Joint Recommendation of the Scheveningen Group amending the Discard Plan for Demersal Fisheries in the North Sea Draft 12.04.2019 Index 1. Background .................................................................................................................................... 3 1.1. Legal background .................................................................................................................... 3 1.2. Scheveningen High-Level Group ............................................................................................. 3 1.3. Consultation with relevant Advisory Councils ........................................................................ 4 1.4. Previously submitted joint recommendations ....................................................................... 4 1.5. Extent of discarding in North Sea Demersal Fisheries ............................................................ 5 2. Objectives and scope of the discard plan ...................................................................................... 5 2.1. Objectives ............................................................................................................................... 5 2.2. Scope ...................................................................................................................................... 6 3. Implementation of the landing obligation..................................................................................... 6 4. Exemptions .................................................................................................................................... 7 4.1. Additional scientific information supporting existing exemptions ......................................... 7 4.2. High Survivability exemptions .............................................................................................. 10 4.3. De minimis exemptions ........................................................................................................ 14 5. Adaptation of the Joint Recommendation .............................................................................. 17 Annex A – Additional information for the exemption for Norway lobster as bycatch in the fishery for Northern Prawn ......................................................................................................................... 18 Annex B – Additional information for exemption for Skates and Rays............................................ 19 Annex C – Additional information for the exemption for Whiting .................................................. 25 Annex D - High survivability for plaice in ICES area 3a in summer months – Data from DTU Aqua 29 Annex E - High survival exemption for plaice in the TR1 and TR2 fishery in ICES area 4 in the summer months – Data from Cefas ................................................................................................. 46 Annex F – Comparability of trawl of mesh sizes 80-99mm equipped with SELTRA in 3a and Scottish seine in the North Sea to gears covered by existing exemptions for plaice ...................... 53 Annex G – High Survival exemption for Plaice beam trawl ............................................................. 54 Appendix 1 – Progress report from Belgium ................................................................................... 54 Appendix 2 – Progress report from the Netherlands ...................................................................... 54 Annex H – High Survival exemption for Turbot ............................................................................... 73 Annex I - De minimis exemption request for the vessels using bottom trawl and seine with mesh size of 80-99mm to catch horse-mackerel in ICES subarea 4. ......................................................... 79 Annex J - De minimis exemption request for the vessels using bottom trawls and seines of mesh size 80-99mm to catch mackerel in ICES subarea 4......................................................................... 94 Annex K – De minimis request for ling below MCRS caught by vessels using set longlines (LLS) in ICES subarea 4. .............................................................................................................................. 109 Annex L – De minimis for industrial bycatches .............................................................................. 113 1. Background 1.1. Legal background One of the main elements of the reform of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP), introduced by Regulation (EU) no. 1380/2013 (the “Basic Regulation”), is the introduction of a full landing obligation as from 1 January 2019. Article 15(4) of the Basic Regulation provides that details of the implementation of the landing obligation are specified in multiannual plans referred to in Article 9 and 10 of that Regulation. Regulation (EU) no. 2018/973 established a multiannual plan for demersal stocks in the North Sea and the fisheries exploiting those stocks (the “North Sea MAP”). Article 11 of that Regulation provides that for all stocks of species in the North Sea, to which the landing obligation applies under Article 15(1) of the Basic Regulation, the Commission is empowered to adopt delegated acts in accordance with Article 16 of the North Sea MAP and Article 18 of the basic Regulation in order to supplement the North Sea MAP by specifying details of that obligation as provided for in points (a) to (e) of Article 15(5) of the Basic Regulation. According to Article 14 of the North Sea MAP Member States, having a direct management interest may submit joint recommendation (JR) for discard plans. These are to contain details of the implementation of the landing obligation. Upon agreeing a JR the Member States may propose to the Commission to translate it into a Delegated Act. The Commission is empowered to adopt Delegated Acts concerning specific provisions regarding fisheries or species covered by the landing obligation, exemptions for high survivability and de minimis, provisions, on the documentation of catches and the fixing of minimum conservation reference sizes by virtue of Article 16 of the North Sea MAP and in accordance with Article 18 of the Basic Regulation. On the basis of the authority granted to the European Commission by Article 15(6) and 18(1) of the Basic Regulation and Article 11 of the North Sea MAP to adopt discard plans by means of delegated acts, the Member States of the North Sea hereby submit a joint recommendation for the amendment of the Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/2035, as per Article 18(1) of the Basic Regulation and Article 14 of the North Sea MAP, to the European Commission for a specific discard plan for demersal fisheries in the North Sea. 1.2. Scheveningen High-Level Group Following Article 18 of the Basic Regulation, the Fisheries Directors of the North Sea Member States cooperating in the Scheveningen Group since 2004 established a High Level Group (HLG) in December 2013 and agreed on a Memorandum of Understanding setting out the principles and working methods of the Group. Members of the Group are Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden and the United Kingdom. An annual chair, with Denmark chairing from 1 January 2019 to 31 December 2019, chairs the group. The HLG is assisted by a technical group and a control group for discussions of control related issues in the North Sea. 1.3. Consultation with relevant Advisory Councils The group acknowledges the importance of a meaningful input from stakeholders in the process of drawing up the discard plans, especially in relation to identifying challenges and solutions as well as formulating exemptions, in light of Article 18(2) of the Basic Regulation. With this in mind the North Sea Advisory Council (NSAC) and the Pelagic Advisory Council (PELAC) were invited to closely cooperate with the Scheveningen group. There has been regular and detailed engagement between the Scheveningen group and the NSAC and PELAC throughout the development of the joint recommendation. In order to have a continuous consultation during the process, the NSAC and PELAC have been invited to attend, in part, meetings of the Scheveningen High Level Group and the Technical Group. Additionally, Scheveningen Group representatives have attended several meetings of NSAC and PELAC in 2019. On [12] April 2019 a draft of the joint recommendation was sent to NSAC and PELAC for consultation. [On xx April.2019 the NSAC adopted its advice on “comments on the implementation of the landing obligation in the North Sea demersal fisheries – joint recommendation for a delegated act for 2020”. In the Technical Group on 9 May 2019, the NSAC presented its advice.] The Scheveningen group remains committed to working in close cooperation with the NSAC and the PELAC on implementation of the demersal landing obligation in the North Sea area. 1.4. Previously submitted joint recommendations For the purpose of detailed rules implementing the landing obligation the Member States of the North Sea (Scheveningen group) submitted a joint recommendation on 30 May 2018, which was revised on 30 August 2018, for the years 2019 and beyond for the demersal fisheries in the North Sea. On 6 November 2018 the Scheveningen Group supplemented this joint recommendation with a complementary joint recommendation for a discard plan for turbot in the North Sea. However, this request for an exemption was not granted. Suggested corrections on gear types were accepted. On 19 December 2018 the Scheveningen Group further