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AGREED RECORD OF CONSULTATIONS BETWEEN THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITY AND NORWAY ON THE NORTH SEA COD CRISIS BRUSSELS, 24 JANUARY 2001 1. A Community Delegation headed by Mr Ole TOUGAARD and a Norwegian Delegation headed by Ms Sigrun M. HOLST met in Brussels on 23-24 January 2001 to consult on management measures relating to the North Sea cod crisis in accordance with point 5 and Annex VII of the Agreed Record of Conclusions of Fisheries Consultations between the European Community and Norway for 2001, dated 1 December 2000. The meeting was a continuation of a previous meeting held in Brussels on 18 and 19 January 2001. 2. The Parties agreed to proceed the work to enhance the conservation of the North Sea cod stock. For this purpose, the Parties agreed to implement, in conformity with their respective internal procedures within their respective areas of fisheries jurisdiction, the establishment of a controlled area, delimited by the coordinates and statistical rectangles set out in Appendix 1, which will be closed, in principle, in the period 14 February through 30 April for all fishing operations with the exception of fisheries for pelagic species conducted with purse seines or pelagic trawls and sandeel fisheries. 3. Furthermore the Parties agreed on the need to elaborate appropriate control measures applicable to the area during the closure period referred to in point 2. To this end the Parties will meet on 2 February 2001, to discuss inter alia: - notification procedures for vessels authorised to operate in the controlled area - a one-net rule - application of Vessel Monitoring System to vessels authorised to operate in the area - procedures for reporting of catches on board on entry to and exit from the controlled area - observer and sampling schemes applicable to vessels fishing within the controlled area and/or in adjacent statistical rectangles - exchange of inspectors 4. Each Party will monitor the geographical distribution of fishing effort and catches of their fleets engaged in demersal fisheries in the North Sea during the closed period and provide a report before 1 June 2001. 5. The Parties acknowledged the need to implement technical measures to improve the selectivity of fishing gears to obtain reduction in discards and improved exploitation pattern for cod and other demersal species. 6. To provide further scientific basis to facilitate the development of the cod recovery plan the Parties agreed to further collate information on selectivity, to carry out simulation of the effects of application of possible measures and to initiate further necessary research. They agreed to hold a meeting of appropriate experts during the week beginning 5 March. 7. The Parties agreed that additional measures should be introduced and implemented by 1 May 2001 or as soon as possible thereafter. These measures should include control measures and also technical measures to enhance the selectivity of gears. The Parties agreed to discuss these matters during the week beginning 26 March. 8. The Parties agreed that a comprehensive cod recovery plan should be developed and implemented not later than 1 January 2002.
Brussels, 24 January 2001
The following statistical rectangles will be closed:
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