Real Time Closures in the North Sea
If too many juvenile fish of a species have been caught, we can implement a Real Time Closure (RTC) of an area of the North Sea. This means the area is closed for 21 days for certain fishing activities. We do this to protect fish stocks.
When do we implement an RTC?
A European control agency determines if too many juvenile fish have been caught. This agency does this by checking the catch of the last haul on board a fishing vessel. If they find too many juvenile fish, they report this to us. We then close the area where the inspection took place for 21 days.
Fish species
We implement an RTC if too many juvenile cod, haddock, saithe and whiting have been caught in one haul. This applies to all fishing gear, except for:
- pelagic trawls, purse seines, driftnets and jiggers targeting herring, mackerel, and horse mackerel
- pots
- scallop dredges
- gillnets
Closed areas
There are currently no RTCs.
When are there too many juvenile fish in a haul?
- if more than 10% of the total of the 4 species is juvenile (in weight);
- if more than 7,5% of the fish (in weight) is juvenile, when more than 75% of the 4 species consists of cod.
Fish are juvenile when they are smaller than the sizes below:
| Species | Size |
| Cod | Smaller than 35 cm |
| Haddock | Smaller than 30 cm |
| Saithe | Smaller than 35 cm |
| Whiting | Smaller than 27 cm |
Rules RTC areas
When we implement an RTC, the area is closed. This means you cannot fish there for 21 days. Except for when you use the following fishing gear:
- pelagic trawls, purse seines, driftnets and jiggers targeting herring, mackerel, and horse mackerel
- pots
- scallop dredges
- gillnets
Do you fish with other fishing gear within the RTC? Then, you are in violation for fishing in a closed area. The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (Nederlandse Voedsel- en Warenautoriteit, NVWA) supervises and enforces this.
Laws and regulations
Read about RTC in the Commission Regulation (EU) No 724/2010.
Featured
