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1. Applications for a special fishing permit provided for in Article 3(1) shall be accompanied by a detailed fishing plan specifying in particular:

(a) the intended location of the activities;

(b) the targeted species;

(c) the type of gears and the depth at which they will be deployed, and (d) the configuration of the bathymetric profile of the seabed in the intended fishing grounds, where this information is not already available to the competent authorities of the Flag State concerned.

2. The competent authorities shall issue a special fishing permit after having carried out an assessment on the potential impacts of the vessel’s intended fishing activities and concluded that such activities are not likely to have significant adverse impacts on vulnerable marine ecosystems.

3. For the purposes of the implementation of the assessment referred to in paragraph 2, the competent authorities shall rely on the best scientific and technical information available concerning the location of vulnerable marine ecosystems in the areas in which the fishing vessels concerned intend to operate. That information shall include, where available, scientific data on the basis of which the likelihood of occurrence of such ecosystems can be estimated. The assessment process shall include appropriate elements of independent scientific peer review.

4. The evaluation of the risk of significant adverse impacts on vulnerable marine ecosystems carried out under the assessment referred to in paragraph 2 shall take into account, as appropriate, differing conditions prevailing in areas where fishing activities with bottom gears are well established and in areas where fishing such activities have not taken place or only occur occasionally.

5. The competent authorities shall apply precautionary criteria in the conduct of the assessment referred to in paragraph 2. In case of doubt as to whether the adverse impacts are significant or not, they shall consider that the likely adverse impacts resulting from the scientific advice provided are significant.

6. Where the assessment concludes that activities carried out in accordance with the submitted fishing plan might result in significant adverse impacts to vulnerable marine ecosystems, the competent authorities shall specify the assessed risks and allow applicants to amend the fishing plan to avoid them. In the absence of such amendments, the competent authorities shall refrain from issuing the requested special fishing permit.