This Regulation establishes a comprehensive framework for conservation, management, and control of fisheries in the North‑East Atlantic region under the NEAFC Convention. It introduces a comprehensive framework aimed at ensuring sustainable fisheries management within the Union. It sets out conservation and management measures while incorporating into Union law the recent amendments to the Scheme of Control and Enforcement adopted by the North-East Atlantic Fisheries Commission (NEAFC Scheme). In addition, it establishes specific measures for certain pelagic fisheries operating both in the NEAFC Convention Area and in Union waters within the Committee for Eastern Central Atlantic Fisheries (CECAF) area, as detailed in Annex II to Regulation (EC) No 216/2009. This Regulation applies even where obligations under existing fisheries legislation—such as Regulation (EU) 2017/2403, Council Regulation (EC) No 1005/2008, and Regulation (EC) No 1224/2009—are already in force. It applies to EU vessels operating within the Regulatory Area, those carrying catches from it, and third‑country vessels with catches in EU ports or waters. The Regulation defines core terms—including “vulnerable marine ecosystems” (VMEs), “regulated resources,” and “bottom fishing”—and mandates protection measures such as bans on bottom trawling and static gear outside designated areas, prohibitions of deliberately abandoning or discarding fishing gear and discharging waste from ships, as well as obligations to halt fishing and report upon encountering VMEs. Exploratory bottom-fishing must undergo prior scientific evaluation and be accompanied by detailed harvesting, mitigation, and monitoring plans, with on-board observers and vessel monitoring systems (VMS) required. The Regulation also expands technical measures listed in Annex IV, strengthens monitoring and enforcement—requiring designated contact points, vessel logbooks, transshipment reporting, and enhanced EU fisheries control agency cooperation. Furthermore, the Regulation revises selected provisions of Regulations (EC) No 1224/2009 and (EU) 2019/1241 to ensure coherence and effectiveness. It deletes Articles 54b and 54c of the Regulation (EC) No 1224/2009 and Article 5, point (h), Chapter VI and Annex XII of Regulation (EU) 2019/1241.
2024-09-18