.