Date: 2025-11-12Category: Not ApplicableState: Union GovernmentCountry: Europe
Commission Regulation (EU) 2025/2311 of 7 November 2025 establishing a fisheries closure for European hake in GFCM geographical subareas 8, 9, 10 and 11 for vessels flying the flag of France
Issued by European Commission
· Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries
**Executive Summary**
This Commission Regulation (EU) 2025/2311, dated 7 November 2025, establishes a fisheries closure for European hake in GFCM geographical subareas 8, 9, 10 and 11 for vessels flying the flag of France. This regulation is necessary because France has exhausted its allocated quota for this stock in 2025. The regulation enters into force the day following its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union and includes a closing date of 22 October 2025.
**Key Points / Main Content**
* **Quota Exhaustion:** The fishing quota allocated to France for European hake in GFCM subareas 8, 9, 10 and 11 for 2025 is deemed exhausted.
* **Prohibitions:**
* Fishing for European hake by vessels flying the flag of France is prohibited from the closing date indicated in the Annex. This includes searching for fish, shooting, setting, or hauling fishing gear to fish that stock.
* Transshipping, retaining on board, processing on board, transferring, caging, fattening, and landing of fish and fishery products from that stock caught by vessels is allowed for catches taken prior to the closing date.
* Unintended catches of the species must be brought and retained onboard, recorded, landed, and counted against quotas.
**Impact Analysis**
**Stakeholder:** France (Specifically, Vessels Flying the Flag of France)
**Impact:** Prohibition of fishing activities for European hake in GFCM subareas 8, 9, 10 and 11 from 22 October 2025.
**Action Required:** Cease all fishing activities targeting European hake in the specified areas from 22 October 2025. Comply with the rules for unintended catches, including retention on board, recording, landing, and quota accounting.
Key Entities Referenced
COMMISSION REGULATION (EU) 2025/2311: Establishes a fisheries closure for European hake in GFCM geographical subareas 8, 9, 10 and 11 for vessels flying the flag of France
European hake: Refers to the stock of European hake (Merluccius merluccius) in the GFCM geographical subareas 8, 9, 10 and 11 which is subject to the fishing closure.
France: The Member State to which the fishing closure applies.
GFCM geographical subareas 8, 9, 10 and 11: The specific geographical areas in the Mediterranean Sea where the fishing closure for European hake applies.
Council Regulation (EU) 2025/219: Lays down fishing opportunities for 2025, and is the legal basis for setting quotas for the fish stocks.
Official Journal EN
of the European Union L series
2025/2311 12.11.2025
COMMISSION REGULATION(EU) 2025/2311
of 7 November 2025
establishing a fisheries closure for European hake in GFCM geographical subareas 8, 9, 10 and 11 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) 2025/219(2)lays down fishing opportunities for 2025.
(2) According to the information received by the Commission, catches of the stock of European hake in the General
Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM) geographical subareas 8, 9, 10 and 11 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 European hake in GFCM geographical subareas 8, 9, 10 and 11 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.
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).
(1) OJ L 343, 22.12.2009, p. 1, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2009/1224/oj.
(2) Council Regulation (EU) 2025/219 of 30 January 2025 fixing for 2025 the fishing opportunities for certain fish stocks and groups of
fish stocks applicable in the Mediterranean and Black Seas (OJ L, 2025/219, 4.2.2025, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2025/219/oj).
(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).
ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2025/2311/oj 1/3EN
OJ L, 12.11.2025
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
2/3 ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2025/2311/ojEN
OJ L, 12.11.2025
ANNEX
No 14/TQ219
Member State France
Stock HKE/GF8-11
Species European hake (Merluccius merluccius)
Zone GFCM geographical subareas 8, 9, 10 and 11
Closing date 22 October 2025
ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2025/2311/oj 3/3