30.12.2014 Official Journal of the European Union L 370/25 COMMISSION DELEGATED REGULATION (EU) No 1393/2014 of 20 October 2014 establishing a discard plan for certain pelagic fisheries in north-western waters THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION, Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, Having regard to 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 12242009 and repealing Council Regulations (EC) No 2371/2002 and (EC) No 639/2004 and Council Decision 2004/585/EC ('), and in particular Articles 15(6) and 18(1) and (3) thereof, Whereas: (1) Regulation (EU) No 1380/2013 aims to progressively eliminate discards in all Union fisheries through the intro- duction of a landing obligation for catches of species subject to catch limits. (2)  Article 15(6) of Regulation (EU) No 1380/2013 empowers the Commission to adopt discard plans by means of a delegated act for a period of no more than three years on the basis of joint recommendations developed by Member States in consultation with the relevant Advisory Councils. (3) Belgium, Ireland, Spain, France, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom have a direct fisheries management interest in the north-western waters. Those Member States, have submitted a joint recommendation to the Commission after consultation of the Pelagic Advisory Council, the Long-Distance Advisory Council and the North Western Waters Advisory Council. Scientific contribution was obtained from relevant scientific bodies. The measures included in the joint recommendation comply with Article 15(6) of Regulation (EU) No 1380/2013 and therefore, in accordance with Article 18(3) of Regulation (EU) No 1380/2013 they should be included in this Regulation. (4)  As regards the north-western waters, according to Article 15(1)(a) of Regulation (EU) No 1380/2013 the landing obligation should apply to all vessels engaged in small pelagic and large pelagic fisheries in relation to species caught in those fisheries which are subject to catch limits at the latest from 1 January 2015. (50  In accordance with the joint recommendation, the discard plan should cover certain small pelagic and large pelagic fisheries, namely fisheries for mackerel, herring, horse mackerel, blue whiting, boarfish, greater silver smelt, albacore tuna and sprat in ICES zones Vb, VI and VII, from 1 January 2015. (6)  The joint recommendation includes an exemption from the landing obligation for mackerel and herring caught with purse seines under certain conditions based on scientific evidence of high survivability in accordance with Article 15(4)(b) of Regulation (EU) No 1380/2013. Scientific evidence supporting high survivability was provided by the Scheveningen Group in the joint recommendation for a discard plan for the North Sea, which made refer- ence to a specific scientific study on fish survival from slipping in purse seine fisheries. The study found that survival rates depend on the crowding time and the density of fish within the net, which are typically limited in these fisheries. This information was reviewed by the STECF. STECF concluded that, assuming the results of the survival study are representative of survival rates under commercial fishing operations, the proportion of slipped mackerel surviving would likely be around 70 %. The densities would also be lower than the density where mortality of herring was observed to increase. A prohibition of the release of mackerel and herring before the net is fully taken on board a fishing vessel, resulting in the loss of dead or dying fish, is set out in Article 19b(2) of Council Regulation (EC) No 850/98 (3). This survivability exemption does not affect the prohibition in force, since the release of the fish will occur at a stage of the fishing operation where the fish would have a high survival rate after release. Therefore this exemption should be included in this Regulation. () OJL354,28.12.2013, p. 22. (%) Council Regulation (EC) No 850/98 of 30 March 1998 for the conservation of fishery resources through technical measures for the protection of juveniles of marine organisms (O] L 125, 27.4.1998, p. 1).