Ministry of Agriculture
K Ä S K I R
I

Tallinn 06.06 2014 No 85


Suspension of fishing for herring in 2014 in Harju County, Baltic Sea, ICES Subdivisions 28.2, 29 and 32

The order shall be issued on the basis of paragraph 19(6) of the Law on fishing in
.
For 2014, by Council Regulation (EU) No 1180/2013 fixing for 2014 the fishing opportunities for certain fish stocks and groups of fish stocks applicable in the Baltic Sea (OJ L 313, 22/11/2013, p. 4-12), the fishing opportunities for herring fixed for the Republic of Estonia in ICES Subdivisions 25-27, 28.2, 29 and 32 for the Baltic Sea shall be 12 664 tonnes of
.
According to paragraph 10(2) of Decree No 163 of the Government of the Republic of 14 November 2013 entitled “opportunities for commercial fishing and annual authorised catches under a fishing authorisation for fishermen in the lakes of Peipsi, Lämmi and Pihkva, the Baltic Sea and the Gulf of Livi and fishing fees for 2014” (“Decree No 163”), 1437 tonnes of herring may be fished in the Baltic Sea on the basis of a fishing authorisation issued by fishermen in ICES subdivisions 28.2, 29 and 32, of which 1137 tonnes may be fished in the archipelago, mainland and Haria,
.
Thus, pursuant to paragraph 134 (33) of the Law on fishing, the Government of the Republic of Estonia has fixed, for the Baltic Sea, under a fishing licence for herring in ICES subdivisions 28.2, 29 and 32, minimum and maximum annual catches per region of herring authorised. The authorised annual catches of herring fishing authorised by fishermen in the regions of island, Hiiu, West, Harju, West Viru and Ida-Viru may under no circumstances be less than 50 tonnes or more than 1187 tonnes.
In the counties of island, Hiiu, Western, Harju, Western Viru and Ida-Viru, the 2014 TAC for herring fishing under a fisherman's fishing licence will be definitively established after 1137 tonnes of herring caught in the Baltic Sea in ICES Subdivisions 28.2, 29 and 32, which, pursuant to paragraph 10(2) of Government Decree No 163, are caught jointly in the six counties in
.
Once the common herring catches have been taken, it is clear how the common catches have been distributed among the counties, that is to say, how many tonnes of herring of that 1137 tonnes were caught in one or other county. By adding 50 tonnes to the catch in the region, which is the minimum allowable catch for each county, the annual allowable catch for herring fishing authorised by the fisherman in that county is
.
According to the information provided in accordance with Regulation No 104 of the Government of the Republic of 31 March 2003, entitled “Procedure for reporting data relating to fishing activities” (“Regulation No 104”), and with Regulation No 34 of the Minister for the Environment of 29 October 2012, entitled “time, procedure and list of information to be provided concerning the arrival at port of a fishing vessel and the quantities of fish on board” (“Regulation No 34”), at least 1137 tonnes of herring have been caught in the Baltic Sea in 2014 under a fishing authorisation for fishermen in ICES subdivisions 28.2, 29 and 32. Thus, the rainfall common to the regions of the island, Hiiu, West, Harju, West Viru and Ida-Viru has been exhausted in the
.According to the information provided by the Government of the Republic in accordance with the procedure laid down in Decree No 104 and Decree No 34 of the Minister for the Environment, 46,604 tonnes of herring have been caught in the Baltic Sea in ICES subdivisions 28.2, 29 and 32 on the basis of a fisherman's fishing licence in Harju County, to the detriment of the exhausted common herring catch common to all those counties. If 50 tonnes are added to it, 96.604 tonnes of herring per year are authorised in Harju County in the Baltic Sea under the fishing authorisation of a fisherman in ICES subdivisions 28.2, 29 and 32.

Given that 86.944 tonnes of herring have already been caught, at least 90% of the annual herring catches in the Baltic Sea in ICES Subdivisions 28.2, 29 and 32 authorised under a fisherman's fishing licence in Harju County have been exhausted in the
.Paragraph 19(6) of the Law on fishing requires the Minister for Agriculture to stop commercial fishing in waters where the annual allowable catches for that area have been exhausted by at least 90%. Commercial fishing may be suspended in respect of one or more areas, small permanent islands, fishing gear, species and fishing authorisations referred to in paragraph 13(3) of the Law on fishing
.
The main fishing tool for herring fishing under a fishing authorisation for fishermen is chestnuck, which captures 95-98% of herring catches. Shooting is a poorly selective fishing gear which, if captured, cannot avoid the presence of herring in the trap. If, during the mass migration of herring, fish continues to be caught by chestnut traps, the catches of herring have not actually been stopped, as it is not possible to avoid large quantities of herring entering the traps. It is also not possible to release the herring caught by the chestnut trap as viable because, by rubbing up other fish and the chestnut netting, the herring is injured by losing a large part of its artebral cover, with the result that the herring also loses its viability. It is therefore appropriate to suspend fishing for sauce traps in ICES subdivisions 28.2, 29 and 32 on the basis of a fisherman's fishing licence in the Baltic Sea
.

1. I shall stop fishing for herring in ICES subdivisions 28.2, 29 and 32 in the Baltic Sea with sauce traps in Harju County on the basis of a fisherman's fishing licence.

2. I shall stop fishing with shooting traps in ICES subdivisions 28.2, 29 and 32 in the Baltic Sea on the basis of a fishing permit issued by a fisherman from the Harju County.

3. The circular applies to persons fishing in ICES subdivisions 28.2, 29 and 32 in the Baltic Sea on the basis of a fishing permit issued by a fisherman from the county of Harju, from the day following publication of the circular in
.
4. The fisheries department shall arrange for the publication of the circular in the official publication Ametlikud Teadaanded and on the website of the Ministry of Agriculture
.

The order may be the subject of an appeal before the administrative court within 30 days of publication of the order in the Official Journal of the European Communities in accordance with the procedure laid down in the Code of Administrative Procedure of the
.

Send: Estonian Coalition of fishermen, Eesti Kalapüügiühistu of fishermen, Estonian Coalition of professional fishermen, Ministry of Environment, environmental Inspectorate, Fisheries Management Division, Administrative Division, public relations Division.



Mr Ivari Padar Minister for