
COUNCIL REGULATION (EU) 2015/1961 of 26 October 2015 amending Regulation (EU) 2015/104 as regards certain fishing opportunities 

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,
Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, and in particular Article 43(3) thereof,
Having regard to the proposal from the European Commission,
Whereas:

(1) According to the most recent scientific advice from International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES), herring in ICES division IIIa is within safe biological limits within the meaning of Article 4(18) of Regulation (EU) No 1380/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council. That stock should therefore be identified in Annex I to Council Regulation (EU) 2015/104 for the purposes of applying the derogation provided for in Article 15(8) of Regulation (EU) No 1380/2013.

(2) The most recent scientific advice from ICES also indicates that a limited increase of the 2015 total allowable catch (TAC) for herring in ICES divisions VIIg, VIIh, VIIj and VIIk is possible and is consistent with the objectives of the common fisheries policy, set out in Article 2(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1380/2013.

(3) The stock of plaice in ICES division VIId was benchmarked in 2015. Now, maximum sustainable yield advice and the most recent scientific advice from ICES indicate a significant increase in the stock. One of the consequences of that increased abundance is that there are significant discards when plaice is caught as by-catch. It is therefore appropriate to increase to the TAC for plaice in ICES divisions VIId and e to a level that would reduce discards without negatively affecting the stock of plaice or other stocks in the same area.

(4) On 30 June 2015, ICES issued advice concerning sprat in Union waters of ICES division IIa and ICES subarea IV covering the period from July 2015 to June 2016. That advice allows for a total amount of wanted catches of 506 000 tones and is mainly due to record high recruitment, new estimations of mortality and updated model inputs.

(5) The TAC for sprat in Union waters of ICES division IIa and ICES subarea IV for the year 2015 is currently fixed at 227 000 tones by Regulation (EU) 2015/104. On the basis of the ICES advice of 30 June 2015, that TAC should be increased to optimise harvesting of that stock.

(6) Since the ICES advice of 30 June 2015 covers the period from July 2015 to June 2016, only part of the maximum amount of catches advised by ICES should be taken into account to increase the fishing opportunities for the year 2015.

(7) TAC for Norway pout in ICES division IIIa and Union waters of division IIa and subarea IV currently applies from 1 January to 31 October 2015. As the ICES advice will be issued only in the last quarter of 2015, the application period of the current total allowable catch for Norway pout in that area should be extended until the end of 2015.

(8) Following a transfer from Norway, Union vessels will be allowed to fish 1 500 tonnes of redfish in Norwegian waters of ICES subareas I and II.

(9) Regulation (EU) 2015/104 should therefore be amended accordingly,
HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:

Article 1 
Regulation (EU) 2015/104 is amended as follows:

((1)) Annex IA is amended as follows:

((a)) the fishing opportunities table for herring (Clupea harengus) in IIIa is replaced by the following:

‘Species: HerringClupea harengus Zone: IIIa(HER/03A.)
Denmark 18 034  
Germany 289  
Sweden 18 865  
Union 37 188  
Norway 5 816  
Faroe Islands 600  
TAC 43 604  
Analytical TAC
Article 3 of Regulation (EC) No 847/96 shall not apply
Article 4 of Regulation (EC) No 847/96 shall not apply
Article 7(3) of this Regulation applies




((b)) the fishing opportunities table for herring (Clupea harengus) in VIIg, VIIh, VIIj and VIIk is replaced by the following:

‘Species: HerringClupea harengus Zone: VIIg, VIIh, VIIj and VIIk(HER/7G-K.)
Germany 213  
France 1 185  
Ireland 16 591  
The Netherlands 1 185  
United Kingdom 24  
Union 19 198  
TAC 19 198  
Analytical TAC
Article 7(3) of this Regulation applies


((c)) the fishing opportunities table for plaice (Pleuronectes platessa) in VIId and VIIe is replaced by the following:

‘Species: PlaicePleuronectes platessa Zone: VIId and VIIe(PLE/7DE.)
Belgium 1 018  
France 3 395  
United Kingdom 1 810  
Union 6 223  
TAC 6 223  Analytical TAC

((d)) the fishing opportunities table for Sprat (Sprattus sprattus) and associated by-catches in Union waters of IIa and IV is replaced by the following:

‘Species: Sprat and associated by-catchesSprattus sprattus Zone: Union waters of IIa and IV(SPR/2AC4-C)
Belgium 3 929  
Denmark 310 987  
Germany 3 929  
France 3 929  
The Netherlands 3 929  
Sweden 1 330  
United Kingdom 12 967  
Union 341 000  
Norway 9 000  
TAC 350 000  
Analytical TAC
Article 7(3) of this Regulation applies



((e)) footnote 3 in the fishing opportunities table for Norway pout (Trisopterus esmarki) and associated by-catches in IIIa; Union waters of IIa and IV shall be deleted.
((2)) in Annex IB, the fishing opportunities table for redfish (Sebastes spp.) in Norwegian waters of ICES subareas I and II is replaced by the following table:
'
Species: RedfishSebastes spp. Zone: Norwegian waters of I and II(RED/1N2AB.)
Germany 766  
Spain 95  
France 84  
Portugal 405  
United Kingdom 150  
Union 1 500  
TAC Not relevant  
Analytical TAC
Article 3 of Regulation (EC) No 847/96 shall not apply
Article 4 of Regulation (EC) No 847/96 shall not apply
'
Article 2 
This Regulation shall enter into force on the date following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.
This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States.Done at Luxembourg, 26 October 2015.
For the Council
The President
C. DIESCHBOURG