Regulation No. 1303 on protection of vulnerable marine ecosystems in areas beyond national jurisdiction in the Northeast Atlantic (NEAFC).

The purpose of this regulation is to protect vulnerable marine ecosystems and applies to fishing with bottom gear by Norwegian vessels in areas beyond the jurisdiction of any state (international waters) in the Northeast Atlantic north of 36 N and between 42 W and 51 E. Section 3 contains a list of areas where it is prohibited to conduct fishing with bottom gear. Vessels shall, for each catch, measure the quantity of indicators of vulnerable marine ecosystems, such as live corals and live sponges. A collision with a potentially sensitive marine ecosystem is defined as follows: a) In connection with trawling or the use of other gear than longlines: the amount in the individual catch exceeds 30 kilograms of live corals and/or 400 kilograms of live sponges; and b) In connection with longlining: live corals and/or live sponges on at least 10 of 1000 hooks or on at least 10 hooks within a length of 1200 meters of the line, depending on which calculation method is shortest.