Considerations on COM(2003)237 - Measures for the recovery of cod stocks

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dossier COM(2003)237 - Measures for the recovery of cod stocks.
document COM(2003)237 EN
date February 26, 2004
 
(1) Recent scientific advice from the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) has indicated that a number of cod stocks in Community waters have been subjected to levels of mortality by fishing which have eroded the quantities of mature fish in the sea to the point at which the stocks may not be able to replenish themselves by reproduction and that these stocks are therefore threatened with collapse.

(2) These stocks are cod in the Kattegat, the North Sea, including the Skagerrak and the eastern Channel, to the west of Scotland and in the Irish Sea.

(3) Measures need to be taken to establish multi-annual plans for the recovery of these stocks.

(4) It is expected that recovery of these stocks under the conditions of this Regulation will take between five and 10 years.

(5) The objective of the plan concerning such measures should be considered to be achieved for a stock when, for two consecutive years, the quantity of mature cod has been greater than that decided upon by managers as being within safe biological limits.

(6) In order to achieve that objective, the fishing mortality rates should be controlled so that it is highly likely that the quantities of mature fish in the sea increase from year to year.

(7) Such control of fishing mortality rates can be achieved by establishing an appropriate method for the establishment of the level of the total allowable catches (TACs) of the stocks concerned, and a system whereby fishing effort on those stocks is constrained to levels so that the TACs are unlikely to be exceeded.

(8) Once recovery has been achieved, the Commission should propose, and the Council should decide upon, follow-up measures in accordance with Article 6 of Council Regulation (EC) No 2371/2002 of 20 December 2002 on the conservation and sustainable exploitation of fisheries resources under the common fisheries policy(2).

(9) 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) are required to ensure compliance with the measures laid down in this Regulation.