Conservation of fishery resources: protection of juveniles of marine organisms

PURPOSE : to amend for the fifth time Regulation 850/98/EC for the conservation of fishery resources through technical measures for the protection of juveniles of marine organisms. CONTENT : on 30 March 1998, the Council of Ministers adopted Council Regulation 850/98/EC for the conservation of fishery resources through technical measures for the protection of juveniles of marine organisms. After this Regulation was adopted and published, it became apparent that a number of data and developments brought to the Commission's attention should be incorporated into the Regulation : - provisions on the implementation of detailed rules for separator trawls or sorting grids in shrimp fisheries need to be established ; - recent scientific advice indicates the requirement for closure of fisheries for sand eels off the northeast coast of England and the east coast of Scotland ; - conditions for the applicability of national measures need to be redescribed, as the current description is, in some respects, unclear ; - minimum sizes for a number of bivalve molluscs and crustaceans need to be revised or introduced. In addition, the Commission has incorporated new restictions on fishing for sand eels. During the years 2000, 2001 and 2002, it shall be prohibited to land or retain on board sand eels caught within the geographical area bounded by the east coast of England and Scotland. In conclusion, this proposal for a Council Regulation attempts to incorporate these changes by amending Regulation 850/98/EC.�