Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2023/2918 of 22 August 2023 supplementing Regulation (EU) No 1380/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards the establishment of a de minimis exemption to the landing obligation for certain demersal fisheries in the Adriatic and south-eastern Mediterranean Sea

• CELEX: Delegated Regulation (EU) 2023/2918
• Articles: 4

Article 1 Implementation of the landing obligation

The landing obligation provided for in Article 15(1) of Regulation (EU) No 1380/2013 shall apply in Union waters of the Adriatic and south-eastern Mediterranean Sea to demersal fisheries in accordance with this Regulation.

Article 2 Definitions

For the purposes of this Regulation, the following definitions shall apply:

(a)

‘GFCM Geographical Sub-areas’ (‘GSAs’) means General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (‘GFCM’) Geographical Sub-Areas as defined in the Annex I to Regulation (EU) No 1343/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council  ( 10 ) ;

(b)

‘Adriatic Sea’ means GFCM Geographical Sub-Areas 17 and 18;

(c)

‘South-eastern Mediterranean Sea’ means GFCM Geographical Sub-Areas 14, 15, 16, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26 and 27.

Article 3 De minimis exemption

1.   By way of derogation from Article 15(1) of Regulation (EU) No 1380/2013, the following quantities of species may be discarded pursuant to Article 15(4), point (c), of Regulation (EU) No 1380/2013:

(a)

in the Adriatic Sea:

(i)

for hake (Merluccius merluccius) and mullets (Mullus spp.), up to a maximum of 5 % of the total annual catches of those species caught by vessels using bottom trawls;

(ii)

for hake (Merluccius merluccius) and mullets (Mullus spp.), up to a maximum of 1 % of the total annual catches of those species caught by vessels using gillnets and trammel nets (GSN, GN, GND, GNC, GTN, GTR, GEN);

(iii)

for hake (Merluccius merluccius) and mullets (Mullus spp.), up to a maximum of 1 % of the total annual catches of those species caught by vessels using rapido (TBB);

(iv)

for common sole (Solea solea), up to 3 % of total annual catches of those species caught by vessels using bottom trawls;

(v)

for European seabass (Dicentrarchus labrax) , annular seabream (Diplodus annularis), sharpsnout seabream (Diplodus puntazzo ), white seabream (Diplodus sargus ), two-banded seabream (Diplodus vulgaris) , groupers (Epinephelus spp.) striped seabream (Lithognathus mormyrus) , Spanish seabream (Pagellus acarne), red seabream ( Pagellus bogaraveo ), common pandora ( Pagellus erythrinus ), common seabream (Pagrus pagrus) , wreckfish (Polyprion americanus), gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata) and deep-water rose shrimp (Parapenaeus longirostris), up to a maximum of 5 % of the total annual catches of those species caught by vessels using bottom trawls;

(vi)

for European seabass ( Dicentrarchus labrax ), annular seabream ( Diplodus annularis ), sharpsnout seabream ( Diplodus puntazzo ), white seabream ( Diplodus sargus ), two-banded seabream ( Diplodus vulgaris ), groupers ( Epinephelus spp.), striped seabream ( Lithognathus mormyrus ), Spanish seabream ( Pagellus acarne ), red seabream ( Pagellus bogaraveo ), common pandora ( Pagellus erythrinus ), common seabream ( Pagrus pagrus ), wreckfish ( Polyprion americanus ), common sole ( Solea solea ) and gilthead seabream ( Sparus aurata ), up to a maximum of 2 % of the total annual catches of those species caught by vessels using gillnets and trammel nets (GNS, GN, GND, GNC, GTN, GTR, GEN);

(vii)

for European seabass ( Dicentrarchus labrax ), annular seabream ( Diplodus annularis ), sharpsnout seabream ( Diplodus puntazzo ), white seabream ( Diplodus sargus ), two-banded seabream ( Diplodus vulgaris ), groupers ( Epinephelus spp.), striped seabream ( Lithognathus mormyrus ), Spanish seabream ( Pagellus acarne ), common pandora ( Pagellus erythrinus ), common seabream ( Pagrus pagrus ), wreckfish (Polyprion americanus ), common sole ( Solea solea ) and gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata ), up to a maximum of 1 % of the total annual catches of those species caught by vessels using hooks and lines (LHP, LHM, LLS, LLD, LL, LTL, LX);

(viii)

for anchovy ( Engraulis encrasicolus ), sardine ( Sardina pilchardus ), mackerel ( Scomber spp.) and horse mackerel ( Trachurus spp.), up to a maximum of 5 % of the total annual by-catches of those species caught by vessels using bottom trawls;

(ix)

for Norway lobster ( Nephrops norvegicus ), up to a maximum of 1 % of the total annual catches of this specie caught by vessels using pots and traps;

(b)

in the south-eastern Mediterranean Sea:

(i)

for hake ( Merluccius merluccius ) and mullets ( Mullus spp.), up to a maximum of 5 % of the total annual catches of those species caught by vessels using bottom trawls;

(ii)

for hake ( Merluccius merluccius ) and mullets ( Mullus spp.), up to a maximum of 1 % of the total annual catches of those species caught by vessels using gillnets and trammel nets (GNS, GN, GND, GNC, GTN, GTR, GEN);

(iii)

for deep-water rose shrimp ( Parapenaeaus longirostris ), up to a maximum of 5 % of the total annual catches of that species caught by vessels using bottom trawls;

(iv)

for European seabass ( Dicentrarchus labrax ), annular seabream ( Diplodus annularis ), sharpsnout seabream ( Diplodus puntazzo ), white seabream ( Diplodus sargus ), two-banded seabream ( Diplodus vulgaris ), groupers ( Epinephelus spp.), striped seabream ( Lithognathus mormyrus ), Spanish seabream ( Pagellus acarne ), blackspot seabream ( Pagellus bogaraveo ), common pandora ( Pagellus erythrinus ), common seabream ( Pagrus pagrus ), wreckfish ( Polyprion americanus ) gilthead seabream ( Sparus aurata ) Norway Lobster ( Nephrops norvegicus ) and common sole ( Solea solea ), up to a maximum of 5 % of the total annual catches of those species caught by vessels using bottom trawls;

(v)

for European seabass ( Dicentrarchus labrax ), annular seabream ( Diplodus annularis ), sharpsnout seabream ( Diplodus puntazzo ), white seabream ( Diplodus sargus ), two-banded seabream ( Diplodus vulgaris ), groupers ( Epinephelus spp.), striped seabream ( Lithognathus mormyrus ), Spanish seabream ( Pagellus acarne ), blackspot seabream ( Pagellus bogaraveo ), common pandora ( Pagellus erythrinus ), common seabream ( Pagrus pagrus ), wreckfish ( Polyprion americanus ) gilthead seabream ( Sparus aurata ), common sole ( Solea solea ), lobster ( Homarus gammarus ) and crawfish ( Palinuridae ), up to a maximum of 3 % of total annual catches of those species caught by vessels using gillnets and trammel nets (GNS, GN, GND, GNC, GTN, GTR, GEN). In case landings of those species are less than 25 % of the total landings of the fisheries, the quantities to be discarded may be up to a maximum of 5 % of the total annual catches of those species;

(vi)

for European seabass ( Dicentrarchus labrax ), annular seabream ( Diplodus annularis ), sharpsnout seabream ( Diplodus puntazzo ), white seabream ( Diplodus sargus ), two-banded seabream ( Diplodus vulgaris ), groupers ( Epinephelus spp.), striped seabream ( Lithognathus mormyrus ), blackspot seabream ( Pagellus bogaraveo ), Spanish seabream ( Pagellus acarne ), common pandora ( Pagellus erythrinus ), common seabream ( Pagrus pagrus ), wreckfish ( Polyprion americanus ), gilthead seabream ( Sparus aurata ), hake ( Merluccius merluccius ) up to a maximum of 1 % of the total annual catches of those species caught by vessels using hooks and lines (LHP, LHM, LLS, LLD, LL, LTL, LX). In case landings of those species are less than 25 % of the total landings of the fisheries, the quantities to be discarded may be up to a maximum of 3 % of the total annual catches of those species;

(vii)

for anchovy ( Engraulis encrasicolus ), sardine ( Sardina pilchardus ), mackerel ( Scomber spp.) and horse mackerel ( Trachurus spp.), up to a maximum of 5 % of the total annual by-catches of those species caught by vessels using bottom trawls.

2.   By 1 May 2027, the Member States having a direct management interest in the fisheries in the Adriatic and south-Eastern Mediterranean Sea shall submit to the Commission additional discard data and the results of the research, projects and studies supporting the exemption laid down in paragraph 1. The STECF shall assess the data and information submitted by 31 July 2027 at the latest.

Article 4 Entry into force and application

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 2024 until 31 December 2027.