No L 207/12 Official Journal of the European Communities 29. 7. 87 COUNCIL REGULATION (EEC) No 2243/87 of 23 July 1987 amending Regulation (EEC) No 2245/85 laying down certain technical measures for the conservation of fish stocks in the Antarctic THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Economic Community, Having regard to Council Regulation (EEC) No 170/83 of 25 January 1983 establishing a Community system for the conservation and management on fishery resources (%), as amended by the Act of Accession of Spain and Portugal, and in particular Article 11 thereof, Having regard to the proposal from the Commission, Whereas, under Article 2 of Regulation (EEC) No 170/83, the conservation measures necessary to achieve the aims set out in Article 1 of that Regulation are to be formu- lated in the light of the available scientific advice ; Whereas the Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources, hereinafter called ‘the Convention’, was approved by Decision 81/691/EEC (3); whereas it entered into force for the Community on 21 May 1982 ; Whereas the Commission for the conservation of Antarctic marine living resources, established by the Convention, adopted, and notified to the Contracting Parties on 29 September 1986, recommendations made by its Scientific Committee that directed fishing for Nozo- thenia rossii off the Peninsula and the South Orkneys be prohibited and by-catches taken during fishing for other species be reduced to a minimum, and that detailed rules on measurement of the mesh size of fishing nets be laid down ; Whereas, in the absence of objections from any of the contracting parties to the Convention, the said recom- mendations became binding on 29 March 1987 under Article IX (6) of the Convention; Whereas the Community is therefore under an obligation to implement those recommendations as far as its fishermen are concerned; Whereas Regulation (EEC) No 2245/85 (°), as amended by Regulation (EEC) No 2296/85 (), must be amended accor- dingly, () OJ No L 24, 27. 1. 1983, p. 1. () OJ No L 252, 5. 9. 1981, p. 26. () OJ No L 210, 7. 8. 1985, p. 2. () OJ No L 201, 24. 7. 1985, p. 2. HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION : Article 1 Regulation (EEC) No 2245/85 is hereby amended as follows : 1; Article 2 shall be replaced by the following : Article 2 Prohibition on fishing Subject to Article 1: (a) all fishing shall be prohibited within 12 nautical miles of the coasts of South Georgia; (b) directed fishing for Notothenia rossii shall be prohibited : — in the Peninsular area (FAO Antarctic sub-area 48.1) ("), — off the South Orkneys (FAO Antarctic sub-area 48.2) ("), ' — off South Georgia (FAO Antarctic ~sub-area 48.3)(); in these zones, by-catches of Nothothenia rossis taken in the course of directed fishing for other species shall be kept at a level that permits optimum stock replenishment. () The FAO zones mentioned in this Regulation are defined in Commission communication 85/C 335/02 (O] No C 335, 24. 12. 1985, p. 2.)) 2. Article 4 shall be replaced by the following : Article 4 Determination of mesh size For nets as referred to in Article 3 the minimum mesh size provided for in the Annex shall be determined in accordance with the following rules: 1. Description of gauges (a) The gauges to be used for determining mesh size shall be 2 mm thick, flat, of durable mate- rial and capable of retaining their shape. They shall have either a series of parallel-edged sides connected by intermediate tapering edges with a taper of one to eight on each side, or only tapering edges with the taper specified above. They shall have a hole at the narrowest extre- mity.