The EU revised its technical measures for fisheries in some fishing areas

On 30 December 2022, the European Commission published Enabling Regulation (EU) 2022/2588 amending Regulation (EU) 2019/1241 of the European Parliament and of the Council on certain benthic and pelagic fisheries in the Celtic Sea, the Irish Sea and western Scotland Provision for technical measures. Annex VI of Regulation (EU) 2019/1241 is amended to read as follows: (1) Point 1.3.2(a) is amended to read: Vessels operating with bottom trawl or purse seine shall use one of the prescribed fishing gear if their catch exceeds 30% of Norwegian lobsters. (2) Require that fishing vessels operating in ICES Zone 7a (Irish Sea) using bottom trawling or purse seine should use prescribed fishing gear. Bottom trawling or purse seine operations for vessels with a total length equal to or greater than 12 metres shall use catches consisting of haddock, cod and rays and more than 10 per cent of the total number of rays, and catch with tails greater than 120 millimetres. To reduce derogation, the use of alternative fishing gear should be permitted, provided that such gear is at least as selective as or greater for haddock and haddock. The above measures apply until 31 December 2023. The Regulation shall enter into force on the day following its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union and shall apply from 1 January 2023. The entire content of the Regulation is binding and directly applicable to all Member States.