Commission Regulation (EC) No 517/2008Show full title

ANNEX I U.K. Mesh size and N-direction and T-direction of netting twine

Figure U.K.

ANNEX II U.K.

Diamond knotted netting and T90 netting U.K.

Figure 1

The direction of run of the netting twine in a standard diamond knotted net (A) and in a net turned 90° (B) is shown below.

Longitudinal axis of the net U.K.

Figure 2

ANNEX III U.K. Technical specifications of the mesh gauge

1. The mesh gauge shall: U.K.

(a)

automatically apply a longitudinal measuring force when measuring the mesh size of fishing nets;

(b)

have two jaws, one fixed and one movable, each 2 mm thick with rounded edges with a radius of 1 mm to ensure that the jaws slip easily over the twine as shown in figure below;

(c)

be electrically driven or if battery powered it shall be capable of making 1 000 consecutive mesh measurements before requiring to be recharged;

(d)

be able to apply selected longitudinal forces, in the range 5 to 180 N, to the meshes with a precision of 1 N;

(e)

have a built-in system for measuring the applied force;

(f)

be capable to stretch a mesh at a constant speed of 300 ± 30 mm/min by the movable jaw;

(g)

be able to measure meshes from 10 to 300 mm and have detachable jaws for use on small and large meshes;

(h)

have a measurement precision of 1 mm;

(i)

have a structure which is rigid and shall not be distorted under load;

(j)

be light yet robust and should weigh no more than 2,5 kg;

(k)

be made of materials resistant to corrosion under marine conditions;

(l)

be water resistant and unaffected by dust to standard IP56(1);

(m)

be stable in operation over a temperature range of – 10 to + 45 °C;

(n)

be able to withstand temperatures between – 30 and 70 °C during storage and transportation;

(o)

be controlled by software which should provide a menu of functions and enable the gauge to self-test the electronic and mechanical parts when started;

(p)

display that the gauge is ready for use and if not, display an error message, close down and cease operating;

(q)

be possible to operate with one hand and the functions must be accessed via external buttons;

(r)

show data on an integral display and present each measurement, the number of measurements made in a series, and the mean value in millimetres;

(s)

store the data of at least 1 000 measurements in its memory and it must be possible to transmit data to a computer;

(t)

contain a function to calculate the mean mesh size rounded to the nearest 0,1 mm;

(u)

incorporate software having a function to automatically select the largest diagonal of each mesh to calculate the mean mesh size of the square mesh netting;

(v)

save the data of all measurements made.

2. Some netting creeps under load. The gauge must respond to this condition by reapplying the fixed force, requiring an algorithm in the controlling software, as described in the Appendix. U.K.

Figure (These drawings are for illustrative purposes only) U.K.

Appendix to Annex III Measurement algorithm

To allow for creep in a stretched mesh:

1.

extend the movable jaw into the mesh at a constant speed of 300 ± 30 mm/min(2), until the measurement force is reached;

2.

stop the motor and wait for 1 second;

3.

if the force drops below 80 % of the pre-set measurement force, extend the movable jaw into the mesh until the measurement force is reached once more.

ANNEX IV U.K. Technical specifications of the twine thickness gauge

Gauges for assessing the thickness of twine shall:

(a)

be made of durable, non-corrosive material able to withstand a harsh marine environment and shall be manufactured in accordance with the drawings shown in the figure below;

(b)

have edges around the circumference of each side of the circular hole for assessing the thickness of the twine (the hole) rounded to avoid abrasion when the twine is pulled through the hole to test legality;

(c)

be constructed with the nose of the pliers rounded to facilitate inserting the jaws between double twines;

(d)

have jaws with parallel action that are sufficiently strong to prevent deformation of the jaws during any reasonable use, bearing in mind that the jaws have to be squeezed closed with manual force during every measurement;

(e)

have the inside faces of the jaws milled to leave a 0,5 mm gap for a distance of 1 mm either side of the hole when the jaws are closed in order to avoid single filaments of material protruding from braided or twisted construction being trapped in the flat surfaces of the jaws on each side of the hole in which the twine is seated;

(f)

have, when the jaws are closed, the diameter of the circular hole marked in millimetres on one of the jaws, adjacent to the hole; the jaws are closed when the surface of both internal sides of the jaws touch each other and are flush;

(g)

have both the handle and the jaws marked ‘EC gauge’;

(h)

have a tolerance for the hole diameter of 0 + 0,1 mm;

(i)

be conveniently portable such that a set of four (4 mm, 5 mm, 6 mm, and 8 mm) gauges may be carried by an inspector during vessel to vessel transfer at sea;

(j)

if gauges are of different sizes, be easily identifiable;

(k)

be easy to insert between double twine. After the gauge has been inserted into position, it shall be capable of easy operation with one hand.

Figure Twine-measuring pliers assembly U.K.

ANNEX V U.K. Calibration and testing of the mesh gauge

A. Verification of length measurement U.K.

The verification of length measurement shall be performed by inserting the jaws of the gauge to be used during the inspection, into slots of different lengths in the calibrated rigid test plate. This can be done at any time.

Figure 1

B. Verification of force measurement U.K.

The verification of force measurement shall be performed by hanging calibrated weights on the fixed jaw containing the load cell, with the gauge held vertical and secure. The weights shall have the following values: 10, 20, 50 and 125 N. The weights can only be used under stable conditions.

Figure 2

(This drawing is for illustrative purposes only)

ANNEX VI U.K. Preparation of the mesh gauge

1. The inspector shall: U.K.

(a)

select the appropriate size of jaw for the meshes to be measured;

(b)

ensure that the jaws are clean;

(c)

check that the gauge completes the self-test satisfactorily;

(d)

select the measuring force to be applied as follows:

(i)

for active gear:

• 20 N for mesh sizes < 35 mm,

• 50 N for mesh sizes ≥ 35 mm and < 55 mm,

• 125 N for mesh sizes ≥ 55 mm;

(ii)

for passive gear:

• 10 N for all mesh sizes;

(e)

verify the jaw type setting. The default setting is ‘Normal’. If small or large jaws are used, the inspector shall enter the menu and change the jaw type setting accordingly.

2. When the activities set out in point 1 are completed the gauge is then ready to undertake mesh measurements. U.K.

ANNEX VII U.K. Operation of the mesh gauge for inspection

When measuring the meshes the inspector shall:

(a)

insert the jaws into the mesh opening with the fixed jaw of the gauge against the knot, as shown in the figure below;

(b)

activate the gauge allowing the jaws to open until the movable jaw reaches the opposite knot and stops when the set force is reached:

Figure U.K.

ANNEX VIII U.K. Twines in diamond and square mesh netting

Figure U.K.

ANNEX IX U.K.

Correlation table

Regulation (EC) No 129/2003	This Regulation
—	Article 1
Article 1	Article 2
Article 2(1)	Article 3(2)
Article 2(2)	Article 3(4)
Article 3(1)	Article 9
Article 3(2)	—
Article 3(3)	—
Article 4(1)	Article 10(1)
Article 4(2)	Article 10(2)
Article 5(1)	Article 6(1)
Article 5(2)	Article 6(2)
Article 5(3)	Article 6(3)
Article 6(1)	Article 11
Article 6(2)	Article 12(1)
Article 6(3)	Article 12(2)
Article 7	Article 13
Article 8	—
Article 9	Article 14
Article 10(1)	Article 3(2)
Article 10(2)	Article 3(2)
Article 10(3)	Article 3(4)
Article 10(4)	Article 3(2)
Article 10(5)	Article 3(2)
Article 11(1)	Article 7(1)
Article 11(2)	Article 7(2)
Article 12(1)	Article 11
Article 12(2)	Article 8
Article 13	Article 13
Article 14	Article 6
Article 15	Article 14
Article 16(1)	Article 3(3)
Article 16(2)	Article 3(3)
Article 16(3)	Article 3(4)
Article 17(1)	Article 15(1)
Article 17(2)	Article 15(2)
Article 17(3)	—
Article 18(1)	Article 19
Article 18(2)	Article 16
Article 18(3)	Article 17
Article 19(1)	Article 20
Article 19(2)	Article 21(1)
Article 19(3)	Article 21(2)
Article 20	Article 22

(1)

Internal protection (IP) codes are specified in the international standard of the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) 60529.

(2)

Speed of the movable jaw during the stretching of the mesh. The unloaded speed of the movable jaw can be higher.