This Regulation establishes a recovery plan for the Northern hake stock which inhabits the ICES Division IIIa, ICES Sub-area IV, ICES Divisions V(b) (Community waters ), VIa (Community waters), ICES Sub-area VII and ICES Divisions VIIIa,b,d,e ("the Northern hake stock").
Council Regulation (EC) No 811/2004 of 21.4.2004 establishing measures for the recovery of the Northern hake stock
Council Regulation (EC) No 811/2004 of 21.4.2004 establishing measures for the recovery of the Northern hake stock
THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, and in particular Article 37 thereof,
Having regard to the proposal from the Commission,
Having regard to the Opinion of the European Parliament(1),
Whereas:
Recent scientific advice from the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) has indicated that the Northern hake stock in Community waters has suffered from levels of mortality by fishing which have eroded the quantities of mature fish in the sea to the point at which this stock may not be able to replenish itself by reproduction and that the stocks are therefore threatened with collapse.
The stock in question inhabits the Kattegat, the Skagerrak, the North Sea, the Channel, waters to the west of Scotland and all around Ireland and the Bay of Biscay.
Measures need to be taken to establish a multi-annual plan for the recovery of this stock.
It is expected that recovery of this stock under the conditions of this Regulation will take between five and ten years.
The objective of the plan should be considered to be achieved for this stock when, for two consecutive years, the quantity of mature Northern hake has been greater than the level set by managers as being within safe biological limits.
In order to achieve that objective, the fishing mortality rate need to be controlled so that it is highly likely that the quantities of mature fish in the sea will increase from year to year.
Such control of the fishing mortality rate can be achieved by establishing an appropriate method for the establishment of the level of Total Allowable Catches (TACs) of the stock concerned.
Once recovery has been achieved the Council should decide upon follow-up measures in accordance with Article 6 of Council Regulation 2371/2002 of 20 December 2002 on the conservation and sustainable exploitation of fisheries resources under the Common Fisheries Policy(2).
Control measures in addition to those laid down in Council Regulation (EEC) No 2847/93 of 12 October 1993 establishing a control system applicable to the common fisheries policy(3) need to be included in order to ensure compliance with the measures laid down in this Regulation,
HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:
Article 1 Subject-matter
Article 2 Purpose of the recovery plan
The recovery plan referred to in Article 1 shall aim to increase the quantities of mature fish of the Northern hake stock concerned to values equal to or greater than 140 000 tonnes.
Article 3 Reaching of target levels
Where the Commission finds, on the basis of advice from ICES and following agreement on that advice by the Scientific Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries (STECF), that for two consecutive years the target level for the Northern hake stock concerned has been reached, the Council shall decide by qualified majority on a proposal from the Commission to replace the recovery plan by a management plan for the stock in accordance with Article 6 of Regulation (EC) No 2371/2002.
Article 4 Setting of TACs
A TAC shall be set in accordance with Article 5 where, for the Northern hake stock concerned the quantities of mature Northern hake have been estimated by the STECF, in the light of the most recent report of ICES, to be equal to or above 100 000 tonnes.