Commission Regulation (EC) No. 494/2002 establishing additional technical measures for the recovery of the stock of hake in ICES sub-areas III, IV, V, VI and VII and ICES divisions VIII a, b, d, e.

In the light of the fact that the stock of hake in ICES Sub-areas III, IV, V, VI and VII and ICES division VIII a, b, d, e is at serious risk of collapse, the present Regulation lays down technical measures intended for the recovery of the stock of hake in the above-mentioned sub-areas and divisions. These provisions shall apply to fishing vessels which operate within the ICES sub-areas and divisions referred to in article 1. The fishing gear mentioned in article 3 may not be used. Moreover, it shall be prohibited to carry on board or deploy any beam trawl of mesh size equal to or greater than 70 mm unless the entire upper half of the anterior part of such a net consists of a panel of netting material of which no individual mesh is of mesh size less than 180 mm attached directly to the headline, or to no more than three rows of netting material of any mesh size attached directly to the headline. Article 9 specifies other prohibited fishing gear with respect to the areas delimited by the coordinates referred therein.