This Regulation fixes fishing opportunities for the year 2005, for certain fish stocks and groups of fish stocks, and the specific conditions under which such fishing opportunities may be used.

However, for certain Antarctic stocks, it fixes the fishing opportunities and specific conditions for the periods set out in Annex IF.

This Regulation shall apply to:

1. (a)

   Community fishing vessels (‘Community vessels’); and

2. (b)

   fishing vessels flying the flag of, and registered in, third countries (‘third country vessels’) in waters falling within the sovereignty or jurisdiction of Member States (‘EC waters’).

For the purposes of this Regulation, the following definitions shall apply:

1. (a)

   ‘fishing opportunities’ means:

   1. (i)

      total allowable catches (‘TACs’) or the number of vessels authorised to fish and/or the duration of these authorisations;

   2. (ii)

      shares of the TACs available to the Community;

   3. (iii)

      quotas allocated to the Community in third country waters;

   4. (iv)

      allocation of Community fishing opportunities under (ii) and (iii) to Member States in the form of quotas;

   5. (v)

      allocation to third countries of quotas to be fished in Community waters;

2. (b)

   ‘international waters’ means waters falling outside the sovereignty or jurisdiction of any State;

3. (c)

   ‘NAFO Regulatory Area’ means the part of the area of the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organisation (NAFO) Convention not falling under the sovereignty or within the jurisdiction of coastal States;

4. (d)

   ‘Skagerrak’ means the area bounded on the west by a line drawn from the Hanstholm lighthouse to the Lindesnes lighthouse and on the south by a line drawn from the Skagen lighthouse to the Tistlarna lighthouse and from this point to the nearest point on the Swedish coast;

5. (e)

   ‘Kattegat’ means the area bounded on the north by a line drawn from the Skagen lighthouse to the Tistlarna lighthouse and from this point to the nearest point on the Swedish coast and on the south by a line drawn from Hasenøre to Gnibens Spids, from Korshage to Spodsbjerg and from Gilbjerg Hoved to Kullen;

6. (f)

   ‘North Sea’ means ICES Sub-area IV and that part of ICES Division IIIa which is not covered by the definition of the Skagerrak given in point (d);

7. (g)

   ‘Gulf of Riga’ means the area bounded on the west bya line drawn from Ovisi lighthouse (57°34.1234′N, 21°42.9574′E) on the west coast of Latvia to the Southern Rock of Cape Loode (57°57.4760′N, 21°58.2789′E) on the island of Saaremaa, then southwards to the southernmost point of the peninsula of Sõrve and then in a north-eastern direction along the east coast of the island of Saaremaa, and in the north by a line drawn from 58°30.0′N 23°13.2′E to 58°30.0′N 23°41′1E;

8. (h)

   ‘Gulf of Cadiz’ means the area of ICES Sub-division IXa east of longitue 7°23′48″W.

For the purpose of this Regulation, the following zone definitions shall apply:

1. (a)
   ICES (International Council for the Exploration of the Sea) zones are as defined in Regulation (EEC) No 3880/91 of 17 December 1991 on the submission of nominal catch statistics by Member States fishing in the north-east Atlantic24;
2. (b)
   CECAF (Eastern Central Atlantic or FAO major fishing zone 34) zones are as defined in Regulation (EC) No 2597/95 of 23 October 1995 on the submission of nominal catch statistics by Member States fishing in certain areas other than those of the North Atlantic25;
3. (c)
   NAFO (Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organisation) zones are as defined in Regulation (EEC) No 2018/93 of 30 June 1993 on the submission of catch and activity statistics by Member States fishing in the Northwest Atlantic26;
4. (d)

   CCAMLR (Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources) zones are as defined in Regulation (EC) No 601/2004.