Notice from the Commission in accordance with points 8(b) and 8(d) of Annex IID to Regulation (EC) No 41/2007 of the Council (2007/C 120/02) Catch limits for sandeel in ICES zone IIIa and in EC waters of ICES zones IIa and IV are provisionally laid down in Annex IA to Council Regulation (EC) No 41/2007 of 21 December 2006 fixing for 2007 the fishing opportunities and associated conditions for certain fish stocks and groups of fish stocks, applicable in Community waters and, for Community vessels, in waters where catch limitations are required . Pursuant to point 8 of Annex IID to Regulation (EC) No 41/2007, the Commission shall revise the TAC and quotas for 2007 for sandeel in the zones in question based on advice from the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) and the Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries (STECF) on the size of the 2006 year class of North Sea sandeel.
Where ICES and STECF estimate the size of the 2006 year class of North Sea sandeel to be greater than 150000 million individuals at age 1, the TAC (in 1000 t) shall be established according to the function TAC 2007 = - 597+(4,073 * N 1 ) as laid down in point 8(b) of Annex IID to Regulation (EC) No 41/2007. On 16 May 2007 the Commission received the scientific advice from ICES and STECF, which estimates the strength of the 2006 year-class to be greater than 150000 million individuals at age 1. The TAC for sandeel in ICES zones IIIa and IV and in EC waters of ICES zone IIa shall therefore correspond to 170000 tonnes.
A Commission Regulation on the revision of the TAC and quotas for sandeel in ICES zone IIIa and in EC waters of ICES zones IIa and IV will be adopted as soon as possible. Pursuant to point 8(d) of Annex IID to Regulation (EC) No 41/2007, the Commission Regulation on the revision of the TAC and quotas for sandeel in ICES zone IIIa and in EC waters of ICES zones IIa and IV shall be applicable retroactively from the date of publication of this notice by the Commission in the Official Journal of the European Union .