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• Landings per unit effort

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Landings per unit effort (LPUE) (monthly English real time closure)

To ensure sufficient efforts are made to reduce cod mortality the live sampling real time closure (RTC) regime has been supplemented with closures based on data from historical landings per unit effort (LPUE) in the last 4 years (2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010).

Every month landings data are cross referenced against vessel monitoring system (VMS) data to identify areas of high cod abundance. Up to nine areas will be closed using the LPUE method each month.

Closure process

1. The cod catch rate (kilos per hour) is determined from landings data.
   
   The fishing effort is allocated to ICES sub-rectangles (1/16th of an ICES rectangle).
   
   
2. Logbook data of all catches is cross referenced with vessel monitoring satellite data to identify the areas of highest cod abundance.
   
   
3. Scientists from the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas) and fishing industry stakeholders then assist in selecting up to 9 of these areas for the monthly closures – in the North Sea these are evenly distributed between ICES IVb (west) ICES IVb (east) and ICES IVc wherever possible.
   
   
4. LPUE closures:
   
   
   • offshore (outside 12 nautical miles) RTCs shall be approximately 64 square nautical miles (usually a 7.5 x 8.5 nautical mile square) and closed for the calendar month
   • inshore (within 0 to 12 nautical miles) RTCs shall be approximately 23 square nautical miles (usually a 6.5 x 3.5 nautical mile square) and closed for 14 days.
5. The closures will remain in place for the time specified above but may be replaced by an RTC triggered by live sampling if an alternative closure is identified. When inshore closures reopen after 14 days, additional closures may be established mid-month to replace these. Where a live sampling RTC is activated towards the end of a month, this may be incorporated into the following month’s closures (rather than reopening after 21 days).
   
   
6. Fishermen, vessel owners, producer organisations and other stakeholders will be notified via email of RTCs. If you wish to receive RTC notifications please email ops@marinemanagement.org.uk (please state whether you are able to receive electronic charts as attachments).

Prohibited gears in RTCs and seasonal closures

• TR1, TR2, TR3 – demersal trawls and seines.
• BT1, BT2 – beam trawls.
• GN and GT – gill and trammel nets.
• LL – long lines.

For mesh size applicable to gear type, please see Days at Sea Scheme.

Permitted gears in RTCs and seasonal closures

• Scallop dredges, pots, pelagic gears, drift nets and purse seines.

UK under 10 metre vessels and other member states’ vessels using regulated gears are requested and encouraged to abide by the closures, however it is not compulsory for them.