Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2024/3093 of 13 October 2022 amending Regulation (EU) 2019/1241 of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards specific technical measures to reduce by-catches of cod in the Baltic Sea

• CELEX: Delegated Regulation (EU) 2024/3093
• Articles: 3

Article 1

Annex VIII to Regulation (EU) 2019/1241 is amended in accordance with the Annex to this Regulation.

Article 2

This Regulation shall enter into force on the twentieth day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union .

It shall apply from 9 April 2025.

Schedules & Appendices

ANNEX

ANNEX

In Annex VIII to Regulation (EU) 2019/1241, in Part B, the following point 1.3 is added:

‘1.3.

Specific measures for demersal fisheries when the directed fishery for cod is prohibited

1.3.1.

By way of derogation from point 1.1 and from the first entry of the table in point 1.2, except for footnote 1, the following specific measures shall apply in ICES subdivisions 22-26 when the directed fishery for cod is prohibited and when other fishing activities are not prohibited in these subdivisions:

1.3.1.1.

In ICES subdivisions 22 to 26 vessels fishing with bottom trawls shall use:

(i)

a Roofless selection device in combination with the gear specifications set out in point 1.1, any new gear that is approved by the Commission and complies with the requirements of Article 15(4) of this Regulation; or

(ii)

a T90 codend modified by increasing the minimum mesh size to at least 125 mm and reinforcing the selvedges with lastridge ropes (modified T90 codend), in combination with a Roofless selection device; or

(iii)

a square mesh codend constructed of two panels with the same netting material as the escape window of the Bacoma codend laid down in point 1.1, and a minimum mesh size of at least 125 mm, in combination with a Roofless selection device.

Technical specifications of the selection devices set out above are provided in Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/3094  ( *1 ) .

1.3.1.2.

In addition to the gear configurations specified in point 1.3.1.1, in ICES subdivisions 24 to 26, bottom trawls may also use the modified T90 codend referred to in point 1.3.1.1(ii) without the Roofless selection device.

1.3.2.

When using the gear configurations referred to in point 1.3.1, masters of Union fishing vessels shall fill in a separate page in the paper fishing logbook or report the catches in the electronic fishing logbook separately from the catches made with other gear configurations and shall record which gear configuration has been used.

1.3.3.

Each flag Member State shall transmit to the Commission the relevant scientific data and information, including the quantities of cod resulting from fishing with the gear configurations referred to in point 1.3.1 broken down by relevant areas, annually by 1 April. The Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries (STECF) shall assess the data at the latest by 1 August of each relevant year, as of the third year of application of these measures.

1.3.4.

As of the third year of application of these measures the Commission shall annually assess whether the potentially changing length structure of the cod stocks has an impact on the by-catch reduction efficiency of the alternative gears referred to in point 1.3.1.

1.3.5.

Based on relevant scientific information, the Member States having a direct management interest may at any time agree on a joint recommendation in accordance with Article 18(1) of Regulation (EU) No 1380/2013 requesting the Commission to modify the measures set out in points 1.3.1 to 1.3.4 above.

( *1 )   Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/3094 of 27 November 2024 laying down detailed rules on certain selective devices to reduce incidental catches of cod in the Baltic Sea provided for in Annex VIII to Regulation (EU) 2019/1241 of the European Parliament and of the Council ( OJ L, 2024/3094, 10.12.2024, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg_impl/2024/3094/oj ).’

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