Council Regulation (EU) 2026/249 of 26 January 2026 fixing for 2026, 2027 and 2028 the fishing opportunities for certain fish stocks, applicable in Union waters and, for Union fishing vessels, in certain non-Union waters, and amending Regulation (EU) 2025/202

• CELEX: Regulation (EU) 2026/249
• Articles: 85

Article 1 Subject matter

1.   This Regulation fixes fishing opportunities for certain fish stocks, applicable in Union waters and, for Union fishing vessels, in certain non-Union waters.

2.   The fishing opportunities referred to in paragraph 1 include:

(a)

catch limits for the year 2026 and, where specified in this Regulation, also for 2027 and 2028;

(b)

fishing effort limits for the year 2026, except the fishing effort limits set out in Annex II, for the period from 1 February 2026 to 31 January 2027;

(c)

fishing opportunities for the period from 1 December 2025 to 30 November 2026 for certain stocks in the CCAMLR Convention area and for certain stocks in the SIOFA Agreement Area; and

(d)

fishing opportunities for the period from 1 June 2026 to 31 May 2027 in the NPFC Convention area.

Article 2 Scope

1.   This Regulation applies to the following fishing vessels:

(a)

Union fishing vessels; and

(b)

third country fishing vessels in Union waters.

2.   This Regulation also applies to:

(a)

certain recreational fisheries expressly referred to in the relevant provisions of this Regulation; and

(b)

commercial fisheries from shore.

Article 3 Definitions

For the purposes of this Regulation, the definitions in Article 4 of Regulation (EU) No 1380/2013 apply. In addition, the following definitions apply:

(a)

‘third country fishing vessel’ means a fishing vessel flying the flag of, and registered in, a third country;

(b)

‘recreational fisheries’ means non-commercial fishing activities exploiting marine biological resources in the context of recreation, tourism or sport;

(c)

‘international waters’ means waters outside the sovereignty or jurisdiction of any State;

(d)

‘total allowable catch’ (TAC) means:

(i)

in fisheries subject to the exemption from the landing obligation referred to in Article 15(4) to (7) of Regulation (EU) No 1380/2013, the quantity of fish that may be landed from each stock each year;

(ii)

in all other fisheries, the quantity of fish that may be caught from each stock each year;

(e)

‘quota’ means a proportion of a TAC that is allocated to the Union, a Member State or a third country;

(f)

‘analytical assessment’ means a quantitative evaluation of trends in a given stock, based on data about the stock’s biology and exploitation, including based on proxies, which scientific review has indicated to be of sufficient quality to provide scientific advice;

(g)

‘analytical TAC’ means a TAC for which an analytical assessment is available;

(h)

‘precautionary TAC’ means a TAC for which an analytical assessment is not available but rather an assessment based on the precautionary approach is available or no assessment is available;

(i)

‘mesh size’ means the mesh size of fishing nets as defined in Article 6, point (34), of Regulation (EU) 2019/1241 of the European Parliament and of the Council  ( 22 ) ;

(j)

‘Union fishing fleet register’ means the register maintained by the Commission pursuant to Article 24(3) of Regulation (EU) No 1380/2013;

(k)

‘fishing logbook’ means the logbook referred to in Article 14 of Regulation (EC) No 1224/2009;

(l)

‘instrumented buoy’ means a buoy clearly marked with a unique reference number allowing identification of its owner and equipped with a satellite tracking system to monitor its position;

(m)

‘operational buoy’ means any instrumented buoy, previously activated, switched on and deployed at sea on a drifting fish aggregating device (FAD) or log, which transmits positions and other available information such as echo-sounder estimates.

Article 4 Fishing zones

For the purposes of this Regulation, the following fishing zone definitions apply:

(a)

‘ICES (International Council for the Exploration of the Sea) zones’ means the geographical areas specified in Annex III to Regulation (EC) No 218/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council  ( 23 ) ;

(b)

‘Skagerrak’ means the geographical area bounded on the west by a line drawn from the Hanstholm lighthouse to the Lindesnes lighthouse and on the south by a line drawn from the Skagen lighthouse to the Tistlarna lighthouse and from that point to the nearest point on the Swedish coast;

(c)

‘Kattegat’ means the geographical area bounded on the north by a line drawn from the Skagen lighthouse to the Tistlarna lighthouse and from that point to the nearest point on the Swedish coast and on the south by a line drawn from Hasenøre to Gnibens Spids, from Korshage to Spodsbjerg and from Gilbjerg Hoved to Kullen;

(d)

‘functional unit 16 of ICES subarea 7’ means the geographical area bounded by rhumb lines sequentially joining the following positions:

—

53°30'N 15°00'W,

—

53°30'N 11°00'W,

—

51°30'N 11°00'W,

—

51°30'N 13°00'W,

—

51°00'N 13°00'W,

—

51°00'N 15°00'W;

(e)

‘functional unit 25 of ICES division 8c’ means the geographical sea area bounded by rhumb lines sequentially joining the following positions:

—

43°00'N 9°00'W,

—

43°00'N 10°00'W,

—

44°00'N 10°00'W,

—

44°00'N 9°00'W,

—

44°30'N 9°00'W,

—

44°30'N 8°00'W,

—

43°30'N 8°00'W;

(f)

‘functional unit 26 of ICES division 9a’ means the geographical area bounded by rhumb lines sequentially joining the following positions:

—

43°00'N 8°00'W,

—

43°00'N 10°00'W,

—

42°00'N 10°00'W,

—

42 00'N 8°00'W;

(g)

‘functional unit 27 of ICES division 9a’ means the geographical area bounded by rhumb lines sequentially joining the following positions:

—

42°00'N 8°00'W,

—

42°00'N 10°00'W,

—

38°30'N 10°00'W,

—

38°30'N 9°00'W,

—

40°00'N 9°00'W,

—

40°00'N 8°00'W;

(h)

‘functional unit 30 of ICES division 9a’ means the geographical area under the jurisdiction of Spain in the Gulf of Cádiz and in the adjacent waters of ICES division 9a;

(i)

‘functional unit 31 of ICES division 8c’ means the geographical sea area bounded by rhumb lines sequentially joining the following positions:

—

43°30'N 8°00'W,

—

44°30'N 8°00'W,

—

44°30'N 2°00'W,

—

43°00'N 2°00'W,

—

43°00'N 6°00'W,

—

43°30'N 6°00'W;

(j)

‘Gulf of Cádiz’ means the geographical area of ICES division 9a east of longitude 7° 23' 48″ W;

(k)

‘CCAMLR (Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources) Convention area’ means the geographical area defined in the Convention on the conservation of Antarctic marine living resources  ( 24 ) ;

(l)

‘CECAF (Committee for Eastern Central Atlantic Fisheries) areas’ means the geographical areas specified in Annex II to Regulation (EC) No 216/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council  ( 25 ) ;

(m)

‘IATTC (Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission) Convention area’ means the geographical area defined in the Convention for the Strengthening of the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission established by the 1949 Convention between the United States of America and the Republic of Costa Rica (Antigua Convention)  ( 26 ) ;

(n)

‘ICCAT (International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas) Convention area’ means the geographical area defined in the International Convention for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas  ( 27 ) ;

(o)

‘IOTC (Indian Ocean Tuna Commission) Area of Competence’ means the geographical area defined in the Agreement for the establishment of the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission  ( 28 ) ;

(p)

‘NAFO (Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organisation) Convention Area’ and ‘NAFO areas’ means the geographical areas defined in the Convention on future Multilateral Cooperation in the North-West Atlantic Fisheries  ( 29 ) ;

(q)

‘NAFO Regulatory Area’ means the part of the NAFO Convention Area which is beyond national jurisdiction;

(r)

‘NPFC Convention area’ means the geographical area defined in the Convention on the Conservation and Management of High Seas Fisheries Resources in the North Pacific Ocean  ( 30 ) ;

(s)

‘SEAFO (South East Atlantic Fisheries Organisation) Convention area’ means the geographical area defined in the Convention on the Conservation and Management of Fishery Resources in the South-East Atlantic Ocean  ( 31 ) ;

(t)

‘SIOFA (Southern Indian Ocean Fisheries Agreement) Agreement Area’ means the geographical area defined in the Southern Indian Ocean Fisheries Agreement  ( 32 ) ;

(u)

‘SPRFMO (South Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Organisation) Convention area’ means the geographical area defined in the Convention on the Conservation and Management of High Seas Fishery Resources in the South Pacific Ocean  ( 33 ) ;

(v)

‘WCPFC (Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission) Convention area’ means the geographical area defined in the Convention on the Conservation and Management of Highly Migratory Fish Stocks in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean  ( 34 ) ;

(w)

‘high seas of the Bering Sea’ means the geographical area of the high seas of the Bering Sea beyond 200 nautical miles from the baselines from which the breadth of the territorial seas of the coastal States of the Bering Sea is measured;

(x)

‘overlap area between IATTC and WCPFC Convention areas’ means the geographical area defined by the following limits:

—

longitude 150° W,

—

longitude 130° W,

—

latitude 4° S,

—

latitude 50° S.

Article 5 TACs and allocations

1.   The TACs for Union fishing vessels in Union waters and certain non-Union waters, their allocation among Member States and, where appropriate, the conditions functionally linked thereto are set out in Annex I.

2.   Union fishing vessels may be authorised by the coastal State concerned to fish in waters under the jurisdiction of the Faroe Islands, Greenland, Norway and in the fishing zone around Jan Mayen subject to the TACs set out in Annex I to this Regulation and subject to the conditions provided for in Article 25 of this Regulation, in Part A of Annex V to this Regulation and in Regulation (EU) 2017/2403 of the European Parliament and of the Council  ( 35 ) and in delegated acts adopted by the Commission on the basis of that Regulation.

3.   Union fishing vessels may be authorised by the United Kingdom to fish in waters under its jurisdiction subject to the TACs in Annex I to this Regulation, the conditions provided for in Article 25 of this Regulation and in Regulation (EU) 2017/2403 and in delegated acts adopted by the Commission on the basis of that Regulation.

Article 6 TACs to be determined by Member States

1.   The TACs set out in Annex I to this Regulation shall, where specified in that Annex, be determined by the Member State concerned.

2.   The TACs to be determined by a Member State referred to in paragraph 1 shall:

(a)

be consistent with the objectives and rules set out in Regulations (EU) No 1380/2013, (EU) 2018/973 and (EU) 2019/472, in particular the objective of sustainable exploitation of the stock; and

(b)

result in an exploitation of the stock that is:

(i)

if an analytical assessment is available, in line with maximum sustainable yield (MSY), with as high a probability as possible; or

(ii)

if an analytical assessment is unavailable or incomplete, consistent with the precautionary approach to fisheries management.

3.   By 15 March, each Member State concerned shall submit the following information to the Commission:

(a)

the TACs that it has determined;

(b)

the data that it has collected, assessed and used as a basis for the determination of the TACs; and

(c)

details as to how the determined TACs comply with the conditions laid down in paragraph 2.

4.   Where appropriate, the Commission may request advice from the Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries (STECF), in which the STECF:

(a)

assesses the information referred to in paragraph 3, points (b) and (c); and

(b)

assesses whether the TACs determined by Member States comply with the conditions laid down in paragraph 2.

5.   If, according to the advice of STECF, the information submitted by Member States is insufficient, the Member States concerned shall submit to the Commission updated information, together with justifications for the updated information in relation to the STECF advice, no later than one month after the publication of the STECF advice.

6.   If, according to the advice of STECF, the TACs determined by Member States do not comply with the conditions laid down in paragraph 2, the Member States concerned shall submit to the Commission updated TACs together with justification for those updated TACs in relation to the STECF advice as well as, where relevant, together with information referred to in paragraph 5, no later than one month after the publication of that advice.

Article 7 Conditions for landing catches and by-catches

1.   Catches that are not subject to the landing obligation under Article 15 of Regulation (EU) No 1380/2013 shall be retained on board or landed only if they:

(a)

have been taken by fishing vessels flying the flag of a Member State that has a quota and that quota has not been exhausted; or

(b)

make up a share of a Union quota that has not been allocated among Member States and that has not been exhausted.

2.   For the purposes of the derogation from the obligation to count catches against the relevant quotas, as provided for in Article 15(8) of Regulation (EU) No 1380/2013, the stocks of non-target species within safe biological limits referred to in that Article are identified in Annex I to this Regulation.

Article 8 Quota exchange mechanism for TACs for unavoidable by-catches

1.   The quota exchange mechanism set out in paragraphs 2 to 5 applies to the TACs identified in Annex IA.

2.   6 % of each quota from the TACs for cod ( Gadus morhua ) in the Celtic Sea (COD/7XAD34), cod in the West of Scotland (COD/5BE6A), whiting (Merlangius merlangus) in the Irish Sea (WHG/07A.) and plaice ( Pleuronectes platessa ) in ICES divisions 7h, 7j and 7k (PLE/7HJK.), and 3 % of each quota from the TAC for whiting in the West of Scotland (WHG/56-14), allocated to each Member State, shall be made available for a pool for quota exchanges (the ‘pool’), which shall open on 1 January. Member States without a quota shall have exclusive access to the pool until 31 March.

3.   The quantities drawn from the pool may not be exchanged or transferred to the following year. After 31 March, any unused quantities shall be returned to the Member States that initially contributed to the pool.

4.   Member States without a quota shall provide in return quotas for stocks listed in Part C of Annex IA unless the Member State without a quota and the Member State contributing to the pool agree otherwise.

5.   The quotas provided in return as referred to in paragraph 4 shall be of equivalent commercial value, determined on the basis of a market exchange rate or other mutually acceptable exchange rates. In the absence of alternatives, the equivalent commercial value shall be determined on the basis of average Union prices from the previous year, as provided by the European Market Observatory for Fisheries and Aquaculture Products.

6.   Where the quota exchange mechanism set out in paragraphs 2 to 5 does not allow Member States to cover their unavoidable by-catches to a similar extent, Member States shall endeavour to agree on quota exchanges pursuant to Article 16(8) of Regulation (EU) No 1380/2013, ensuring that quotas exchanged are of equivalent commercial value.

Article 9 Fishing effort limits in ICES division 7e

1.   For the period referred to in Article 1(2), point (b), of this Regulation, fishing effort limitations for sole ( Solea solea ) in ICES division 7e (the Western Channel) are set out in Annex II.

2.   At the request of a Member State in accordance with point 7.4 of Annex II, the Commission may adopt an implementing act by which it allocates to that Member State a number of days at sea in addition to those referred to in point 5 of Annex II, on which it may authorise a fishing vessel under its flag to be present in ICES division 7e when carrying on board any regulated gear. The Commission shall adopt that implementing act in accordance with the examination procedure referred to in Article 61(2) of this Regulation.

3.   At the request of a Member State, the Commission may adopt an implementing act by which it allocates to that Member State a maximum of three days at sea between 1 February 2026 and 31 January 2027, in addition to those referred to in point 5 of Annex II, on which a fishing vessel may be present in ICES division 7e on the basis of an enhanced programme of scientific observer coverage, as referred to in point 8.1 of Annex II. The Commission shall make such an allocation on the basis of the description submitted by that Member State in accordance with point 8.3 of Annex II and following consultation with the STECF. That implementing act shall be adopted in accordance with the examination procedure referred to in Article 61(2) of this Regulation.

Article 10 Measures on European seabass fisheries in ICES divisions 4b, 4c and 6a and ICES subarea 7

1.   It shall be prohibited for Union fishing vessels, as well as for any commercial fisheries from shore, to fish for European seabass ( Dicentrarchus labrax ) in ICES divisions 4b and 4c and in ICES subarea 7 or to retain on board, tranship, relocate or land European seabass caught in that area.

2.   The prohibition set out in paragraph 1 shall not apply to by-catches of European seabass in shore-based commercial netting activities. This exemption applies to historic numbers of beach nets set at pre-2017 levels. Shore-based commercial netting activities shall not target European seabass and only unavoidable by-catches of European seabass may be landed.

3.   By way of derogation from paragraph 1, in January 2026 and from 1 April to 31 December 2026, Union fishing vessels in ICES divisions 4b, 4c, 7d, 7e, 7f and 7h may fish for, retain on board, tranship, relocate or land European seabass caught in that area with the following gear and within the following limits:

(a)

using demersal trawls  ( 36 ) , for unavoidable by-catches not exceeding 10,0 tonnes per fishing vessel and per year and 20 % of the weight of the total catches of marine organisms on board caught by the fishing vessel concerned per fishing trip;

(b)

using seines  ( 37 ) , for unavoidable by-catches not exceeding 10,0 tonnes per fishing vessel and per year and 20 % of the weight of the total catches of marine organisms on board caught by the fishing vessel concerned per fishing trip;

(c)

using hooks and lines  ( 38 ) , not exceeding 8,0 tonnes per fishing vessel and per year;

(d)

using fixed gillnets  ( 39 ) , for unavoidable by-catches not exceeding 5,4 tonnes per fishing vessel and per year.

The derogations set out in the first subparagraph, point (c), shall apply to Union fishing vessels that have recorded catches of European seabass using hooks and lines over the period from 1 July 2015 to 30 September 2016.

The derogations set out in the first subparagraph, point (d), shall apply to Union fishing vessels that have recorded catches of European seabass using fixed gillnets over the period from 1 July 2015 to 30 September 2016.

In the case of a replacement of a Union fishing vessel, Member States may allow the derogations to apply to another Union fishing vessel provided that the number of Union fishing vessels subject to each of the derogations and their overall fishing capacity do not increase.

4.   The catch limits set out in paragraph 3 shall not be transferable between fishing vessels.

5.   In recreational fisheries, including from shore, in ICES divisions 4b, 4c, 6a and 7a to 7k:

(a)

from 1 February to 31 March 2026:

(i)

only ‘catch and release’ fishing with a rod or a handline for European seabass shall be allowed; and

(ii)

it shall be prohibited to retain, relocate, tranship or land European seabass caught in that area;

(b)

in January 2026 and from 1 April to 31 December 2026:

(i)

not more than three specimens of European seabass may be caught and retained per fisher per day;

(ii)

the minimum size of European seabass retained shall be 42 cm; and

(iii)

fixed nets shall not be used to catch or retain European seabass.

6.   Paragraph 5 shall apply without prejudice to more stringent national measures on recreational fisheries.

Article 11 Measures for European seabass fisheries in the ICES divisions 8a and 8b

1.   When determining their fishing opportunities for commercial fisheries for European seabass in ICES divisions 8a and 8b (the Bay of Biscay), Spain and France shall jointly ensure that the sum of their respective fishing opportunities, commercial discards, recreational landings and recreational dead discards does not exceed 3 883 tonnes. Regulation (EC) No 1224/2009 shall apply to those fishing opportunities.

2.   By 15 March, Spain and France shall inform the Commission of the fishing opportunities referred to in paragraph 1 and how those fishing opportunities comply with that paragraph.

3.   Catches in commercial fisheries under the fishing opportunities referred to in paragraph 1 shall be reported by Spain and by France (BSS/8AB).

4.   In recreational fisheries, including from shore, in ICES divisions 8a and 8b:

(a)

a maximum of two specimen of European seabass may be caught and retained per fisher per day; and

(b)

fixed nets shall not be used to catch or retain European seabass.

5.   Paragraph 4 shall apply without prejudice to more stringent national measures on recreational fisheries.

Article 12 Measures on recreational fisheries for pollack in ICES areas 6 and 7

1.   In recreational fisheries, including from shore, in ICES subareas 6 and 7, a maximum of three specimens of pollack ( Pollachius pollachius ) may be caught and retained per fisher per day.

2.   Paragraph 1 shall apply without prejudice to more stringent national measures on recreational fishing.

Article 13 Measures for pollack in ICES subareas 8, 9 and 10 and Union waters of CECAF area 34.1.1

1.   A minimum conservation reference size of 42 cm shall apply for catches of pollack ( Pollachius pollachius ) in ICES subareas 8, 9 and 10 and Union waters of CECAF area 34.1.1.

2.   In recreational fisheries, including from shore, in ICES subareas 8, 9 and 10 and Union waters of CECAF area 34.1.1:

(a)

a maximum of two specimens of pollack may be caught and retained per fisher per day; once that ceiling has been reached, ‘catch and release’ fishing may be carried out; and

(b)

no specimens of pollack are permitted to be caught and retained from 1 January to 30 April; ‘catch and release’ fishing may nevertheless be carried out during that period.

3.   Paragraph 2 applies without prejudice to more stringent national measures on recreational fishing.

Article 14 Measures on European eel fisheries in Union waters of ICES subareas 3, 4, 6, 7, 8 and 9

1.   This Article applies to Union marine and brackish waters of ICES subareas 3, 4, 6, 7, 8 and 9, and to adjacent Union brackish waters, including estuaries, coastal lagoons and transitional waters.

2.   This Article does not apply to commercial fishing operations conducted for the exclusive purpose of scientific investigations with or without a fishing vessel, provided that those investigations are carried out in compliance with the conditions set out in Article 25 of Regulation (EU) 2019/1241 and that the STECF has confirmed to the Commission and the Member States concerned that such scientific investigations are justified on scientific grounds.

3.   Commercial fishing activities for European eel ( Anguilla anguilla ) at all life stages for a period of at least six months between 1 April 2026 and 31 March 2027 shall be prohibited. In addition, Members States and fishers shall undertake all reasonable efforts to minimise and where possible eliminate incidental catch of European eel. When accidentally caught, specimens of European eel shall not be harmed and shall be promptly released. To that effect, the Member State concerned, either individually or jointly, shall determine one or more closure periods subject to the following conditions:

(a)

where appropriate, the closure period or periods may differ between Member States or within one Member State from one fishing area to another in order to take account of the geographical and temporal migration pattern of European eel at its different life stages;

(b)

the closure period or periods shall last for a consecutive or non-consecutive time span of at least six months, which shall apply to all fishers concerned in the relevant fishing area;

(c)

the closure period or periods shall be consistent with the conservation objectives set out in Regulation (EC) No 1100/2007, and with national management plans established pursuant to Article 2 of that Regulation; and

(d)

the closure period or periods shall cover the main migration period or periods, including the respective peak, of European eel at the respective life stage in the Member State concerned.

4.   By way of derogation from paragraph 3, point (d), for European eel of an overall length of 12 cm or more, the Member State concerned may allow fishing activities for up to a total of 30 consecutive or non-consecutive days, which shall apply to all fishers concerned in the relevant fishing area, during the main migration period. In that case, the Member States concerned shall determine an additional closure of an equivalent period of time during the main migration period or, subsidiarily, just before or after it. In cases where a Member State allows fishing on non-consecutive days, the fishing gear shall be taken out of the water during any period between of those non-consecutive days of fishing activities.

5.   By way of derogation from paragraph 3, point (d), the Member State concerned may allow fishing for European eel of an overall length of 12 cm or more when migrating from Union waters to their spawning grounds in the Sargasso Sea (‘downstream migration’) for up to a total of 50 consecutive or non-consecutive days. That derogation applies to all fishers concerned in the relevant fishing area, during the main migration period, under the following cumulative conditions:

(a)

the fishing activity shall only be allowed when the only access available to the European eel to marine waters necessarily passes through non-Union brackish waters;

(b)

the catches taken in ICES subdivisions 22 to 32 shall meet the minimum conservation reference size of 35 cm, in accordance with Part A of Annex VIII to Regulation (EU) 2019/1241;

(c)

any European eel that is sexually mature and is caught shall not be harmed, shall be transported without undue delay and shall be immediately released to nearby Union marine waters at a place designated by the Member State concerned, which would allow it to continue downstream migration;

(d)

any incidentally caught European eel that is not sexually mature shall not be harmed and shall be immediately released back into the water; and

(e)

the fishing activity shall be undertaken with the involvement of a national scientific body.

6.   For European eel of an overall length of 12 cm or more in ICES subarea 3, the closure period or periods referred to in paragraph 3 and the derogation thereof referred to in paragraph 4 shall be agreed by all the Member States concerned so as to ensure an effective protection of European eel on its migration from the Baltic Sea into the North Sea. In the absence of such an agreement by 1 April 2026, the closure period shall be 15 September 2026 to 15 March 2027 in Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Finland and Sweden, and without the possibility of the derogation referred to in paragraph 4.

7.   By way of derogation from paragraph 3, point (d), for European eel of an overall length of less than 12 cm, the Member States concerned may allow fishing activities for up to a total of 30 consecutive or non-consecutive days, which shall apply to all fishers concerned in the relevant fishing area, during the main migration period. In addition, the Member States concerned may allow fishing exclusively for restocking for up to an additional 50 days during the main migration period. In both cases, the Member States concerned shall determine an additional closure of an equivalent period of time during the main migration period or, subsidiarily, just before or after it. In cases where a Member State allows fishing on non-consecutive days, the fishing gear shall be taken out of the water during any period between of those non-consecutive days of fishing activities.

8.   Recreational fisheries of European eel at all life stages shall be prohibited.

9.   The Member States concerned, either individually or jointly, shall inform the Commission:

(a)

by 1 May, of the closure period or periods determined in accordance with paragraphs 3 to 7, together with the supporting information justifying the chosen period or periods;

(b)

within two weeks of their adoption, of national measures relating to the closure period or periods that were determined in accordance with paragraphs 3 to 7;

(c)

within eight weeks before the start of the closure period or periods determined in accordance with paragraphs 3 to 7, of the fishing activities held in accordance with paragraph 5, namely of:

(i)

the place or places and date or dates of the fishing activities;

(ii)

the expected number and type of operators, and the national scientific body involved; and

(iii)

the designated place or places for release; and

(d)

within a maximum of eight weeks from the end of the fishing activities held in accordance with paragraph 5, of:

(i)

the number and type of operators;

(ii)

the number of sexually mature European eels caught during those fishing activities;

(iii)

the number of European eels that are not sexually mature caught during those fishing activities; and

(iv)

the number of sexually mature European eels that were tagged.

Article 15 Special provisions on allocations of fishing opportunities

1.   The allocation of fishing opportunities among Member States set out in this Regulation shall be without prejudice to:

(a)

exchanges pursuant to Article 16(8) of Regulation (EU) No 1380/2013;

(b)

deductions and additions pursuant to Article 37 of Regulation (EC) No 1224/2009;

(c)

reallocations pursuant to Articles 12 and 47 of Regulation (EU) 2017/2403;

(d)

additional landings allowed under Article 3 of Regulation (EC) No 847/96 and Article 15(9) of Regulation (EU) No 1380/2013;

(e)

quantities withheld in accordance with Article 4 of Regulation (EC) No 847/96 and Article 15(9) of Regulation (EU) No 1380/2013;

(f)

deductions and adjustments pursuant to Articles 105, 106, 107 and 107a of Regulation (EC) No 1224/2009; and

(g)

quota transfers and exchanges pursuant to Articles 26 and 55 of this Regulation.

2.   Stocks subject to precautionary or analytical TACs for the purposes of the year-to-year management of TACs and quotas provided for in Regulation (EC) No 847/96 are identified in Annex I to this Regulation.

3.   Except where otherwise specified in Annex I to this Regulation, Article 3 of Regulation (EC) No 847/96 shall apply to stocks subject to a precautionary TAC, and Article 3(2) and (3) and Article 4 of that Regulation shall apply to stocks subject to an analytical TAC.

4.   Articles 3 and 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.

Article 16 Closed fishing seasons for sandeels

Commercial fishing for sandeels ( Ammodytes spp.) with demersal trawl, seine or similar towed gears with a mesh size of less than 16 mm shall be prohibited in ICES divisions 2a and 3a and in ICES subarea 4 from 1 January to 31 March 2026 and from 1 August to 31. December 2026.

Article 17 Remedial measures for cod in the North Sea

1.   The areas closed to fishing, except with pelagic gear (purse seines and trawls), and the periods during which the closures apply are set out in Annex IV.

2.   Fishing vessels fishing with bottom trawls and seines with a minimum mesh size of 70 mm in ICES divisions 4a and 4b or 90 mm in ICES division 3a, and longlines  ( 40 ) shall be prohibited from fishing in Union waters of ICES division 4a, north of latitude 58°30′00″N and south of latitude 61°30′00″N, and in Union waters of ICES divisions 3a.20 (Skagerrak), 4a and 4b, north of latitude 57°00′00″N and east of longitude 5°00′00″E.

3.   By way of derogation from paragraph 2, fishing vessels referred to in that paragraph may fish in the areas referred to in that paragraph provided that they fulfil at least one of the following criteria:

(a)

their cod catches do not account for more than 5 % of their total catches per fishing trip; fishing vessels whose cod catches did not exceed 5 % of their total catches in 2017 to 2019 are presumed to comply with this criterion provided that they continue to use the same gear that they used in that period; this presumption may be rebutted;

(b)

a regulated and highly selective bottom trawl or seine is used, resulting, according to a scientific study, in at least a 30 % reduction in cod catches compared to fishing vessels fishing with the baseline mesh size for towed gears, as specified in Part B, point 1.1, of Annex V to Regulation (EU) 2019/1241; such studies may be evaluated by the STECF and in the case of a negative evaluation, the gears concerned shall no longer be considered valid for use in the areas referred to in paragraph 2 of this Article;

(c)

for fishing vessels fishing with bottom trawls and seines with mesh sizes equal to or larger than 100 mm (TR1), the following highly selective gears are used:

(i)

belly trawls with a minimum belly mesh size of 600 mm;

(ii)

raised fishing line (0,6 m); or

(iii)

horizontal separating panel with large mesh escape panel;

(d)

for fishing vessels fishing with bottom trawls and seines with mesh sizes equal to or larger than 70 mm in ICES division 4a and 90 mm in ICES division 3a, and less than 100 mm (TR2), the following highly selective gears are used:

(i)

horizontal sorting grid with maximum 50 mm bar spacing separating flatfish and roundfish, with an unblocked fish outlet for roundfish;

(ii)

seltra panel with 300 mm square mesh size; or

(iii)

sorting grid with maximum 35 mm bar spacing, with an unblocked fish outlet;

(e)

fishing vessels are subject to a national cod avoidance plan to sustain cod catches in line with the fishing mortality corresponding to the fishing opportunities fixed, based on scientific advice levels, through spatial or technical measures, or a combination thereof; such plans shall be assessed no later than two months following their implementation, by the STECF in the case of Member States or by the relevant national scientific body in the case of third countries, and, where deemed necessary, further revised if such assessments find that the objective of the national cod avoidance plan will not be met.

4.   Member States shall enhance the monitoring and surveillance of fishing vessels referred to in paragraph 2 in order to ensure compliance with the conditions laid down in paragraph 3.

5.   This Article does not apply to fishing operations conducted for the exclusive purpose of scientific investigations, provided that those investigations are carried out in compliance with Article 25 of Regulation (EU) 2019/1241.

Article 18 Real-time closures of certain fisheries in the North Sea and Skagerrak

1.   From 1 January to 31 March 2026, in the Eastern Channel (ICES division 7d), Southern North Sea (ICES division 4c) and central North Sea (ICES division 4b), if the quantity of cod in the sample exceeds 25 % as compared to the total of cod, haddock, saithe and whiting, the catch trigger level, as referred to in Article 4(2) of Commission Regulation (EU) 724/2010  ( 41 ) , shall be 7,5 % by weight of juveniles as compared to the total of those four species in a haul.

2.   When the closed area is based on one sample and lying outside the waters up to 12 miles from the baseline of the coastal Member State, as referred to in Article 7(2), point (c), of Commission Regulation (EU) 724/2010, the size of the closures shall be from 50 nm 2  up to 225 nm 2 , except in Skagerrak (ICES division 3a), Eastern Channel (ICES division 7d) and Southern North Sea (ICES division 4c) where the size of the closures shall be from 50 nm 2 up to 100 nm 2 .

Article 19 Technical measures for the Celtic Sea, the Irish Sea and the West of Scotland

1.   The following shall apply to fishing vessels fishing with otter trawls and seines in ICES divisions 7f, 7g, the part of 7h north of latitude 49° 30′ North and the part of 7j north of latitude 49° 30′ North and east of longitude 11° West:

(a)

fishing vessels fishing with otter trawls or seines shall use gear with one of the following mesh sizes:

(i)

110 mm cod-end with 120 mm square mesh panel; or

(ii)

120 mm cod-end;

(b)

in addition, fishing vessels fishing with otter trawls whose catches weighed before any discards consist of at least 20 % of haddock ( Melanogrammus aeglefinus ) shall use a fishing gear that is constructed with a minimum of one metre spacing between the fishing line and ground gear; Member States may exempt from the application of this point fishing vessels fishing with otter trawls whose catches, weighed before any discards, consist of less than 1,5 % of cod, provided those vessels are subject to a progressive increase of observer coverage at sea up to at least 20 % of all their fishing trips;

(c)

fishing vessels fishing with otter trawls or seines with catches comprising more than 30 % of Norway lobster ( Nephrops norvegicus ) shall use 80 mm cod-end and one of the following gears:

(i)

300 mm square mesh panel;

(ii)

seltra 300 mm square mesh sorting box; or

(iii)

Nordmøre sorting grid with a maximum bar spacing of 35 mm or a similar Netgrid selectivity device;

(d)

fishing vessels fishing with otter trawls or seines with catches comprising more than 55 % of anglerfish ( Lophiidae ), hake ( Merluccius merluccius ) or megrim ( Lepidorhombus spp.) combined, shall use one of the following gears:

(i)

100 mm cod-end with a 100 mm square mesh panel; or

(ii)

100 mm T90 cod-end and extension.

2.   The following shall apply to fishing vessels fishing with otter trawls or seines in ICES divisions 6a and 5b, within Union waters, east of 12°W (West of Scotland) in Norway lobster fisheries:

(a)

fishing vessels shall use a square mesh panel (positioning retained) of at least 300 mm for vessels deploying a cod-end mesh size less than 100 mm; for vessels below 12 m in length overall or with engine power of 200 kW or less, the panel overall length may be 2 m and the panel mesh size may be 200 mm;

(b)

fishing vessels with catches comprising more than 30 % of Norway lobster shall use a square mesh panel (positioning retained) of at least 160 mm for vessels deploying a cod-end mesh size of 100-119 mm.

3.   The following shall apply to fishing vessels fishing with otter trawls or seines in ICES division 7a (Irish Sea):

(a)

fishing vessels fishing with otter trawls or seines with a cod-end mesh size equal to or larger than 70 mm and smaller than 100 mm and with catches comprising more than 30 % of Norway lobster shall use one of the following gears:

(i)

300 mm square mesh panel; fishing vessels below 12 metres in length overall may use a 200 mm square mesh panel;

(ii)

seltra 300 mm square mesh sorting box; or

(iii)

Nordmøre sorting grid with a maximum bar spacing of 35 mm or a similar Netgrid selectivity device.

(b)

fishing vessels equal to or greater than 12 metres in length overall operating with otter trawls or seines with catches comprising more than 10 % of haddock, cod and skates and rays ( Rajiformes ) combined, shall use 120 mm cod-end.

4.   The catch percentages in paragraphs 1 to 3 of this Article shall be calculated as the proportion by live weight of all marine biological resources landed after each fishing trip, in accordance with Article 15 of Regulation (EU) No 1380/2013 and Article 27(2) of Regulation (EU) 2019/1241.

5.   In accordance with Regulation (EU) No 2019/1241, it shall be prohibited for fishing vessels to fish with otter trawls and seines in the following zones:

(a)

in ICES divisions 7b and 7c;

(b)

in the area west of 5° W longitude in ICES division 7e; and

(c)

in ICES divisions from 7f to 7k.

This prohibition shall not apply to fishing vessels where:

(a)

they use a cod-end mesh size of at least 100 mm; or

(b)

their by-catches of cod do not exceed 1,5 %, as assessed by the STECF, when fishing outside the areas referred to in paragraph 1.

6.   For the purpose of this Article, the following definitions apply:

(a)

‘otter trawls’ means trawls held open by otter boards towed on the seabed;

(b)

‘seltra 300 mm square mesh sorting box’ means a selectivity device which:

(i)

consists of a top panel of at least 300 mm mesh size (square mesh), placed in a four-panel box section, in the straight section of a cod end;

(ii)

is at least 3 metres long;

(iii)

is positioned no more than 4 metres from the cod line; and

(iv)

is the full width of the top sheet of the box section of the trawl (i.e. from selvedge to selvedge);

(c)

‘Nordmøre sorting grid’ means a selectivity device which:

(i)

consists of a rigid grid with a maximum bar spacing of 35 mm; and

(ii)

is fitted with a square mesh panel of 120 mm mesh size, positioned between 9 and 12 metres from the codline;

(d)

‘Netgrid device’ means a selectivity device consisting of a four-panel section inserted into a two-panel trawl with an inclined sheet of diamond mesh netting with a mesh size of at least 200 mm leading to an escape hole in the top of the trawl.

Article 20 Technical measures for the Channel

1.   The following shall apply in ICES division 7e:

(a)

fishing vessels operating with otter trawls or seines with catches comprising more than 25 % cod, haddock, whiting or saithe combined, shall use 100 mm cod-end; and

(b)

fishing vessels operating with otter trawls, beam trawls, and seines with catches comprising more than 30 % sole or plaice combined and, in the case of otter trawls or seines additionally with catches comprising less than 25 % cod, haddock, whiting and saithe combined, shall use 90 mm cod-end.

2.   Fishing vessels fishing in ICES division 7d with otter trawls, beam trawls, and seines with catches comprising more than 30 % sole or plaice combined, shall use 90 mm cod-end.

3.   The catch percentages set out in paragraphs 1 and 2 of this Article shall be calculated as the proportion by live weight of all marine biological resources landed after each fishing trip, in accordance with Article 15 of Regulation (EU) No 1380/2013 and Article 27(2) of Regulation (EU) 2019/1241.

Article 21 Technical measures for Northern prawn in the Skagerrak

1.   If the proportion of juveniles of Northern prawn ( Pandalus borealis ), as referred to in Article 5(2) of Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/2201  ( 42 ) , is more than 30 % of the overall catch of that species, control authorities may recommend a real-time closure on the basis of one sample, as referred to in that Article.

2.   Trawlers targeting Northern prawn with a size selective Nordmøre grid, as referred to in Article 6(2) of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/2201, shall be subject to the closed area, as referred to in that Article.

3.   The closed area, as referred to in Article 7(b) of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/2201, shall not exceed 100 square nautical miles.

4.   The area, as referred to in Article 8(2) of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/2201, shall be closed for 21 days after which it shall automatically cease to apply at midnight UTC.

5.   Demersal trawls with a mesh size of at least 32 mm targeting Northern prawn, which are equipped with a Nordmøre sorting grid with a maximum bar spacing of 19 mm and without a fish retention device, as referred to in Article 11 of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/2201, shall be subject to the closed area, as referred to in Article 6(1) of that Regulation.

Article 22 Remedial measures for common sole in the Skagerrak, Kattegat and western Baltic Sea

1.   Union fishing vessels fishing in ICES subdivisions 20-23 with bottom set gillnets  ( 43 ) shall not use mesh sizes between 80 mm and 119 mm.

2.   Paragraph 1 shall not apply to:

(a)

Union fishing vessels that target non-quota species and whose by-catches of common sole ( Solea solea ) are below 1 % in the sea area south of latitude 55° 00' N and up to two nautical miles measured from the baselines; or

(b)

fishing operations conducted for the exclusive purpose of scientific investigations, provided that those investigations are carried out in compliance with Article 25 of Regulation (EU) 2019/1241.

Article 23 Prohibited species

1.   Union fishing vessels shall not fish for, retain on board, tranship or land the following species:

(a)

starry ray ( Amblyraja radiata ) in United Kingdom and Union waters of ICES subarea 4 and division 7d, United Kingdom waters of division 2a and Union waters of division 3a;

(b)

splendid alfonsino ( Beryx splendens ) in NAFO subarea 6;

(c)

sand tiger shark ( Carcharias taurus ) in all waters other than the Mediterranean;

(d)

common skate ( Dipturus batis ) complex ( Dipturus cf. flossada and Dipturus cf. intermedia ) in United Kingdom and Union waters of ICES subareas 4, 6, 7 and 8, United Kingdom waters of division 2a and subarea 5 and Union waters of subareas 3, 9 and 10;

(e)

great lanternshark ( Etmopterus princeps ) in United Kingdom and Union waters of ICES subarea 4, United Kingdom waters of division 2a and international waters of subareas 1 and 14;

(f)

tope shark ( Galeorhinus galeus ) when taken with longlines in United Kingdom and Union waters of ICES subareas 4, United Kingdom waters of division 2a, United Kingdom and international waters of subarea 5, United Kingdom, Union and international waters of subareas 6 to 8, and international waters of subareas 12 and 14;

(g)

orange roughy ( Hoplostethus atlanticus ) in United Kingdom, Union and international waters of ICES subareas 1 to 10, 12 and 14;

(h)

porbeagle ( Lamna nasus ) in all waters;

(i)

thornback ray ( Raja clavata ) in Union waters of ICES division 3a;

(j)

undulate ray ( Raja undulata ) in United Kingdom and Union waters of ICES subarea 6 and Union waters of ICES subarea 10;

(k)

whale shark ( Rhincodon typus ) in all waters;

(l)

common guitarfish ( Rhinobatos rhinobatos ) in the Mediterranean; or

(m)

deep-sea species listed in Part D of Annex IA in Union, United Kingdom and international waters of ICES zones 1, 2 (except United Kingdom waters of division 2a), 5 to 10, 12 and 14, and CECAF areas 34.1.1, 34.1.2 and 34.2, as well as in Union and United Kingdom waters of ICES division 2a and subarea 4, where specified in that Annex.

2.   When accidentally caught, specimens of the species referred to in paragraph 1 shall not be harmed and shall be promptly released.

Article 24 Data transmission

When Member States submit by electronic means to the Commission or the body designated by it data relating to catches and fishing effort pursuant to Articles 33 and 34 of Regulation (EC) No 1224/2009, they shall use the stock codes set out in the Annexes to this Regulation.

Article 25 Fishing authorisations

1.   The maximum numbers of fishing authorisations for Union fishing vessels in third-country waters, where applicable, are set out in Part A of Annex V.

2.   Where, in accordance with Article 16(8) of Regulation (EU) No 1380/2013, a Member State, after notifying the Commission, transfers quota to another Member State in the fishing areas set out in Part A of Annex V to this Regulation, the transfer shall be accompanied, where relevant, by an appropriate transfer of fishing authorisations. The total number of authorisations for each fishing area, as set out in Part A of Annex V to this Regulation, shall not be exceeded. That transfer of fishing authorisations shall be notified by the transferring Member State to the Commission at the time of the notification to the Commission of the quota transfer.

Article 26 Quota transfers or exchanges

1.   Where the rules of a regional fisheries management organisation (RFMO) permit quota transfers or exchanges between the Contracting Parties to that RFMO, a Member State (the ‘Member State concerned’) may discuss an outline of the quota transfer or exchange with a Contracting Party to that RFMO and establish a possible outline of an intended quota transfer or exchange, as appropriate. The Member State concerned shall notify the Commission of that outline.

2.   On being notified in accordance with paragraph 1, the Commission may endorse the outline of the intended quota transfer or exchange. If the Commission endorses that outline, it shall express, without undue delay, the consent to be bound by the intended quota transfer or exchange. It shall notify the secretariat of the relevant RFMO of the transfer or exchange in accordance with the rules of that RFMO.

3.   The Commission shall inform the Member States of any agreed quota transfer or exchange.

4.   The fishing opportunities received or transferred by the Member State concerned under the quota transfer or exchange shall be deemed to be quotas added to, or deducted from, its allocation as of the moment when the transfer or exchange takes effect under the terms of the agreement with the relevant Contracting Party to the RFMO or in accordance with the rules of the relevant RFMO, as appropriate. Such transfers or exchanges shall not affect the distribution key for allocating fishing opportunities among Member States in accordance with the principle of relative stability of fishing activities.

Article 27 Fishing, farming and fattening capacity limitations

1.   The number of Union bait boats and trolling boats authorised to fish actively for bluefin tuna ( Thunnus thynnus ) between 8 kg/75 cm and 30 kg/115 cm in the eastern Atlantic shall be limited as set out in point 1 of Annex VI.

2.   The number of Union coastal artisanal fishing vessels authorised to fish actively for bluefin tuna between 8 kg/75 cm and 30 kg/115 cm in the Mediterranean shall be limited as set out in point 2 of Annex VI.

3.   The number of Union fishing vessels fishing for bluefin tuna in the Adriatic Sea for farming purposes authorised to fish actively for bluefin tuna between 8 kg/75 cm and 30 kg/115 cm shall be limited as set out in point 3 of Annex VI.

4.   The number of Union fishing vessels authorised to fish for, retain on board, tranship, transport or land bluefin tuna in the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean shall be limited as set out in point 4 of Annex VI.

5.   The number of traps engaged in bluefin tuna fishery in the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean shall be limited as set out in point 5 of Annex VI.

6.   The number of authorised farms to operate for bluefin tuna and the maximum input of wild-caught bluefin tuna in the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean shall be limited as set out in point 6 of Annex VI.

7.   The maximum number of Union fishing vessels authorised to fish for northern albacore ( Thunnus alalunga ) as a target species in accordance with Article 17 of Regulation (EU) 2017/2107 of the European Parliament and of the Council  ( 44 ) shall be limited as set out in point 7 of Annex VI to this Regulation.

8.   The maximum number of Union fishing vessels of at least 20 m length fishing for bigeye tuna ( Thunnus obesus ) in the ICCAT Convention area shall be limited as set out in point 8 of Annex VI.

Article 28 Recreational fisheries

Where appropriate, Member States shall allocate a specific share from their allocated quotas to recreational fisheries, as set out in Annex ID.

Article 29 Prohibitions relating to thresher sharks and shortfin mako

1.   In addition to the prohibitions established in Articles 32 to 36 of Regulation (EU) 2017/2107, direct fishing for species of thresher sharks of the Alopias genus shall be prohibited. That additional prohibition shall be without prejudice to the prohibition to retain on board, tranship or land any part or whole carcass for bigeye thresher sharks ( Alopias superciliosus ) set out in Article 32 of Regulation (EU) 2017/2107.

2.   It shall be prohibited to retain on board, tranship or land any part or whole carcass of shortfin mako ( Isurus oxyrinchus ) in the Atlantic Ocean, north of 5°N, caught in fisheries in the ICCAT Convention area.

Article 30 FADs for tropical tunas

1.   It shall be prohibited to use FADs in the ICCAT Convention area from 17 March to 30 April.

2.   From 2 March to 16 March, Member States shall ensure that their fishing vessels do not deploy FADs.

Article 31 Exploratory fisheries notifications for toothfish for the 2026-2027 fishing season

1.   Member States may participate in, or authorise their fishing vessels to participate in, longline exploratory fisheries for toothfish ( Dissostichus spp.) in Food and Agriculture Organisation of United Nations (FAO) subareas 48.6, 88.1 and 88.2 and FAO divisions 58.4.1, 58.4.2 and 58.4.3a outside areas of national jurisdiction in the period from 1 December 2026 to 30 November 2027, in accordance with Article 7(2) to (7) of Council Regulation (EC) No 601/2004  ( 45 ) .

2.   By way of derogation from the deadlines set out in Article 7(5) and (6) of Regulation (EC) No 601/2004, Member States intending to participate in, or authorise their fishing vessels to participate in, exploratory fisheries as referred to in paragraph 1 of this Article shall notify the CCAMLR Secretariat no later than 1 June 2026.

Article 32 Toothfish fishery during the 2025-2026 fishing season

1.   In addition to the special requirements for exploratory fisheries set out in Article 7a of Regulation (EC) No 601/2004, fishing for toothfish in the period from 1 December 2025 to 30 November 2026 shall be limited to the Member States, subareas and number of fishing vessels set out in Table A in Annex VII of this Regulation. For that fishery, the TACs, and by-catch limits set out in Table B in that Annex shall apply.

2.   Direct fishing for shark species for purposes other than scientific research shall be prohibited. Any by-catch of shark, especially juveniles and gravid females, taken accidentally in the toothfish fishery shall be released alive.

3.   Where applicable, fishing for toothfish in any small-scale research unit (SSRU) shall cease when the reported catch reaches the specified TAC, and the SSRU shall be closed to fishing for the remainder of the fishing season.

4.   Fishing shall take place over a geographical and bathymetric range as large as possible, so as to obtain the information necessary to determine fishery potential and avoid an overconcentration of catch and fishing effort. However, fishing in FAO subareas 48.6, 88.1 and 88.2 shall be prohibited in depths shallower than 550 m.

Article 33 Krill fishery during the 2026-2027 fishing season

1.   For the purposes of Article 5a of Regulation (EC) No 601/2004, Member States intending to fish for krill ( Euphausia superba ) in the CCAMLR Convention area during the period from 1 December 2026 to 30 November 2027 shall notify the Commission thereof by 1 May 2026, using the form in Part B of the Appendix to Annex VII of this Regulation.

2.   By way of derogation from the deadlines set out in Article 7(5) and (6) of Regulation (EC) No 601/2004, and on the basis of the information provided by the Member States concerned, the Commission shall submit the notifications to the CCAMLR Secretariat by 30 May 2026.

3.   The notification referred to in paragraph 1 of this Article shall include the information provided for in Article 3(2) and (3) of Regulation (EC) No 601/2004 for each fishing vessel to be authorised to participate in the krill fishery.

4.   A Member State intending to fish for krill in the CCAMLR Convention area shall notify the Commission thereof only in respect of authorised fishing vessels that, at the time of the notification:

(a)

are flying its flag; or

(b)

are flying the flag of another CCAMLR member and are expected to be flying the flag of that Member State at the time the fishery takes place.

5.   Where an authorised fishing vessel notified to the CCAMLR Secretariat in accordance with paragraphs 1, 2 and 3 is prevented from participating in a krill fishery due to legitimate operational reasons or force majeure , the Member State concerned may authorise its replacement by another fishing vessel. In such a case, the Member State concerned shall immediately inform the CCAMLR Secretariat, with the Commission in copy, providing:

(a)

full details of the intended replacement fishing vessel or vessels, including the information provided for in Article 3(2) and (3) of Regulation (EC) No 601/2004; and

(b)

a comprehensive account of the reasons justifying the replacement and any relevant supporting evidence or references.

Article 34 Limitation of fishing capacity of fishing vessels

1.   The maximum number of Union fishing vessels fishing for tropical tunas in the IOTC Area of Competence and the corresponding capacity in gross tonnage shall be as set out in point 1 of Annex VIII.

2.   The maximum number of Union fishing vessels fishing for swordfish ( Xiphias gladius ) and albacore ( Thunnus alalunga ) in the IOTC Area of Competence and the corresponding capacity in gross tonnage shall be as set out in point 2 of Annex VIII.

3.   Member States may reallocate fishing vessels assigned to one of the fisheries referred to in paragraphs 1 and 2 to the other fishery, provided that they can demonstrate to the Commission that such change does not lead to an increase of fishing effort in respect of the fish stocks concerned.

4.   Where a transfer of capacity to the fleet of a Member State is proposed, that Member State shall ensure that fishing vessels to be transferred are on the IOTC record of authorised fishing vessels or on the record of fishing vessels of other RFMOs managing tuna fisheries. Fishing vessels that appear on any RFMO’s list of vessels that have engaged in illegal, unregulated and unreported (IUU) fishing activities may not be transferred.

5.   Member States may increase their fishing capacity beyond the ceilings referred to in paragraphs 1 and 2 only within the limits set out in the development plans submitted to the IOTC.

Article 35 Drifting FADs and supply vessels

1.   Drifting FADs shall be equipped with instrumented buoys. The use of any other buoys, such as radio buoys, shall be prohibited.

2.   A purse seine fishing vessel shall follow no more than 250 operational buoys at any time.

3.   No more than 400 instrumented buoys shall be acquired annually for each purse seine fishing vessel.

4.   No more than three supply vessels shall operate in support of not fewer than 12 purse seine fishing vessels, all flying the flag of a Member State. This paragraph shall not apply to Member States using only one supply vessel.

5.   A single purse seine fishing vessel shall not be supported by more than one supply vessel flying the flag of a Member State at any time.

6.   The Union shall not register new or additional supply vessels in the IOTC record of authorised fishing vessels.

Article 36 Pelagic fisheries

1.   Only those Member States that have actively exercised pelagic fisheries activities in the SPRFMO Convention area in 2007, 2008 or 2009 may fish for pelagic stocks in that area in accordance with the TACs set out in Annex IH.

2.   The Member States referred to in paragraph 1 may use the fishing opportunities set out in Annex IH only if they send the following information to the Commission by the fifteenth day of the following month, so that the Commission can communicate it to the SPRFMO Secretariat:

(a)

a list of vessels actively fishing or engaged in transhipment in the SPRFMO Convention area; and

(b)

monthly catch reports.

Article 37 Purse seine fisheries

1.   Purse seine fishing vessels shall not fish for yellowfin tuna ( Thunnus albacares ), bigeye tuna ( Thunnus obesus ) or skipjack tuna ( Katsuwonus pelamis ):

(a)

either from 00:00 hours on 6 August 2026 to 24:00 hours on 8 October 2026 or from 00:00 hours on 9 November 2026 to 24:00 hours on 11 January 2027 in the area defined by the following limits:

—

the Pacific coastlines of the Americas,

—

longitude 150° W,

—

latitude 40° N,

—

latitude 40° S; and

(b)

from 00:00 hours on 9 October 2026 to 24:00 hours on 8 November 2026 in the area defined by the following limits:

—

longitude 96° W,

—

longitude 110° W,

—

latitude 4° N,

—

latitude 3° S.

2.   For each of the fishing vessels referred to in paragraph 1 and flying the flag of a Member State, that flag Member State shall inform the Commission before 15 June 2026 which of the closure periods referred to in paragraph 1, point (a), the fishing vessel has selected.

3.   Purse seine fishing vessels fishing for tuna in the IATTC Convention area shall retain on board and then tranship or land all yellowfin, bigeye and skipjack tuna that they catch.

4.   Paragraph 3 shall not apply:

(a)

where the fish is considered unfit for human consumption for reasons other than size; or

(b)

during the final set of a trip, when there may be insufficient well space remaining to accommodate all the tuna caught in that set.

5.   For each of the purse seine fishing vessels fishing in the IATTC Convention area and flying the flag of a Member State, that flag Member State shall transmit to the Commission by 1 February data on annual catches of bigeye tuna in the IATTC Convention area in the previous year. The Commission shall compile and promptly transmit that information to the IATTC Secretariat.

6.   The closure periods referred to in paragraph 1 shall be extended for Union purse seine fishing vessels, on the basis of their catches of bigeye tuna in the IATTC Convention area during the previous year, as follows:

(a)

for fishing vessels that caught between 1 200 tonnes and 1 499 tonnes, the closure period is extended by 10 days;

(b)

for fishing vessels that caught between 1 500 tonnes and 1 799 tonnes, the closure period is extended by 13 days;

(c)

for fishing vessels that caught between 1 800 tonnes and 2 099 tonnes, the closure period is extended by 16 days;

(d)

for fishing vessels that caught between 2 100 tonnes and 2 399 tonnes, the closure period is extended by 19 days; and

(e)

for fishing vessels that caught 2 400 tonnes or more, the closure period is extended by 22 days.

7.   The extensions of the closure periods referred to in the paragraph 6 apply as follows:

(a)

for the closure period referred to in paragraph 1, point (a), the additional days are added before the start of that closure period; and

(b)

for the closure period referred to in paragraph 1, point (b), the additional days are added after the end of that closure period.

8.   For each of the fishing vessels concerned, the relevant flag Member State shall inform the Commission of the extensions of the closure periods when informing the Commission of the selected closure periods pursuant to paragraph 2.

Article 38 Drifting FADs

1.   A purse seine fishing vessel shall have no more than the number of FADs set out in the table below active at any time in the IATTC Convention area. A FAD shall be considered active when it is deployed at sea, starts transmitting its location and is being tracked by the fishing vessel, its owner or operator. A FAD shall be activated only on board a purse seine vessel.

Fishing vessels with a capacity below 1 200  m 3

210 FADs

Fishing vessels with a capacity equal to or greater than 1 200  m 3

340 FADs

2.   During the 15 days before the start of the closure period selected in accordance with Article 37(1), point (a), of this Regulation a purse seine fishing vessel shall, in the IATTC Convention area:

(a)

refrain from deploying FADs; and

(b)

recover the same number of FADs as initially deployed.

Article 39 Catch limits for bigeye tuna in longline fisheries

The total annual catches of bigeye tuna in the IATTC Convention area by each Member State’s longline fishing vessels are set out in Annex IL.

Article 40 Records of releases of oceanic whitetip sharks

Fishing vessel operators shall record the number of releases of oceanic whitetip sharks ( Carcharhinus longimanus ) performed in accordance with Article 8(2) of Regulation (EU) 2021/56 of the European Parliament and of the Council  ( 46 ) , with indication of status (dead or alive) and report that information to the Member State of which they are nationals. Member States shall transmit that information collected during 2025 to the Commission by 31 January 2026.

Article 41 Prohibition of directed fishing for deep-water sharks

Directed fishing for the following deep-water sharks in the SEAFO Convention area shall be prohibited:

(a)

ghost catshark ( Apristurus manis );

(b)

blurred smooth lanternshark ( Etmopterus bigelowi );

(c)

shorttail lanternshark ( Etmopterus brachyurus );

(d)

great lanternshark ( Etmopterus princeps );

(e)

smooth lanternshark ( Etmopterus pusillus );

(f)

skates ( Rajidae );

(g)

velvet dogfish ( Scymnodon squamulosus );

(h)

sharks of the Selachimorpha super-order;

(i)

picked dogfish ( Squalus acanthias ).

Article 42 Measures for bigeye tuna, yellowfin tuna, skipjack tuna and South Pacific albacore fisheries

1.   Member States shall ensure that no more than 403 fishing days are allocated to purse seine fishing vessels fishing for bigeye tuna ( Thunnus obesus ), yellowfin tuna ( Thunnus albacares ) and skipjack tuna ( Katsuwonus pelamis ) in the high seas areas between 20° N and 20° S of the WCPFC Convention area.

2.   Union fishing vessels shall not target South Pacific albacore ( Thunnus alalunga ) in the WCPFC Convention area south of 20° S.

3.   The maximum number of Union purse seine fishing vessels authorised to fish for tropical tuna in the high seas areas between 20° N and 20° S of the WCPFC Convention area shall not exceed the limits set out in Annex IX, Table 2.

Article 43 Management of fishing with FADs

1.   In the part of the WCPFC Convention area located between 20° N and 20° S, purse seine fishing vessels, tender vessels, and any other vessels operating in support of purse seine fishing vessels, shall not deploy, service or set nets on FADs between 00:00 hours on 1 July 2026 and 24:00 hours on 15 August 2026.

2.   In addition to the prohibition set out in paragraph 1, it shall be prohibited to set nets on FADs on the high seas of the WCPFC Convention area located between 20° N and 20° S for one additional month, from 00:00 hours on 1 April 2026 to 24:00 hours on 30 April 2026, or from 00:00 hours on 1 May 2026 to 24:00 hours on 31 May 2026, or from 00:00 hours on 1 November 2026 to 24:00 hours on 30 November 2026, or from 00:00 hours on 1 December 2026 to 24:00 hours on 31 December 2026.

3.   The Member States concerned shall jointly determine which of the closure periods referred to in paragraph 2 shall apply to purse seine fishing vessels flying their flag. The Member States shall jointly inform the Commission by 15 February 2026 of the closure period selected. The Commission shall notify the secretariat of the WCPFC of the joint closure period selected by Member States concerned before 1 March 2026.

4.   Each Member State shall ensure that none of its purse seine fishing vessels deploy at sea, at any time, more than 350 FADs with activated instrumented buoys. Buoys shall be activated exclusively on board a purse seine fishing vessel.

Article 44 Maximum number of Union fishing vessels authorised to fish for swordfish

The maximum number of Union fishing vessels authorised to fish for swordfish ( Xiphias gladius ) in areas of the WCPFC Convention area south of 20° S shall be as set out in Annex IX.

Article 45 Catch limits for swordfish in longline fisheries south of 20° S

Member States shall ensure that catches of swordfish south of 20° S by longliners in 2026 do not exceed the limit set out in Table 2 of Annex IG. They shall also ensure that this does not result in a shift of the fishing effort for swordfish to the area north of 20° S.

Article 46 Prohibition on fishing for pollock in the high seas of the Bering Sea

It shall be prohibited to fish for pollock ( Gadus chalcogrammus ) in the high seas of the Bering Sea.

Article 47 Limits to bottom fishing

Member States shall ensure that fishing vessels flying their flag that fish in the SIOFA Agreement Area:

(a)

limit their annual bottom fishing effort to the levels set out in Annex X;

(b)

do not engage in bottom fishing except using demersal longlines;

(c)

do not fish in the benthic fishery closures of Gulden Draak, Rusky, Fools-Flat, East Broken Ridge, Mid-Indian Ridge, Atlantis Bank, Bridle, Banana and Middle of What, as defined in Annex IK;

(d)

do not fish in the benthic fishery closures of Walter’s Shoal, Coral and Magneto, as defined in Annex IK, except with demersal longlines and on condition of having a scientific observer on board at all times while fishing in those areas; and

(e)

do not fish using demersal longlines in subarea 5, as defined in Annex IK.

Article 48 Toothfish fishery measures

Member States shall ensure that fishing vessels flying their flag that fish for toothfish ( Dissostichus  spp.) in the SIOFA Agreement Area:

(a)

do not fish in depths shallower than 500 metres;

(b)

have at least one scientific observer on board at all times with a target of observing 25 % of hooks hauled per line over the duration of the fishing deployment; and

(c)

tag and release toothfish specimens at a rate of at least five fish per tonne of green weight caught; once 30 or more toothfish have been caught a minimum overlap statistic of at least 60 % shall apply for tag release.

Article 49 Prohibition of directed fishing for deep-water sharks

Directed fishing for the following deep-water sharks in the SIOFA Agreement Area shall be prohibited:

(a)

Portuguese dogfish ( Centroscymnus coelolepis ), except in the context of the by-catch allowance as set out in Annex IK;

(b)

birdbeak dogfish ( Deania calceus );

(c)

gulper shark ( Centrophorus granulosus );

(d)

kitefin shark ( Dalatias licha );

(e)

Bach’s catshark ( Bythaelurus bachi );

(f)

dark-mouth chimaera ( Chimaera buccanigella );

(g)

Falkor chimaera ( Chimaera didierae );

(h)

seafarer’s ghostshark ( Chimaera willwatchi );

(i)

longnose velvet dogfish ( Centroselachus crepidater );

(j)

largespine velvet dogfish ( Scymnodon macracanthus );

(k)

velvet dogfish ( Zameus squamulosus );

(l)

whitecheek lanternshark ( Etmopterus alphus );

(m)

smallbelly catshark ( Apristurus indicus );

(n)

Pacific longnose chimaera ( Harriotta raleighana );

(o)

narrowhead catshark ( Bythaelurus tenuicephalus );

(p)

frilled shark ( Chlamydoselachus anguineus );

(q)

bigeyed six-gill shark ( Hexanchus nakamurai );

(r)

smooth lanternshark ( Etmopterus pusillus );

(s)

southern sleeper shark ( Somniosus antarcticus );

(t)

goblin shark ( Mitsukurina owstoni );

(u)

blue-eye lanternshark ( Etmopterus viator );

(v)

blurred smooth lanternshark ( Etmopterus bigelowi );

(w)

leafscale gulper shark ( Centrophorus squamosus );

(x)

little gulper shark ( Centrophorus uyato );

(y)

shortspine spurdog ( Squalus mitsukurii );

(z)

longsnout dogfish ( Deania quadrispinosa );

(za)

arrowhead dogfish ( Deania profundorum );

(zb)

Cristina’s skate ( Bathyraja tunae );

(zc)

paddlenose chimaera ( Rhinochimaera africana );

(zd)

dusky snout catshark ( Bythaelurus naylori ).

Article 50 Chub mackerel fishery

1.   For Union fishing vessels fishing in the NPFC Convention area, flag Member States shall transmit the following aggregated data to the Commission by the following dates:

(a)

monthly catches under the catch limits for chub mackerel ( Scomber japonicus ) for all NPFC Contracting Parties for trawlers and purse seiners respectively, as set out in Annex IM when utilisation of those catch limits is below 60 %, by the seventh day of the following month; and

(b)

weekly catches of chub mackerel under the catch limits referred to in point (a) when utilisation of those catch limits is above 60 % and below 95 %, by Tuesday of the following week.

The Commission shall compile and promptly transmit that data to the NPFC Executive Secretary.

2.   Within two days of the issue date of notifications of the NPFC Executive Secretary that the utilisation of the catch limits referred to in paragraph 1, point (a), has reached 95 %, the Commission shall close the fisheries under those catch limits.

3.   The Commission shall compile and transmit annual catches of chub mackerel in the NPFC Convention area to the NPFC Executive Secretary by the end of February of the following year.

4.   This Article shall apply in addition to the reporting obligations on catches set out in Article 33 of Regulation (EC) No 1224/2009.