This Regulation lays down technical conservation measures applicable to the capture and landing of certain stocks of highly migratory species as referred to in Annex I and to the capture of by-catches.

Without prejudice to Article 9, this Regulation applies to United Kingdom fishing vessels.

For the purposes of this Regulation:

1. 1.

   ‘Highly migratory species’ means the species listed in Annex I.

2. 2.

   ‘Tunas and related species covered by ICCAT’ means the species listed in Annex II.

3. 3.
   ‘Dolphin mortality limit’ means the limit defined in Article V of the Agreement on the International Dolphin Conservation Programme10.
4. 4.

   ‘Leisure fisheries’ means fishing activities exploiting living aquatic resources for recreation or sport.

5. 5.

   ‘Encircling nets’ means nets which catch fish by surrounding them both from the sides and from below; they may or may not be equipped with a purse line.

6. 6.

   ‘Purse seines’ means any encircling net the bottom of which is drawn together by means of a purse line at the bottom of the net, which passes through a series of rings along the groundrope, enabling the net to be pursed and closed. Purse seines may be used to catch small pelagic species, large pelagic species or demersal species.

7. 7.

   ‘Longlines’ means a fishing gear which comprises a main line carrying numerous hooks on branch lines (snoods) of variable length and spacing depending on the target species. It may be deployed either vertically or horizontally to the sea surface; it may be set either at or near the bottom (bottom-set longline) or drifting in midwater or near the surface (surface longline).

8. 8.

   ‘Hook’ means a bent, sharpened piece of steel wire usually with barb. The point of a hook may be either straight or even reversed and curved. The shank can be of varying length and form and its cross section can be round (regular) or flattened (forged). The total length of a hook shall be measured as the maximum overall length of the shank from the tip of the hook which serves for fastening the line and is usually shaped as an eye, to the apex of the bend. The width of a hook shall be measured as the greatest horizontal distance from the external part of the shank to the external part of the barb.

9. 9.

   ‘Fish-aggregating devices (FADs)’ means any equipment floating on the sea surface and with the objective of attracting fish.

10. 10.

    ‘Pole and line tuna vessel’ means vessels equiped for catching tuna by pole and line.

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

1. 1.

   F2...

2. 2.

   Area 2

   all waters of the Indian Ocean covered by the Agreement for the establishment of the IOTC as defined in Article 2 thereof;

3. 3.

   Area 3

   all waters of the Eastern Pacific Ocean as defined in Article 3 of the Agreement on the International Dolphin Conservation Programme;

4. 4.

   Area 4

   all waters of the Eastern and Central Pacific Ocean as defined in Article 3 of the WCPFC Convention.

Only F16United Kingdom fishing vessels operating under the conditions laid down in the Agreement on the International Dolphin Conservation Programme which have been allocated a Dolphin Mortality Limit (DML) shall be authorised to encircle schools or groups of dolphins with purse seines when fishing for yellowfin tuna in Area 3.

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F22A fisheries administration must take measures to reduce to the minimum waste, discards, catches taken by lost or abandoned gear, pollution from fishing vessels, catches of fish and animals of species not targeted and repercussions for related or dependent species, in particular species threatened with extinction.

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Regulation (EC) No 973/2001 is hereby repealed.

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