Article 13 Mesh sizes

United Kingdom

For the purpose of this Article, mesh size shall be measured, using gauges specified by Commission Regulation (EC) No 517/2008^f1, in accordance with Annex III.A to the CEM referred to in point 10 of the Annex to this Regulation.

No vessel shall fish with a net having a mesh size smaller than prescribed for each of the following species:

(a)

40 mm for Northern prawns and prawns (PRA);

(b)

60 mm for short finned squid (SQI);

(c)

280 mm in the codend and 220 mm in all other parts of the trawl for skate (SKA);

(d)

130 mm for all other groundfish, as listed in Annex I.C of CEM referred to in point 11 of the Annex to this Regulation;

(e)

100 mm for pelagic Sebastes mentella (REB) in Subarea 2 and Divisions 1F and 3K; and

(f)

90 mm for redfish (RED) in the fishery using mid-water trawls in Divisions 3O, 3M and 3LN.

A vessel conducting a fishery for a species referred to in paragraph 2 of this Article that has on board nets having a mesh size smaller than that specified in that paragraph, shall ensure such nets are securely lashed and stowed and are not available for immediate use during that fishery.

A vessel conducting a directed fishery for species other than those identified in paragraph 2 of this Article is, however, permitted to take regulated species with nets having a mesh size less than that specified in that paragraph, provided that the by-catch requirements laid down in Article 7(3) are complied with.

Annotations

Footnotes

f1: Commission Regulation (EC) No 517/2008 of 10 June 2008 laying down detailed rules for the implementation of Council Regulation (EC) No 850/98 as regards the determination of the mesh size and assessing the thickness of twine of fishing nets (OJ L 151, 11.6.2008, p. 5).