Whiting Derogation Scheme in the Celtic Sea
Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No. 737/2012 of 14 August 2012 as amended by
Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2015/741 of 8 May 2015 setting out the
technical specifications for certain fishing gear in order to protect fish Stocks in the Celtic
Sea. With effect from 29th May 2015 all fishing vessels operating bottom trawls or seine
nets in ICES areas VIIg & VIIf and those parts of VIIj & VIIh which lie north of latitude 50°N
and east of longitude 11°W, using a Cod end mesh size of 70-119mm are required to have a
square mesh panel of at least 120mm inserted.
Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2015/741 of 8 May 2015 provides a derogation
from this requirement to permit the use of SMP between 100mm and 120mm in the area
East of 8⁰ West in the Celtic Sea, provided that on any trip using this gear in the area, the
catch comprises of at least 55% Whiting. Vessels availing of this derogation are required to
be authorised by the Department.
(1) The permitted gear is set out in Schedule 1.
(2) The Master of an Authorised boat shall lash and stow fishing gear with a SMP of
less than 120mm when fishing in an area of the Celtic Sea North of 51N and
West of 8o West.
To apply for the derogation please complete the application form.
Schedule 1
1.
For the purposes of Paragraph 5 the following is the gear which may be used subject
to the conditions and restrictions contained in this authorisation in the area North of
51 North and East of 8o West, in the Celtic Sea.
Specifications of the square mesh panel
1.
The panel shall be a rectangular section of netting. The netting shall be single twine.
The meshes shall be square meshes, i.e. square-meshed netting shall mean a
construction of netting mounted so that of the two sets of parallel lines formed by
the mesh bars, one set is parallel to, and the other at right angles to, the longitudinal
axis of the net.
2.
The square mesh panel must not have less meshes at the anterior end than the
posterior end. i.e. it can be tapered towards the posterior end of the net in a tapered
section of the net.
3.
The square mesh panel shall be made of knotless meshing or non-slip knots.
4.
The mesh size shall be equal or more than 100 millimetres and less than 120mm.
The length of the panel shall be at least 3 meters except when incorporated
into nets towed by vessels of less than 112 kW, when it shall be of at least 2
meters in length.
Location of the panel
5.
The square-meshed panel as referred to in paragraph 1 shall be placed into the
top panel of the net. The rearmost edge of the square-meshed panel, which is
the part closest to the codline, shall be no more than 9 meters from the
codline.
Insertion of the panel into net
6.
In any net in which a square-meshed panel is inserted in an untapered portion of
the net, there shall be at most five open diamond meshes between each panel side
and the adjacent selvedges of the net.
7.
In any net in which a square-meshed panel is inserted, wholly or partially, into a
tapered portion of the net there shall be at most five open diamond meshes
between the posterior row of meshes in the square-meshed panel and the adjacent
selvedges of the net.
8.
The joining rate between the diamond meshes and the square mesh panel at the
anterior and posterior ends of the square mesh panel shall be at least two diamond
meshes to one square mesh for cod ends measuring 100mm or greater.
Additional Requirements
The Master of an Authorised boat shall at all times comply with Commission Implementing
Regulation (EU) 737/2012 as amended by Commission Implementing Regulation (EU)
2015/741.
Attention is also drawn to the conditions to - Art 49 of EU 1224/2009 - If catches which have
been retained on board any Community fishing vessel have been taken with nets with
different minimum mesh sizes during the same voyage, the species composition shall be
calculated for each part of the catch which has been taken under different conditions. To
that end, all changes from the mesh size previously used as well as the catch composition on
board at the moment of any such change shall be entered into the fishing logbook.