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1. Each application for a fishing authorisation shall be accompanied by a detailed description of the area where the fishing vessel intends to carry out fishing activities, the type of gears, the depth range at which the activities will be carried out, the intended frequency and duration of the fishing activity, as well as the names of the deep-sea species concerned.

2. Targeting fishing authorisations shall only be issued for fishing activities within the existing deep-sea fishing areas.

3. By way of derogation from paragraph 2 of this Article, and until the determination of the existing deep-sea fishing areas in accordance with Article 7, targeting fishing authorisations may be issued provided that the fishing vessel has presented evidence that it had been exercising fishing activities in the deep-sea métier for at least three years before the application for the fishing authorisation is lodged. Such fishing authorisation may be issued only in respect of locations where such previous fishing activities have been carried out.

4. No fishing authorisation shall be issued for the purpose of fishing with bottom trawls at a depth below 800 metres.

5. By way of derogation from paragraph 2, a Member State may submit a request to conduct exploratory fisheries in locations outside the existing deep-sea fishing areas. Such a request shall be accompanied by an impact assessment conducted in accordance with the standards set out in the 2008 FAO International Guidelines for the management of Deep-Sea Fisheries in the High Seas. When submitting such a request, the Member State shall indicate the estimated duration of exploratory fisheries and the estimated number of vessels taking part and their capacity. It shall propose mitigating measures to prevent an encounter with or effectively protect VMEs.

6. The Commission, after having assessed the information provided by the Member States and on the basis of advice from a scientific advisory body, may, by means of implementing acts, grant an approval to conduct the requested exploratory fisheries. In the approval the Commission may, in particular, define:

(a) the area for exploratory fisheries;

(b) the maximum number of vessels and the maximum capacity;

(c) the duration of such fisheries not exceeding one year, renewable once;

(d) the maximum percentage of the total allowable catch of deep-sea species that may be caught in the exploratory fisheries; and (e) mitigating measures that must be complied with in order to protect VMEs.

7. In order to ensure a collection of representative data that is adequate for the assessment and management of deep-sea fish stocks and of encounters with VMEs, any fishing authorisation issued in accordance with paragraph 6 shall require the presence of scientific observers or remote electronic monitoring on the vessel concerned during the first 12 months of the duration of the fishing authorisation.

8. On the basis of a request and of information provided by the Member State concerned, the Commission may adjust, by means of implementing acts, the determination of the existing deep-sea fishing area in order to include the locations of the fishing activities conducted under a fishing authorisation issued in accordance with paragraphs 5 and 6 of this Article.