http://www.legislation.gov.uk/eur/2018/45/article/7Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2018/45 of 20 October 2017 establishing a discard plan for certain demersal fisheries in the North Sea and in Union waters of ICES Division IIa for the year 2018Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2018/45Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2018/45 of 20 October 2017 establishing a discard plan for certain demersal fisheries in the North Sea and in Union waters of ICES Division IIa for the year 20182020-12-09King's Printer of Acts of Parliamenthttps://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/eu-exit/https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32018R0045texttext/xmlen2017-10-20
Article 7De minimis exemptions

By way of derogation from Article 15(1) of Regulation (EU) No 1380/2013, the following quantities may be discarded pursuant to Article 15(4)(c) of that Regulation:

(a)

in the fisheries by vessels using trammel nets and gill nets (GN, GNS, GND, GNC, GTN, GTR, GEN, GNF) in ICES Division IIIa, ICES Subarea IV and Union waters of ICES Division IIa:

a quantity of common sole which shall not exceed 3 % of the total annual catches of that species;

(b)

in the fisheries by vessels using beam trawl (TBB) of mesh size 80-119 mm with increased mesh size in the extension of the beam trawl, Flemish panel, in ICES Subarea IV:

a quantity of common sole below minimum conservation reference sizes, which shall not exceed 6 % of the total annual catches of that species;

(c)

in the fisheries by vessels using bottom trawls (OTB, OTT, TB, TBN,) of mesh size 80-99 mm in ICES Subarea IV and Union waters of ICES Division IIa:

a quantity of Norway lobster below minimum conservation reference sizes, which shall not exceed 2 % of the total annual catches of that species;

(d)

in the fishery for Norway lobster by vessels using bottom trawls (OTB, TBN) of mesh size equal to or larger than 70 mm equipped with a species-selective grid with bar spacing of maximum 35 mm in ICES Division IIIa:

a combined quantity of common sole, haddock, whiting, cod and saithe below minimum conservation reference sizes, which shall not exceed 4 % of the total annual catches of Norway lobster, common sole, haddock, whiting and Northern prawn, cod and saithe;

(e)

in the fishery for Northern prawn by vessels using bottom trawls (OTB) with a mesh size equal to or larger than 35 mm equipped with a species selective grid with bar spacing of maximum 19 mm, with unblocked fish outlet, in ICES Division IIIa:

a combined quantity of common sole, haddock, whiting, cod, plaice and saithe below minimum conservation reference sizes, which shall not exceed 1 % of the total annual catches of Norway lobster, common sole, haddock, whiting, cod, saithe and plaice and Northern prawn;

(f)

in the mixed fishery for sole, whiting, plaice and species without catch limits by vessels using bottom trawls (OTB, OTT, SDN, SSC) of mesh size 70-99 mm in ICES Division IVc:

a combined quantity of whiting and cod below minimum conservation reference sizes, which shall not exceed 6 % of the total annual catches of Norway lobster, haddock, sole, Northern prawn, whiting, plaice, saithe and cod; the maximum amount of cod that may be discarded shall be limited to 2 % of those total annual catches;

(g)

in the fisheries by vessels using bottom trawls (OTB, OTT, TBN) with a mesh size of 90-119 mm, equipped with Seltra panel, or with a mesh size of 120 mm and above in ICES Division IIIa:

a quantity of whiting below minimum conservation reference sizes, up to a maximum of 2 % of the total annual catches of Nephrops, cod, haddock, whiting, saithe, common sole, plaice and hake.