# Commission Implementing Decision of 24 September 2012 confirming measures proposed by the Netherlands for the protection of marine areas of conservation in the North Sea Coastal Zone, the Vlakte van de Raan and the Voordelta (notified under document C(2012) 6510) (Only the Danish, Dutch, English, French and German texts are authentic) (2012/638/EU), Division 2: Background

Extent: E+W+S+N.I.

In 2012 a study will be launched into the effects of shrimp fisheries on benthic life in the Voordelta, North Sea Coastal Zone and Wadden Sea. The study aims to collect information to make an appropriate assessment in preparation of the issue of shrimp fisheries permits from 2014.
The programme of this study requires some areas to be closed to all forms of seabed disturbing fisheries. These include three 500 × 500 m (25 ha.) areas in the Vlakte van de Raan in the Westerscheldt estuary. The closure enables the conduct of research into long-lived, vulnerable benthos species, the effects of shrimp fisheries on the seabed ecosystem and the scope and composition of by-catch.

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Source: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/eudn/2012/638/annex/III/division/Annex/annotations/1/annotation/2 (the official version)
Page: https://openlegislation.uk/eu-decision-2012-638/annex-III/division-Annex/annotations/1/annotation/2
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives.