Fishing opportunities
Article 16
1. Fishing opportunities allocated to Member States shall ensure relative stability of fishing activities of each Member State for each fish stock or fishery. The interests of each Member State shall be taken into account when new fishing opportunities are allocated. 2. When the landing obligation in respect of a fish stock is introduced, fishing opportunities shall be fixed taking into account the change from fixing fishing opportunities that reflect landings to fixing fishing opportunities that reflect catches, on the basis of the fact that, for the first and subsequent years, discarding of that stock will no longer be allowed. 3. Where new scientific evidence shows that there is a significant disparity between the fishing opportunities that have been fixed for a specific stock and the actual state of that stock, Member States having a direct management interest may submit a reasoned request to the Commission for it to submit a proposal to alleviate that disparity, while respecting the objectives set out in Article 2(2). 4. Fishing opportunities shall be fixed in accordance with the objectives set out in Article 2(2) and shall comply with quantifiable targets, time-frames and margins established in accordance with Article 9(2) and points (b) and (c) of Article 10(1). 5. Measures on the fixing and allocation of fishing opportunities available to third countries in Union waters shall be established in accordance with the Treaty. 6. Each Member State shall decide how the fishing opportunities that are allocated to it, and which are not subject to a system of transferable fishing concessions, may be allocated to vessels flying its flag (e.g. by creating individual fishing opportunities). It shall inform the Commission of the allocation method. 7. For the allocation of fishing opportunities pertaining to mixed fisheries, Member States shall take account of the likely catch composition of vessels participating in such fisheries. 8. Member States may, after notifying the Commission, exchange all or part of the fishing opportunities allocated to them.