Date: 2025-11-11Category: Not ApplicableState: Union GovernmentCountry: Europe
Commission Regulation (EU) 2025/2306 of 7 November 2025 establishing a fisheries closure for small-eyed ray in area 7e for vessels flying the flag of France
Issued by European Commission
· Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries
**Executive Summary**
Commission Regulation (EU) 2025/2306, dated 7 November 2025, establishes a fisheries closure for small-eyed ray in area 7e for vessels flying the flag of France. This closure is implemented because the fishing quota allocated to France for this stock in 2025 has been exhausted. The regulation enters into force the day following its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.
**Key Points / Main Content**
* **Quota Exhaustion:**
* The fishing quota allocated to France for small-eyed ray in area 7e for 2025 is deemed exhausted as of 22 October 2025.
* **Prohibitions:**
* Fishing for small-eyed ray in area 7e by vessels flying the flag of or registered in France is prohibited from 22 October 2025. This includes searching for fish, shooting, setting, or hauling fishing gear to catch that stock.
* Transshipping, retaining on board, processing on board, transferring, caging, fattening, and landing of fish and fishery products from that stock caught by those vessels shall remain authorised for catches taken prior to 22 October 2025.
* Unintended catches must be retained, recorded, landed, and counted against quotas.
* **Enforcement:**
* The Regulation is binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States.
**Impact Analysis**
**France**
* **Impact**
* French-flagged vessels are prohibited from targeting small-eyed ray in area 7e from 22 October 2025 until the end of 2025.
* **Action Required**
* French authorities must ensure that their vessels comply with the prohibition on fishing for the specified stock in the designated area.
* Enforce existing regulations regarding retaining, recording, and landing unintended catches.
**French Fishermen**
* **Impact**
* Cannot continue fishing for small-eyed ray in area 7e from 22 October 2025 onwards.
* **Action Required**
* Cease all fishing activities targeting this stock in area 7e from 22 October 2025.
* Retain and record any unintended catches in accordance with regulations.
Key Entities Referenced
France: Member State to which this fisheries closure applies for vessels flying its flag.
Commission Regulation (EU) 2025/2306: The regulation establishing a fisheries closure for small-eyed ray in area 7e for vessels flying the flag of France.
Council Regulation (EC) No 1224/2009: Regulation establishing a Union control system for ensuring compliance with the rules of the common fisheries policy, which the current regulation references.
Area 7e: The geographical area where the fisheries closure for small-eyed ray applies.
Council Regulation (EU) 2025/202: Council Regulation laying down fishing opportunities for 2025 which the current regulation builds upon.
Official Journal EN
of the European Union L series
2025/2306 11.11.2025
COMMISSION REGULATION(EU) 2025/2306
of 7 November 2025
establishing a fisheries closure for small-eyed ray in area 7e for vessels flying the flag of France
THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION,
Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,
Having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 1224/2009 of 20 November 2009 establishing a Union control system for
ensuring compliance with the rules of the common fisheries policy, amending Regulations (EC) No 847/96, (EC)
No 2371/2002, (EC) No 811/2004, (EC) No 768/2005, (EC) No 2115/2005, (EC) No 2166/2005, (EC) No 388/2006, (EC)
No 509/2007, (EC) No 676/2007, (EC) No 1098/2007, (EC) No 1300/2008, (EC) No 1342/2008 and repealing
Regulations (EEC) No 2847/93, (EC) No 1627/94 and (EC) No 1966/2006(1), and in particular Article 36(2) thereof,
Whereas:
(1) Council Regulation (EU) 2025/202(2)lays down fishing opportunities for 2025.
(2) According to the information received by the Commission, catches of the stock of small-eyed ray in area 7e by vessels
flying the flag of or registered in France have exhausted the quota allocated for 2025.
(3) It is therefore necessary to prohibit certain fishing activities for that stock,
HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:
Article 1
Quota exhaustion
The fishing quota allocated to France for the stock of small-eyed ray in area 7e for 2025 referred to in the Annex shall be
deemed to be exhausted from the date set out in that Annex.
Article 2
Prohibitions
1. Fishing for the stock referred to in Article 1 by vessels flying the flag of or registered in France shall be prohibited
from the date set out in the Annex. In particular it shall be prohibited to search for fish, shoot, set or haul a fishing gear for
the purpose of fishing that stock.
2. Transshipping, retaining on board, processing on board, transferring, caging, fattening and landing of fish and fishery
products from that stock caught by those vessels shall remain authorised for catches taken prior to that date.
(1) OJ L 343, 22.12.2009, p. 1, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2009/1224/oj.
(2) Council Regulation (EU) 2025/202 of 30 January 2025 fixing for 2025 and 2026 the fishing opportunities for certain fish stocks,
applicable in Union waters and, for Union fishing vessels, in certain non-Union waters, and amending Regulation (EU) 2024/257 as
regards fishing opportunities for 2025 (OJ L, 2025/202, 31.1.2025, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2025/202/oj).
ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2025/2306/oj 1/3EN
OJ L, 11.11.2025
3. Unintended catches of species from that stock by those vessels shall be brought and retained on board the fishing
vessels, recorded, landed and counted against quotas in accordance with Article 15 of Regulation (EU) No 1380/2013 of
the European Parliament and of the Council(3).
Article 3
Entry into force
This Regulation shall enter into force on the day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.
This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States.
Done at Brussels, 7 November 2025.
For the Commission,
On behalf of the President,
Costas KADIS
Member of the Commission
(3) Regulation (EU) No 1380/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 December 2013 on the Common Fisheries
Policy, amending Council Regulations (EC) No 1954/2003 and (EC) No 1224/2009 and repealing Council Regulations (EC)
No 2371/2002 and (EC) No 639/2004 and Council Decision 2004/585/EC (OJ L 354, 28.12.2013, p. 22, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/
eli/reg/2013/1380/oj).
2/3 ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2025/2306/ojEN
OJ L, 11.11.2025
ANNEX
No 13/TQ202
Member State France
Stock RJE/07E.
Species Small-eyed ray (Raja microocellata)
Zone 7e
Closing date 22 October 2025
ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2025/2306/oj 3/3