Baltic Sea stocks of cod, herring and sprat — Multiannual plan

KEY POINTS

The regulation introduces a multiannual plan³ for the following fish stocks in EU Baltic Sea waters:

• cod in the eastern and western Baltic Sea;
• herring in the central and western Baltic Sea, the Gulf of Riga and the Gulf of Bothnia;
• sprat in the Baltic Sea.

It also applies to by-catches² of plaice, flounder, turbot and brill.

The plan contributes to:

• the achievement of the objectives of the CFP, in particular by applying a precautionary approach to fisheries management and ensuring that exploitation of fish stocks restores and maintains populations above levels which can produce maximum sustainable yield;
• eliminating discarded fish by avoiding and reducing unwanted catches;
• implementing the landing obligation for species with catch limits.

It takes an ecosystem-based approach⁴ to fisheries management to minimise negative impacts of fishing on the marine ecosystem.

Target fishing mortality⁵

The regulation defines a framework for setting the annual fishing quotas. The quotas are to be set according to a certain target fishing mortality, a range which is determined for each species and area covered by the regulation. This target must be achieved as soon as possible, and progressively, at the latest by 2020, and is to be maintained after this date. The ranges, based on annual scientific advice, provide flexibility to address changes in the development of the stocks.

Safeguards

The target fishing mortality ranges are designed to ensure that there is less than a 5% probability of the spawning stock falling below the reference limit. Specific conservation measures are to be put in place when scientific advice is that a stock is under threat.

Measures for plaice, flounder, turbot and brill caught as by-catch

When scientific advice indicates that remedial measures are needed to ensure that Baltic stocks of plaice, flounder, turbot or brill, caught as by-catch, are managed in line with the objectives of the CFP, the Commission has the power to adopt delegated acts, including in the following areas:

• characteristics of fishing gear, in particular mesh size, hook size, construction, twine thickness, size, or use of selectivity devices;
• use of fishing gear, in particular immersion time and depth of deployment;
• prohibition or limitation on fishing in specific areas;
• prohibition or limitation on fishing or the use of certain types of fishing gear during specific time periods;
• minimum conservation reference sizes.

Other rules

The plan also provides for:

• the Commission to adopt delegated acts about exemptions from the application of the landing obligation, notably for species for which scientific evidence demonstrates high survival rates;
• technical measures, by means of delegated acts, notably to protect spawning and juvenile fish or to improve selectivity;
• prohibiting any fishing activity from 1 May to 31 October in specified areas.

The EU countries concerned (Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Finland and Sweden) can submit joint recommendations asking the Commission to adopt a delegated act.

Evaluating the plan every 5 years, the Commission reports to the European Parliament and to the Council on the results and impact of the plan on the stocks to which the regulation applies and on the fisheries exploiting those stocks.