Regulation on the prohibition of catch and trade in fish juveniles, undersized fish and other marine organisms

Order on prohibition of catch of and trade in fish juveniles, undersized fish and other marine organisms 1 Pursuant to Article 18 item 3 of the Law on Marine Fisheries and Mariculture (Official Gazette of Montenegro 56/09), the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has issued the Order on prohibition of catch and trade in fish juveniles, undersized fish and other marine organisms 1. It is prohibited to catch and trade fish juveniles, undersized fish and other undersized marine organisms. 2. The term undersized fish and other undersized marine organisms means not fully grown fish, crustaceans, bivalve molluscs and sponges of commercial significance, size of which in certain species is below the size as laid down by this Order, as follows: For fish: Common pandora (Pagellus erythrinus) 15 cm axillary seabream (Pagellus acarne) 15 cm Stargazer (Uranoscopus scaber) 16 cm Bogue (Boops boops) 13 cm Thinlip mullet (Liza ramada) 27 cm Flathead gray mullet (Mugil cephalus) 40 cm Leaping mullet (Liza saliens) 28 cm Thicklip gray mullet (Chelon labrosus) 32 cm Golden grey mullet (Liza aurata) 28 cm Common two-banded seabream (Diplodus vulgaris) 15 cm Mediterranean sand smelt (Atherina hepsetus) 8 cm Big-scale sand smelt (Atherina boyeri) 6 cm Picarel (Spicara smaris) 12 cm Blotched picarel (Spicara flexuosa) 12 cm Greater amberjack (Seriola dumerili) 50 cm Anglerfish (Lophius piscatorius) 60 cm Black-bellied angler (Lophius budegassa) 40 cm Anchovy (Engraulis encrasicolus) 11 cm Flounder (Platichthys flesus luscus) 25 cm Common eel (Anguilla anguilla) 30 cm Order on prohibition of catch of and trade in fish juveniles, undersized fish and other marine organisms 2 Comber (Serranus cabrilla) 16 cm Brown meagre (Sciaena umbra) 30 cm Dusky grouper (Epinephelus marginatus) 50 cm Streaked gurnard (Trigloporus lastoviza) 24 cm Gilthead bream (Sparus aurata) 20 cm St.Pierre (Zeus faber) 25 cm Common sole (Solea vulgaris) 25 cm Chub mackerel (Scomber japonicus) 25 cm European seabass (Dicentrarchus labrax) 25 cm Blotched pickarel (Spicara maena) 14 cm Hake (Merluccius merluccius) 20 cm Striped seabream (Lithognathus mormyrus) 16 cm Red porgy (Pagrus pagrus pagrus) 32 cm Atlantic bonito (Sarda sarda) 45 cm Common smooth hound (Mustelus mustelus) 75 cm Spiny dogfish (Squalus acanthias) 65 cm Black spotted smooth hound (Mustelus punculatus) 60 cm Sharpsnout sea bream (Diplodus puntazzo) 22 cm Whiting (Merlangius merlangus euxinus) 12 cm Painted comber (Serranus scriba) 15 cm Thornback ray (Raja clavata) 73 cm Brown ray (Raja miraletus) 32 cm Swordfish (Xiphias gladius) 120 cm Salema (Sarpa salpa) 22 cm Atlantic mackerel (Scomber scombrus) 20 cm Cuckoo wrasse (Labrus bimaculatus) 18 cm European pilchard (Sardina pilchardus sardina) 12 cm White seabream (Diplodus sargus sargus) 21 cm Largescaled scorpionfish (Scorpaena scrofa) 25 cm Black scorpionfish (Scorpaena porcus) 14 cm Horse mackerel (Trachurus trachurus) 20 cm Order on prohibition of catch of and trade in fish juveniles, undersized fish and other marine organisms 3 Mediterranean horse mackerel (Trachurus mediterraneus) 20 cm Annular sea bream (Diplodus annularis) 10 cm Striped red mullet (Mullus surmeletus) 13 cm Red mullet (Mullus barbatus) 13 cm Bullet tuna (Auxis rochei) 32 cm Bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus) 90 cm/15 kg Conger (Conger conger) 40 cm Saddled seabream (Oblada melanura) 17 cm Brown wrasse (Labrus merula) 22 cm Common dentex (Dentex dentex) 30 cm For crustaceans (CRUSTACEA) Lobster (Homarus gammarus) 28 cm Spiny lobster (Palinurus elaphas) 28 cm Spiny spider crab (Maja squinado) 10 cm Norway lobster (Nephrops norvegicus) 10 cm Caramote prawn (Penaeus kerathturus) 10 cm Deepwater pink shrimp (Parapenaeus longirostris) 9 cm For cephalopods (CEPHALOPODA) Common cuttlefish (Sepia officinalis) 12 cm Octopus (Octopus vulgaris) 1 kg Musky octopus (Eledone moschata) 0.2 kg For bivalve molluscs (BIVALVIA) Mediterreanean mussel (Mytilus galloprovincialis) 5 cm Pilgrim's scallop (Pecten jacobaeus) 9 cm Flat oyster (Ostrea edulis) 6 cm Clam (Venus gallina) 2.5 cm Grooved carpet shell (Ruditapes decussatus) 2.5 cm Noah's Ark (Arca noae) 5 cm Warty venus (Venus verrucosa) 3 cm Order on prohibition of catch of and trade in fish juveniles, undersized fish and other marine organisms 4 For other bivalve molluscs 2 cm 3. Catch of sardines and anchovy of less than 6 cm in length shall be prohibited in the Bay of Boka Kotorska. 4. Fish is measured by length from the top of the head (snout) to the extreme end of the tailfin. Bluefin tuna is measured from the tip of the snout till the shortest length of the tailfin, while swordfish is measured from the top of the lower jaw till the shortest length of the tailfin. Crustaceans are measured from the eye till the top of the stretched tail. Female crustaceans laying eggs must be returned into water immediately, regardless of their length. Cephalopods with ten arms (squids and common cuttlefish) are measured from the top of the top of the cranial side of the dorsal part of the body till the end of the dorsal part of the body. Cephalopods with ten arms (octopus and musky octopus) are measured only by weight. Bivalve molluscs are measured by their greatest length or diameter, as appropriate. 5. Where in certain fishing area the catch of undersized fish and other marine organisms in fishing operations with bottom and floating trawls, seines or tow nets in one towing is more than 50 per cent of the total catch weight, then fishing in that area should stop. 6. Catch of undersized fish and other undersized marine organisms can be up to 20 per cent of the total weight of the catch. 7. It shall be prohibited to catch marine mammals (whales, dolphins, seals, etc.) sea birds and sea turtles and in case they are caught accidentally, they must be returned into the sea. 8. Females of lobster, spiny lobster, Norway lobster with external eggs and spiny spider crab (Maja squinado) with darkened external eggs shall be returned into the sea immediately after catch, regardless of their size. 9. The day this Order enters into force, the Order on prohibition of catch and trade in fish juveniles, undersized fish and other marine organisms (Official Gazette of the Republic of Montenegro No. 10/04 and 9/06) shall be repealed. 10. This Order shall enter into force on the eighth day from the day of its publishing in the Official Gazette of Montenegro. No. 3201/0-1101-57725/3 Podgorica, January 18, 2010 Minister, Tarzan Milosevic