Conservation of fishery resources: uniform definition of drift nets

PURPOSE: to extend the definition of “drift nets” to three legislative acts.

LEGISLATIVE ACT: Council Regulation (EC) No 809/2007 amending Regulations (EC) No 894/97 (EC), (EC) No 812/2004 and (EC) No 2187/2005 as concerns drift nets.

CONTENT: for the sake of clarity and in order to facilitate a uniform approach to monitoring, this Regulation introduces a uniform definition of “drift net” in three legislative acts, where previously there was none.

Specifically, the three legislative acts are:

• Council Regulation (EC) No 894/97 laying down technical measures for the conservation of fishery resources.
• Council Regulation (EC) No 812/2004 laying down measures concerning incidental catches of cetaceans in fishers.
• Council Regulation (EC) No 2187/2005 for the conservation of fishery resources through technical measures in the Baltic Sea, the Belts and the Oresund.

The definition set out in the revised acts is as follows:

“Drift net” means: any gillnet held on the sea surface or at a certain distance below it by floating devices, drifting with the current, either independently or with the boat to which it may be attached. It may be equipped with devices aiming to stabilise the net or to limit its drift.”

In the case of Council Regulation (EC) No 894/97 laying down technical measures for the conservation of fishery resources, the definition also states that:

“No vessel may keep on board, or use for fishing, one or more drift nets whose individual or total length is more than 2.5 km.”

ENTRY INTO FORCE: 19 July 2007.