Article 8 Survivability exemption for pelagic species
United Kingdom
The survivability exemption provided for in Article 15(4)(b) of Regulation (EU) No 1380/2013 shall apply to catches of mackerel and herring in the purse seine fisheries in ICES subarea 6, if all of the following conditions are met:
the catch is released before a certain percentage (set out in paragraphs 2 and 3 below) of the purse seine is closed (‘the point of retrieval’);
the purse seine gear is fitted with visible buoys clearly marking the limit for the point of retrieval;
the vessel and the purse seine gear are equipped with an electronic recording and documenting system when, where and extent to which the purse seine has been hauled for all fishing operations.
The point of retrieval shall be 80 % closure of the purse seine in fisheries for mackerel and it shall be 90 % closure of the purse seine in fisheries for herring.
If the surrounded school consists of a mixture of both species the point of retrieval shall be 80 % closure of the purse seine.
It shall be prohibited to release catches of mackerel and herring after the point of retrieval.
The surrounded school of fish shall be sampled before its release to estimate the species composition, the fish size composition and the quantity.
The survivability exemption provided for in Article 15(4)(b) of Regulation (EU) No 1380/2013 shall apply to catches of mackerel and herring in the ring net fishery targeting pelagic species not subject to quotas in ICES divisions 7e and 7f, if the requirements set out in paragraphs 1 to 5 of this Article and in Article 15 of this Regulation are met mutatis mutandis.