(1)

Regulation (EU) No 1380/2013 aims to progressively eliminate discards in all Union fisheries through the introduction of a landing obligation for catches of species subject to catch limits.

(2)

Article 15(6) of that Regulation empowers the Commission to adopt discard plans by means of delegated acts for a period of no more than three years on the basis of joint recommendations developed by Member States in consultation with the relevant Advisory Councils.

(3)

Belgium, Denmark, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Sweden and the United Kingdom have direct fisheries management interest in the North Sea. After consulting the North Sea Advisory Council, those Member States have submitted on 3 June 2016 a joint recommendation to the Commission concerning a new discard plan for certain demersal fisheries in the North Sea. Scientific contributions were obtained from relevant scientific bodies and reviewed by the Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries (STECF). On 14 July an expert group meeting consisting of 28 Member States and the Commission as well European Parliament as an observer, took place and the measures concerned were discussed.

(4)

The measures included in the joint recommendation comply with Article 18(3) of Regulation (EU) No 1380/2013.

(5)

For the purposes of that Regulation, the North Sea comprises ICES zones IIIa and IV. As some demersal stocks relevant to the proposed discard plan are also to be found in Union waters of ICES Division IIa, the Member States concerned recommend that ICES Division IIa be also covered by the discard plan.

(6)

As regards the North Sea, in accordance with Article 15(1)(c) of Regulation (EU) No 1380/2013 the landing obligation applies at the latest from 1 January 2016 in:

In accordance with Article 15(5) of Regulation (EU) No 1380/2013, Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2015/2440 (3) identified the species which have to be landed as from 1 January 2016. Those species are saithe, haddock, Norway lobster, common sole, plaice, hake and Northern prawn. Delegated Regulation (EU) 2015/2440 also established an obligation to land bycatches of Northern prawn. This Regulation should reinstate the provisions regarding the species to be landed from Delegated Regulation (EU) 2015/2440 and should specify additional species and fisheries to which the landing obligation applies in 2017 and 2018.

(7)

The Member States concerned claim that the fishing effort rules set out in Chapter III of Council Regulation (EC) No 1342/2008 (4) constitute an obstacle to the successful implementation of the landing obligation for cod due to the fact that the fishing effort regime set out in that Chapter would hamper the flexibility needed to adapt fishing patterns, such as choice of area and gear, once the landing obligation is introduced. Regulation (EC) No 1342/2008 is currently subject to a revision process by the co-legislators. To prevent the fishing effort regime and the landing obligation for cod from applying simultaneously, the landing obligation for cod should apply only once the fishing effort regime ceases to be applicable.

(8)

Delegated Regulation (EU) 2015/2440 introduced an exemption from the obligation to land all catches for species for which scientific evidence demonstrates high survival rates (‘high survivability exemption’) for catches of Norway lobster in ICES division IIIa under the condition that pots or certain bottom trawls are used. That Delegated Regulation required Member States having a direct management interest in the North Sea to submit to the Commission additional scientific information supporting the exemptions for the bottom trawls specified. That information has been submitted and STECF has concluded that the information is sufficient. Therefore, that exemption should be included in the new discard plan.

(9)

The joint recommendation includes a high survivability exemption for catches of Norway lobster in ICES subarea IV for certain gears on the condition that a netgrid selectivity device is used.

(10)

The joint recommendation includes a high survivability exemption for catches of common sole in ICES subarea IV with certain gears and on certain conditions that favour the survivability of sole.

(11)

Based on the scientific evidence provided in the joint recommendation and reviewed by STECF and taking into account the characteristics of the gear, of the fishing practices and of the ecosystem, these exemptions should be included in this Regulation for the year 2017. Member States should submit additional data in order to enable STECF to further assess the survival rates of Norway lobster and common sole caught in ICES subarea IV with the trawls concerned and to enable the Commission to review the relevant exemption.

(12)

Delegated Regulation (EU) 2015/2440 introduced de minimis exemptions for

The joint recommendation suggests the continued application of those exemptions. They should therefore be included in the new discard plan.

(13)

The joint recommendation includes a de minimis exemption for common sole, haddock and whiting combined for catches with certain bottom trawls in ICES division IIIa, a de minimis exemption for sole, haddock and whiting combined for catches with creels in ICES division IIIa and, for 2018, a de minimis exemption for whiting caught with bottom trawls in ICES division IVc.

(14)

The Commission, on the basis of compelling evidence provided by Member States for those exemptions as reviewed by the STECF, which concluded that those exemptions contained reasoned arguments that further improvements in selectivity are difficult to achieve and/or imply disproportionate costs in handling unwanted catches, considers it appropriate to establish the de minimis exemptions in accordance with the percentage level proposed in the joint recommendation, within the limits set out in Article 15(5)(c) of Regulation (EU) No 1380/2013.

(15)

Article 18a of Regulation (EC) No 850/98 empowers the Commission to establish, for the purpose of adopting discard plans and for the species subject to the landing obligation, minimum conservation reference size (MCRS) with the aim of ensuring the protection of juveniles of marine organisms. Those minimum conservation reference sizes may derogate, where appropriate, from the sizes established in Annex XII to Regulation (EC) No 850/98. For Norway lobster in ICES Division IIIa it is appropriate to maintain the minimum conservation reference sizes set out in Delegated Regulation (EU) 2015/2440, i.e. a total length of 105 mm and a carapace length of 32 mm. A minimum tail length of 59 mm should be added, based on the Joint Recommendation and STECF's assessment which states that such tail length corresponds to the existing values for total length and carapace length.

(16)

Discard plans may also include technical measures for fisheries or species covered by the landing obligation. To increase gear selectivity and reduce unwanted catches in the Skagerrak, it is appropriate to maintain a number of technical measures, which were agreed between the Union and Norway in 2011 (5), and 2012 (6).

(17)

To ensure appropriate control, specific requirements for the Member States to establish lists of vessels covered by this Regulation should be laid down.

(18)

As the measures provided for in this Regulation have a direct impact on the economic activities linked to and the planning of the fishing season of Union vessels, this Regulation should enter into force immediately after its publication. It should apply from 1 January 2017 until 31 December 2018 in order to comply with the time-frame set out in Article 15 of Regulation (EU) No 1380/2013,

(1)

‘Seltra panel’ means a selectivity device consisting of a top panel of at least 270 mm mesh size (diamond mesh) placed in a four-panel section and mounted with a joining ratio of three meshes of 90 mm to one mesh of 270 mm, or of a top panel of at least 140 mm mesh size (square mesh). The panel is at least 3 metres long, positioned no more than 4 metres from the cod line, and is the full width of the top sheet of the trawl (i.e. from selvedge to selvedge).

(2)

‘Netgrid selectivity 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.

(a)

for common sole, up to a maximum of 3 % of the total annual catches of this species by vessels using trammel nets and gill nets (GN, GNS, GND, GNC, GTN, GTR, GEN, GNF) in ICES Division IIIa, ICES Subarea IV and Union waters of ICES Division IIa;

(b)

for common sole below minimum conservation reference size, up to a maximum of, in 2017, 7 % and, in 2018, 6 % of the total annual catches of this species by vessels using beam trawl (TBB) of mesh size 80-119 mm with increased mesh size in the extension of the beam trawl in ICES Subarea IV;

(c)

for Norway lobster below minimum conservation reference size, up to a maximum of 6 % of the total annual catches of this species by vessels using bottom trawls (OTB, TBN, OTT, TB) of mesh size 80-99 mm in ICES Subarea IV and Union waters of ICES Division IIa;

(d)

in 2017, for common sole and haddock combined, below minimum conservation reference size, up to a maximum of 2 % of the total annual catches of Norway lobster, common sole, haddock and Northern prawn in the fishery for Norway lobster by vessels using bottom trawls (OTB, TBN) of mesh size equal to or larger than 70 mm equipped with a species selective grid with bar spacing of maximum 35 mm in ICES Division IIIa;

(e)

in 2018, for common sole, haddock and whiting combined, below minimum conservation reference size, up to a maximum of 4 % of the total annual catches of Norway lobster, common sole, haddock, whiting and Northern prawn in the fishery for Norway lobster by vessels using bottom trawls (OTB, TBN) of mesh size equal to or larger than 70 mm equipped with a species-selective grid with bar spacing of maximum 35 mm in ICES Division IIIa;

(f)

for common sole, haddock and whiting below minimum conservation reference size combined, up to a maximum of 1 % of the total annual catches of Norway lobster, common sole, haddock, whiting and Northern prawn in the fishery for Northern prawn by vessels using bottom trawls (OTB) with a mesh size equal to or larger than 35 mm equipped with a species selective grid with bar spacing of maximum 19 mm, with unblocked fish outlet, in ICES Division IIIa.

(g)

for common sole, haddock and whiting combined, up to a maximum of 0,5 % of the total annual catches of Norway lobster, common sole, haddock, whiting and Northern prawn in the fishery for Norway lobster conducted with creels (FPO), in ICES division IIIa.

(h)

in 2018, for whiting, up to a maximum of 7 % of the total annual catches of Norway lobster, haddock, sole, Northern prawn, whiting, plaice, saithe and cod in the mixed fishery for sole, whiting and species without catch limits by vessels using bottom trawls (OTB, OTT) of mesh size 70-99 mm in ICES Division IVc.

(a)

total length of 105 mm;

(b)

tail length of 59 mm;

(c)

carapace length of 32 mm.