Considerations on COM(2004)640 - Rebuilding plan for Greenland halibut in the framework of the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organisation

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dossier COM(2004)640 - Rebuilding plan for Greenland halibut in the framework of the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organisation.
document COM(2004)640 EN
date December 20, 2005
 
table>(1)Under Council Regulation (EEC) No 3179/78 of 28 December 1978 concerning the conclusion by the European Economic Community of the Convention on Future Multilateral Cooperation in the Northwest Atlantic fisheries (2), that Convention (‘the NAFO Convention’), was approved by the Community.
(2)The NAFO Convention provides an appropriate framework for multilateral cooperation on the rational conservation and management of fishery resources in the area defined by it.

(3)At its June 2003 meeting, the Scientific Council of the NAFO advised that the Greenland halibut stock was declining rapidly and recommended a sharp reduction of the Total Allowable Catch (TAC) level.

(4)At its 25th Annual Meeting of 15 to 19 September 2003, the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organisation (‘NAFO’) adopted a 15-year rebuilding plan for Greenland halibut in NAFO Sub-area 2 and Divisions 3KLMNO (‘the NAFO rebuilding plan’). The NAFO rebuilding plan pursues the same objectives as the recovery plans provided for in Article 5 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 (3).

(5)In order to rebuild the stock, the NAFO rebuilding plan provides for a reduction of the TAC level until 2007 as well as control measures to ensure the effectiveness of that plan.

(6)The NAFO rebuilding plan was implemented on a provisional basis in Regulations (EC) No 2287/2003 (4) and (EC) No 27/2005 (5) respectively fixing for 2004 and 2005 the fishing opportunities and associated conditions for certain fish stocks and groups of fish stocks, applicable in the Community waters and, for Community vessels, in waters where catch limitations are required, pending the adoption of a Council Regulation implementing multi-annual measures to rebuild the Greenland halibut stock.

(7)It is therefore necessary to implement the NAFO rebuilding plan on a permanent basis by means of a recovery plan as provided for in Article 5 of Regulation (EC) No 2371/2002. To that end a procedure should be determined for the transmission of the list of vessels to which a special fishing permit has been issued in accordance with Council Regulation (EC) No 1627/94 of 27 June 1994 laying down general provisions concerning special fishing permits (6).

(8)To comply with the control measures of the NAFO rebuilding plan, reporting obligations should be imposed on masters of Community vessels, as well as an obligation for Member States to allocate its quota among its authorised vessels.

(9)Additional control measures are required to ensure an effective implementation at Community level and to ensure coherence with recovery plans adopted by the Council in other areas. Such measures should include an obligation for prior notification of entry into port designated by Member States and to limit margins of tolerance,