Regulation (EU) 2023/2053 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 September 2023 establishing a multiannual management plan for bluefin tuna in the eastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean, amending Regulations (EC) No 1936/2001, (EU) 2017/2107, and (EU) 2019/833 and repealing Regulation (EU) 2016/1627
Modified by
- Regulation (EU) 2024/897 of the European Parliament and of the Councilof 13 March 2024amending Regulation (EU) 2017/2107 laying down management, conservation and control measures applicable in the Convention area of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) and Regulation (EU) 2023/2053 establishing a multiannual management plan for bluefin tuna in the eastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean, 32024R0897, March 19, 2024
- Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2024/1389of 12 March 2024amending Regulation (EU) 2023/2053 of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards the management of bluefin tuna in the eastern Atlantic and in the Mediterranean, 32024R1389, May 22, 2024
(a) Union fishing vessels and Union vessels engaged in recreational fisheries which: (i) catch bluefin tuna in the Convention Area; and (ii) tranship or carry on board, including outside the Convention Area, bluefin tuna caught in the Convention Area;
(b) Union farms; (c) third country fishing vessels and third country vessels engaged in recreational fisheries that operate in Union waters and catch bluefin tuna in the Convention Area; (d) third country vessels which are inspected in Member State ports and which carry on board bluefin tuna caught in the Convention Area or fishery products originating from bluefin tuna caught in Union waters that have not been previously landed or transhipped at ports.
(1) Regulation (EC) No 1224/2009; (2) Regulation (EC) No 1005/2008; (3) Regulation (EU) 2017/2403 of the European Parliament and of the Council Regulation (EU) 2017/2403 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 12 December 2017 on the sustainable management of external fishing fleets, and repealing Council Regulation (EC) No 1006/2008 (OJ L 347, 28.12.2017, p. 81 ).(4) Regulation (EU) 2017/2107; (5) Regulation (EU) 2019/1241 of the European Parliament and of the Council Regulation (EU) 2019/1241 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 June 2019 on the conservation of fisheries resources and the protection of marine ecosystems through technical measures, amending Council Regulations (EC) No 1967/2006, (EC) No 1224/2009 and Regulations (EU) No 1380/2013, (EU) 2016/1139, (EU) 2018/973, (EU) 2019/472 and (EU) 2019/1022 of the European Parliament and of the Council, and repealing Council Regulations (EC) No 894/97, (EC) No 850/98, (EC) No 2549/2000, (EC) No 254/2002, (EC) No 812/2004 and (EC) No 2187/2005 (OJ L 198, 25.7.2019, p. 105 ).
(1) "ICCAT" means the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas; (2) "SCRS" means the Standing Committee on Research and Statistics of the ICCAT; (3) "the Convention" means the International Convention for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas; (4) "Convention Area" means the geographical area, as set out in Article I of the Convention; (5) "CPC" means a Contracting Party to the Convention and a cooperating non-contracting party, entity or fishing entity; (6) "operator" means the natural or legal person who operates or holds any undertaking carrying out any of the activities related to any stage of production, processing, marketing, distribution and retail chains of fisheries and aquaculture products; (7) "farm Member State" or "Member State responsible for the farm" means the Member State under whose jurisdiction the farm is located; (8) "flag Member State" means the Member State where the fishing vessel is flagged; (9) "trap Member State" or "Member State responsible for the trap" means the Member States under whose jurisdiction the trap is located; (10) "fishing vessel" means any powered vessel used for the purposes of the commercial exploitation of bluefin tuna resources, including catching vessels, processing vessels, support vessels, towing vessels, vessels engaged in transhipment, transport vessels equipped for the transportation of tuna products and auxiliary vessels, except container vessels; (11) "catching vessel" means a vessel used for the purposes of the commercial capture of bluefin tuna resources; (12) "towing vessel" means any vessel used for towing live bluefin tuna cages; (13) "processing vessel" means a vessel on board of which fisheries products are subject to one or more of the following operations, prior to their packaging: filleting or slicing, freezing and/or processing; (14) "support vessel" means any fishing vessel, other than a catching vessel, processing vessel, towing vessel, vessel engaged in transhipment, transport vessel equipped for the transportation of tuna products or auxiliary vessel, authorised to operate in the bluefin tuna fishery to perform support tasks; (15) "auxiliary vessel" means any vessel used to transport dead bluefin tuna (not processed) from a transport or farming cage, a purse seine vessel or a trap to a designated port or to a processing vessel; (16) "small-scale coastal vessel" is a catching vessel with at least three of the five following characteristics: (a) length overall of less than 12 metres; (b) the vessel fishes exclusively inside the waters under jurisdiction of the flag Member State; (c) the duration of fishing trips is less than 24 hours; (d) the maximum number of crew members is established at four persons; (e) the vessel fishes using techniques which are selective and have a reduced environmental impact;
(17) "large-scale pelagic longline vessel" means a pelagic longline vessel greater than 24 metres in length overall; (18) "recreational fisheries" means non-commercial fishing activities exploiting marine biological resources for recreation, tourism or sport; (19) "purse seine" means any encircling net the bottom of which is drawn together by means of a purse line at the bottom of the net, which passes through a series of rings along the ground rope, enabling the net to be pursed and closed; (20) "joint fishing operation" means any operation between two or more purse seine vessels where the catch of one purse seine vessel is attributed to one or more purse seine vessels in accordance with a previously agreed allocation key; (21) "gear group" means a group of fishing vessels using the same gear for which a group quota has been allocated; (22) "fishing effort" means the product of the capacity and the activity of a fishing vessel to measure the intensity of the fishing operations; that measurement varies from gear to gear: for longline fisheries it is measured in number of hooks or hooks-hours; for purse seine vessels it is measured in terms of boat days (fishing time and searching time); (23) "fishing actively" means, for any catching vessel, the fact that it targets bluefin tuna during a given fishing season; (24) "BCD" means a bluefin tuna catch document; (25) "eBCD" means an electronic bluefin tuna catch document; (26) "transhipment" means the unloading of all or any of the fisheries products on board a fishing vessel to another fishing vessel; however, unloading of dead bluefin tuna from the purse seine, the trap or the towing vessel to an auxiliary vessel is not considered as transhipment; (27) "live bluefin tuna" means bluefin tuna that is kept alive for a certain period in a trap, or transferred alive to a farming installation, caged, farmed and finally harvested or released; (28) "harvesting" means the killing of bluefin tuna in farms or traps; (29) "trap" means fixed gear anchored to the bottom, usually containing a guide net that leads bluefin tuna into an enclosure or series of enclosures where it is kept prior to harvesting or farming; (30) "caging" means the relocation of live bluefin tuna in farms and their subsequent feeding aiming to fatten and increase their total biomass; (31) "control caging" means a repetition of the caging operation being implemented at the request of the control authorities, for the purpose of verifying the number or the average weight of fish being caged; (32) "farming" or "fattening" means caging of bluefin tuna in farms and subsequently feeding aiming to fatten and increase their total biomass; (33) "farm" means a marine area, in one or more locations all of which are clearly defined by geographical coordinates with a clear definition of longitude and latitude for each one of the points of the polygon, used for the fattening or farming of bluefin tuna caught by traps or purse seine vessels; (34) "input farming capacity" means the maximum amount of wild bluefin tuna in tonnes that a farm is allowed to cage during a fishing season; (35) "transfer" means any transfer of: (a) live bluefin tuna from the catching vessel’s net to the transport cage; (b) live bluefin tuna from the trap to the transport cage, independently of the presence of a towing vessel; (c) live bluefin tuna from the transport cage to another transport cage; (d) a cage containing live bluefin tuna from a towing vessel to another towing vessel; (e) live bluefin tuna between different cages in the same farm (intra-farm transfer); (f) live bluefin tuna from a farm cage to a transport cage;
(36) "control transfer" means the repetition of any transfer being implemented at the request of control authorities; (37) "inter-farm transfer" means the relocation of live bluefin tuna from one farm to another farm composed of two phases, a transfer from the donor farm cage to a transport cage and a caging from the transport cage to the receiving farm cage; (38) "first transfer" means a transfer of live bluefin tuna from a purse seine or a trap to a transport cage; (39) "further transfer" means any transfer that is conducted after the first transfer and before caging at the farm of destination, such as splitting or merging of the contents of two transport cages, with the exception of voluntary or control transfers; (40) "voluntary transfer" means the repetition of any transfer being voluntarily implemented by the donor operator; (41) "control camera" means a stereoscopic camera or conventional video camera for the purpose of the controls pursuant to this Regulation; (42) "stereoscopic camera" means a camera with two or more lenses, with a separate image sensor or film frame for each lens, enabling the taking of three-dimensional images for the purpose of measuring the length of the fish; (43) "donor operator" means the master, or the master’s representative, of the catching or towing vessel, or the operator, or the operator’s representative, of the farm or trap, from which, except in the case of voluntary and control transfers, a transfer operation originates; (44) "Member State of the donor operator" means the Member State that exercises its jurisdiction over the donor operator.
(a) by 25 May of each year, Member States responsible for farms shall complete and submit to the Commission an annual carry-over declaration which shall include: (i) quantities (expressed in kg) and number of fish intended to be carried over; (ii) catch year; (iii) average weight; (iv) flag Member State or CPC; (v) references of the BCD corresponding to the catches carried over; (vi) name and ICCAT number of the farm; (vii) cage number; and (viii) information on harvested quantities (expressed in kg), when completed;
(b) the quantities carried over pursuant to paragraph 1 shall be placed in separate cages or in separate series of cages in the farm on the basis of the catch year.
(a) the quotas allocated to each gear group, including by-catch quotas; (b) where applicable, the method used to allocate and manage quotas; (c) the measures to ensure the respect of individual quotas; (d) open fishing seasons for each gear category; (e) information on designated ports; (f) the rules on by-catch; and (g) the number of catching vessels, other than bottom trawlers, above 24 metres in length overall and purse seine vessels that are authorised to operate for bluefin tuna in the eastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean.
(a) the objectives, priorities and procedures as well as benchmarks for inspection activities set out in the specific control and inspection programme for bluefin tuna established under Article 95 of Regulation (EC) No 1224/2009; (b) the national control action programme for bluefin tuna established under Article 46 of Regulation (EC) No 1224/2009 until 31 December 2025 , and, after that date, in accordance with the national control programme established under Article 93a of that Regulation.
(a) the annual fishing plan for the catching vessels and traps fishing bluefin tuna in the eastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean, established in accordance with Article 11; (b) the annual fishing capacity management plan established in accordance with Article 13; (c) the annual monitoring, control and inspection plan established in accordance with Article 14; and (d) the annual farming management plan established in accordance with Article 15.
(a) bluefin tuna caught in the eastern Atlantic by baitboats and trolling boats; (b) bluefin tuna caught in the Mediterranean by the small-scale costal fleet fishery for fresh fish by baitboats, longliners and handliners; and (c) bluefin tuna caught in the Adriatic Sea by vessels flying the flag of Croatia for farming purposes.
(a) name of vessel; (b) register number; (c) ICCAT record number (if any); (d) previous name (if any); (e) names and addresses of owners and operators.
(a) submit description of those activities and the measures applicable thereto as an integral part of their fishing and inspection plans referred to in Articles 12 and 15; (b) closely monitor the activities of the vessels concerned to ensure their compliance with this Regulation; (c) ensure that the tagging and releasing operations are performed by trained personnel to ensure a high survival rate of the individuals; and (d) submit an annual report to the Commission, by 30 June each year, on the scientific activities conducted. The Commission shall forward the report to the ICCAT Secretariat 60 days before the SCRS meeting of the following year.
(a) a list of all catching vessels fishing actively for bluefin tuna; and (b) a list of all other vessels engaged in bluefin tuna-related activities, other than catching vessels.
(a) name and registry number of the vessel; (b) specification of the type of vessel differentiating at least between catching vessels, towing vessels, auxiliary vessels, support vessels and processing vessels; (c) length and gross registered tonnage (GRT) or, where possible, gross tonnage (GT); (d) IMO number (where applicable); (e) gear used (if any); (f) previous flag (if any); (g) previous name (if any); (h) any previous details of deletion from other registers; (i) international radio call sign (if any); (j) name and addresses of owners and operators; and (k) time period authorised for fishing, operating and transporting bluefin tuna for farming.
(a) full details of the fishing vessel or vessels intended to replace that vessel; and (b) a comprehensive account of the reason justifying the replacement and any relevant supporting evidence or references.
(a) the name of the farm; (b) register number; (c) names and addresses of owners and operators; (d) the input and total farming capacity allocated to each farm; (e) the geographical coordinates of the areas authorised for farming activities; and (f) the status of the farm (active or inactive).
(a) the name and ICCAT number of each catching vessel; (b) the period of authorisation(s) for each catching vessel; (c) the total catches of each catching vessel, including zero catches, throughout the period of authorisation(s); (d) the total number of days each catching vessel fished in the eastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean throughout the period of authorisation(s); and (e) the total catch outside their period of authorisation (by-catch).
(a) the name and ICCAT number or, if not registered with ICCAT, the national registry number of the vessel; and (b) the total catches of bluefin tuna.
(a) the requested period of authorisation of the joint fishing operation; (b) the identity of the operators involved; (c) the individual vessels’ quotas; (d) the allocation key between the vessels for the catches involved; and (e) information on the farms of destination.
(a) established landing and transhipment times; (b) established landing and transhipment places; and (c) established inspection and surveillance procedures ensuring inspection coverages during all landing and transhipment times and at all landing and transhipment places in accordance with Article 35.
(a) estimated date and time of arrival; (b) estimated quantity of bluefin tuna retained on board; (c) information on the geographical area where the catches were taken.
(a) 20 % of its active pelagic trawlers (over 15 metres); (b) 20 % of its active longline vessels (over 15 metres); (c) 20 % of its active baitboats (over 15 metres); (d) 100 % of towing vessels; (e) 100 % of harvesting operations from traps.
(a) representative temporal and spatial coverage to ensure that the Commission receives adequate and appropriate data and information on catch, fishing effort and other scientific and management aspects, taking into account characteristics of the fleets and fisheries; (b) robust data collection protocols; (c) that observers are properly trained and approved before deployment; (d) that observers are provided, before the start of their deployment, with a list of contacts within the Member State’s competent authority where to report observations; (e) to the extent practicable, minimal disruption to the operations of vessels and traps fishing in the Convention Area. (f) that masters of fishing vessels and the trap operators allow observers access to the electronic means of communication on board the fishing vessels or on the traps.
(a) on all purse seine vessels authorised to fish bluefin tuna; (b) during all transfers of bluefin tuna from purse seine vessels; (c) during all transfers of bluefin tuna from traps to transport cages; (d) during all transfers from one farm cage to transport cages, which then are towed to another farm; (e) during all cagings of bluefin tuna in farms; (f) during all harvesting of bluefin tuna from farms; and (g) during the release of bluefin tuna from farming cages into the sea.
(a) observe and monitor fishing and farming operations in compliance with the relevant ICCAT conservation and management measures, including through access to stereoscopic camera footage at the time of caging that enables the measuring of length and the estimation of the corresponding weight; (b) sign the ITDs and BCDs when the information contained therein is consistent with their own observations. Otherwise, the ICCAT regional observer shall indicate his/her presence on the ITDs and BCDs and the reasons of disagreement quoting specifically the rule(s) or procedure(s) that has not been respected; (c) carry out scientific work, including collecting samples, based on the guidelines from the SCRS.
(a) the number and the estimated weight of the bluefin tuna individuals to be transferred; (b) the name and ICCAT number of the catching vessel, towing vessels, farm or trap; (c) the date and the location of the catch; (d) the date and estimated time of transfer; (e) the estimated position (latitude and longitude) where the transfer will take place and the donor and receiving cage numbers; (f) the name and ICCAT number of the farm of destination; (g) the name and ICCAT number of the donor farm, in the case of a transfer from the farm cage to a transport cage; (h) the cage numbers of the two farm cages and any transport cages involved, in the case of intra-farm transfers.
(a) the catching vessel or the trap declared to have caught the fish did not have a sufficient quota; (b) the number and weight of bluefin tuna individuals have not been duly reported by the catching vessel or trap, or caging of the bluefin tuna individuals was not authorised; (c) the catching vessel or the trap declared to have caught the fish did not have a valid fishing authorisation for bluefin tuna issued in accordance with Article 27 or 28; (d) the towing vessel declared to receive the transfer of fish is not registered in the ICCAT record of other fishing vessels referred to in Article 26, or is not equipped with a fully-functioning VMS or equivalent tracking device; or (e) the farm of destination is not reported as active in the ICCAT record of bluefin tuna farming facilities.
(a) the competent authorities of the flag or trap Member State; (b) the ICCAT regional observer where the presence of that observer is mandatory; and (c) where applicable, the master of the towing vessel or the operator of the farm of destination.
(a) for the first transfer and any voluntary transfer, to the ICCAT regional observer, to the master of the receiving towing vessel and, at the end of the fishing trip, to the competent authority of the flag or trap Member State of the donor operator; (b) for further transfers, to the national observer on board the donor towing vessel, to the master of the receiving towing vessel and, at the end of the towing trip, to the competent authority of the flag Member State of the donor towing vessel; (c) for transfers between two different farms, to the ICCAT regional observer, to the master of the receiving towing vessel and to the competent authority of the farm Member State of the donor operator; and (d) if a national or ICCAT inspector is present during the transfer operation, to that inspector.
(a) there is a difference greater than 10 % between the number of bluefin tuna individuals reported in the ITD by the donor operator and the number of bluefin tuna individuals determined by the ICCAT regional observer, or by the national observer, as appropriate; (b) the ICCAT regional observer has not signed the ITD.
(a) the number and weight of the bluefin tuna individuals to be caged as referred to in the ITD; (b) the relevant ITD; (c) the number of the eBCDs concerned, as confirmed and validated by the competent authority of the catching flag or trap Member State or CPC; (d) all reports of fish that die during transport, duly recorded in accordance with Annex XIII.
(a) the catching vessel or trap which caught the fish did not have a sufficient quota to cover the bluefin tuna to be caged; (b) the quantity of fish to be caged has not been duly reported by the catching vessel or trap; or (c) the catching vessel or trap declared to have caught the fish does not have a valid fishing authorisation for bluefin tuna, issued in accordance with Article 27 or 28.
(a) inform the competent authority of the farm Member State or CPC; and (b) request the competent authority of the farm Member State or CPC to proceed with the seizure of the catches and the release of the fish into the sea.
(a) the investigation referred to in Article 50(1) is not concluded within 10 working days from the communication of the results of the stereoscopical programme, for a single caging operation, or of all caging operations from a joint fishing operation; or (b) the outcome of the investigation referred to in Article 50(1) indicates that the number and/or average weight of bluefin tuna is in excess of that declared caught and transferred.
(a) the total amount of bluefin tuna caged by farm, including loss in number and weight during the transportation to the cages by farm, carried out by fishing vessels and by traps; (b) the list of vessels that fish for, provide or transport bluefin tuna for farming purposes (name of the vessel, flag, licence number, gear type) and traps; (c) the results of the sampling programme for the estimation of the numbers-at-size of the bluefin tuna caught, as well as the date, time and area of catch and the fishing method used, in order to improve statistics for stock assessment purposes; The sampling programme requires that size sampling (length or weight) at cages must be done on one sample (= 100 individuals) for every 100 tonnes of live fish, or on a 10 % sample of the total number of the caged fish. Size samples will be collected during harvesting at the farm and on the dead fish during transport, following the ICCAT Guidelines for submitting data and information. For fish farmed for more than one year, other additional sampling methodologies shall be established. The sampling shall be conducted during any harvesting, covering all cages; (d) the quantities of bluefin tuna placed in cage and estimate of the growth and mortality while in captivity and of the amounts sold in tonnes. That information shall be provided per farm; (e) the quantities of bluefin tuna caged during the previous year; and (f) the quantities, broken down by their origin, marketed during the previous year.
date or period of harvesting, estimated quantities to be harvested in number of bluefin tuna individuals and in kg, eBCD number associated with the bluefin tuna individuals to be harvested, details of auxiliary vessels involved in the operation, and destination of harvested bluefin tuna (processing vessel, export, local market, etc.).
(a) flag Member State; (b) name and ICCAT number of the farm; (c) year of catch; (d) references of the eBCD corresponding to the catches carried over; (e) cage numbers; (f) quantities (expressed in kg) and number of bluefin tuna individuals carried over; (g) average weight; (h) information of each of the carry-over assessment operations: date and cage numbers; and (i) information on previous intra-farm transfers, where applicable.
(a) VMS messages from the fishing vessels flying their flag are forwarded to the Commission as set out in paragraph 1; (b) in the event of technical malfunctioning of the VMS, alternative messages from the fishing vessels flying their flag received pursuant to Article 25(1) of Implementing Regulation (EU) No 404/2011 are forwarded to the Commission within 24 hours of receipt by their fisheries monitoring centres; (ba) In the event of a technical malfunction of the VMS, the towing vessel concerned shall be replaced by another towing vessel with a fully functioning VMS; if no other towing vessel is available, a new operative VMS shall be installed on board or used if already installed, as soon as feasible and not later than 72 hours, except in the event of force majeure , that should be communicated to the ICCAT Secretariat; in the meantime, the master or the master’s representative shall, starting from the time that the event was detected and/or communicated, communicate to the control authorities of the flag Member State every hour the up-to-date geographical coordinates of the towing vessel by appropriate telecommunication means;(c) messages forwarded to the Commission are sequentially numbered (with a unique identifier) in order to avoid duplication; (d) messages forwarded to the Commission are in accordance with Article 24(3) of Implementing Regulation (EU) No 404/2011.
(a) failed to comply with the recording and reporting requirements set out in Articles 31 and 32; or (b) committed a breach of this Regulation or a serious infringement referred to in Article 42 of Regulation (EC) No 1005/2008 or in Article 90 of Regulation (EC) No 1224/2009.
(a) the bluefin tuna was caught by fishing vessels or traps the flag State of which does not have a quota or catch limit for bluefin tuna under the terms of ICCAT conservation and management measures; or (b) the bluefin tuna was caught by a catching vessel or trap whose individual quota or whose State’s fishing opportunities were exhausted at the time of the catch.
(a) annual carry-over under Article 8 for bluefin tuna; (b) deadlines for reporting information as laid down in Article 15(7), Article 16(1), Article 24(4), Article 26(1), Article 29(1), Article 32(2) and (3), Article 35(5) and (6), Article 36, Article 41(3), Article 44(2), Article 50(4), Article 57(5), point (b), and Article 58(6); (c) time periods for fishing seasons as provided in Article 17(1) to (4); (d) the minimum conservation reference size set out in Article 19(1) and (2) and Article 20(1); (e) the percentages and reference parameters laid down in Article 13, Article 15(3) and (4), Article 20(1), Article 21(2), Article 38(1), Article 44(2), Article 50 and Article 51(8); (f) the information to be submitted to the Commission referred to in Article 11(1), Article 24(1), Article 25(3), Article 29(1), Article 30(4), Article 34(2), Article 40(1) and Article 55; (g) tasks for national observers and ICCAT regional observers as provided in Article 38(2) and Article 39(5), respectively; (h) reasons to refuse the authorisation to transfer laid down in Article 41(1); (i) reasons to seize the catches and order the release of fish of Article 46(4); (j) the number of vessels set out in Article 58(3); (k) Annexes I to XVb; (l) the content of the carry-over declaration laid down in Article 7(2), point (a), and provisions for caging laid down in Article 7(2), point (b); (m) the derogations set out in Article 17(2) to designate fishing areas, fishing vessels and gear, and in Article 17(3) for fishing bluefin tuna for farming purposes; (n) conditions for assigning ICCAT regional observers to farms under Article 39(4).
(a) Article 3, points (g) to (j), Articles 4a, 4b, and 4c and Annex Ia are deleted; (b) in Annex I, the indent "Bluefin tuna: Thunnus thynnus " is deleted;(c) in Annex II, the row " Thunnus thynnus : Bluefin tuna" is deleted.
(a) The maximum number of its baitboats and trolling boats authorised to fish actively bluefin tuna to the number of the vessels participating in directed fishery for bluefin tuna in 2006. (b) The maximum number of its artisanal fleet authorised to fish actively bluefin tuna in the Mediterranean to the number of the vessels participating in the fishery for bluefin tuna in 2008. (c) The maximum number of its catching vessels authorised to fish actively bluefin tuna in the Adriatic Sea to the number of the vessel participating in the fishery for bluefin tuna in 2008.
no more than 7 % of its quota for bluefin tuna among its baitboats and trolling boats. In the case of France, a maximum of 100 tonnes of bluefin tuna weighing no less than 6,4 kg or 70 cm fork length may be caught by vessels flying the flag of France of a length overall of less than 17 metres operating in the Bay of Biscay, no more than 2 % of its quota for bluefin tuna among its coastal artisanal fishery for fresh fish in the Mediterranean, no more than 90 % of its quota for bluefin tuna among its catching vessels in the Adriatic Sea for farming purposes.
tail tags shall be affixed on each bluefin tuna immediately upon offloading, each tail tag shall have a unique identification number and be included on bluefin tuna catch documents and written legibly and indelibly on the outside of any package containing tuna.
1. The logbook shall be numbered by sheet. 2. The logbook shall be completed every day (midnight) or before port arrival. 3. The logbook shall be completed in case of at-sea inspections. 4. One copy of the sheets shall remain attached to the logbook. 5. Logbooks shall be kept on board to cover a period of one year of operation.
1. Master’s name and address. 2. Dates and ports of departure, dates and ports of arrival. 3. Vessel’s name, register number, ICCAT number, international radio call sign and IMO number (if available). 4. Fishing gear: (a) type by FAO code; (b) dimension (e.g. length, mesh size, number of hooks).
5. Operations at sea with one line (minimum) per day of trip, providing: (a) activity (e.g. fishing, steaming); (b) position: exact daily positions (in degree and minutes), recorded for each fishing operation or at midday when no fishing has been conducted during that day; (c) record of catches, including: FAO code, round weight (RWT) in kg per day, number of pieces per day.
For purse seine vessels, those data shall be recorded by fishing operation, including nil return.
6. Master’s signature. 7. Means of weight measure: estimation, weighing on board. 8. The logbook shall be kept in equivalent live weight of fish and shall mention the conversion factors used in the evaluation.
1. Dates and port of landing or transhipment. 2. Products: (a) species and presentation by FAO code; (b) number of fish or boxes and quantity in kg.
3. Signature of the master or vessel agent. 4. In the case of transhipment: receiving vessel name, its flag and ICCAT number.
1. Date, time and position (latitude/longitude) of transfer. 2. Products: (a) species identification by FAO code; (b) number of fish and quantity in kg transferred into cages.
3. Name of towing vessel, its flag and ICCAT number. 4. Name of the farm of destination and its ICCAT number. 5. In the case of a joint fishing operation (JFO), in addition to the information laid down in points 1 to 4, the masters shall record in their logbook: (a) as regards the catching vessel transferring the fish into cages: amount of catches taken on board, amount of catches counted against its individual quota, the names of the other vessels involved in the JFO;
(b) as regards the other catching vessels of the same JFO not involved in the transfer of the fish: the name of those vessels, their international radio call signs and ICCAT numbers, that no catches have been taken on board or transferred into cages, amount of catches counted against their individual quotas, the name and the ICCAT number of the catching vessel referred to in point (a).
| Flag | ICCAT Number | Vessel name | Report start date | Report end date | Report duration (d) | Catch date | Location of the catch | Catch | Attributed weight in case of a joint fishing operation (kg) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Latitude | Longitude | Weight (kg) | Number of pieces | Average weight (kg) | ||||||||
| Joint fishing operation | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flag State | Vessel name | ICCAT No | Duration of the operation | Identity of the operators | Vessel’s individual quota | Allocation key per vessel | Fattening and farming farm destination | |
| CPC | ICCAT No | |||||||
| Zones | |||||||
| Species | |||||||
| Fishing gear | |||||||
| Other conditions |
(a) the national observer’s estimation of the number and weight of bluefin tuna individuals caught (including by-catch); (b) disposition of the catch, such as retained on board, discarded dead or released alive; (c) area of catch by latitude and longitude; (d) measure of fishing effort (e.g. number of sets, number of hooks), as defined in the ICCAT Manual for different gear types; (e) date of catch; (f) verification of the consistency of entries made in the logbook with the national observer’s own catch estimation.
(a) in case of a further transfer involving movement of fish between two transport cages: (i) without delay, analyse the video record of the further transfer, to estimate the number of bluefin tuna individuals being transferred; (ii) immediately notify the competent authorities of the flag Member States of the donor towing vessels of the national observer’s observations, including the number of bluefin tuna individuals estimated by the national observer and the corresponding number of bluefin tuna individuals reported on the ITDs by the master of the donor towing vessel; and (iii) include the results of the analysis of the national observer in the observer reports to the competent authorities of the flag Member States of the donor towing vessels;
(b) record and report in the observer reports all bluefin tuna individuals observed during the transport trip to be dead; (c) sight and record vessels that are suspected to be fishing contrary to ICCAT conservation measures; and (d) notify the competent authorities of the flag Member States of the donor towing vessels without delay of the observer reports at the end of the towing trip.
(a) verify the harvesting authorisation issued by the competent authorities of the trap Member State; (b) validate the information in the processing and/or harvesting declarations made by the master of the processing vessel, or the master’s representative, or by the trap operator.
(a) sufficient experience to identify species and fishing gear; (b) satisfactory knowledge of the ICCAT conservation and management measures, and of ICCAT training guidelines; (c) the ability to observe and record accurately; (d) the ability to analyse video records; (e) to the extent possible, a satisfactory knowledge of the language of the flag, farm or trap Member State or CPC where they are conducting their tasks.
(a) have completed the technical training required by the guidelines established by ICCAT; (b) be nationals of one of the Member States or CPCs and, to the extent possible, not nationals of the flag Member State or CPC of the purse seine vessel, of the farm Member State or CPC, or of the trap Member State or CPC observed; (c) be capable of performing the tasks set out in Part II, Section C; (d) be included in the list of ICCAT regional observers maintained by the ICCAT Secretariat; (e) not have current financial or beneficial interests in bluefin tuna fishery.
(a) as a general task: (i) observe and monitor compliance of the bluefin tuna fishing and farming operations with the relevant ICCAT conservation and management measures; (ii) carry out such scientific work, such as collecting samples or Task II data, as required by the Commission, based on the recommendations of the SCRS; (iii) sight and record vessels suspected to be fishing in contravention of ICCAT conservation and management measures, and verify and record the name of the fishing vessel concerned and its ICCAT number; (iv) exercise any other tasks as determined by the Commission;
(b) as regards purse seine vessels or trap catching activity: (i) observe and report on the fishing activities carried out; (ii) observe and estimate catches and verify entries made in the logbook;
(c) as regards first transfers from a purse seine vessel or trap to transport cages: (i) record and report on the transfer activities carried out; (ii) verify the position of the vessel when engaged in a transfer; (iii) review and analyse all the video records related to the transfer operation concerned, where applicable; (iv) estimate the number of bluefin tuna individuals being transferred and record the result in the ITD; (v) issue a daily report of the transfer activities of purse seine vessels; (vi) record and report on the result of the analysis carried out; (vii) verify entries made in the prior transfer notification referred to in Article 40, in the ITD referred to in Article 42 and in the eBCD; (viii) verify that the ITD referred to in Article 42 is transmitted to the master of the towing vessel or to the operator of the farm or trap; (ix) in relation to control transfers, verify the seals’ identification number and ensure that the seals are placed in such a way to prevent the opening of the doors without the seals being broken;
(d) as regards caging operations, review the camera video records at caging to determine the number of bluefin tuna individuals caged, in due time to allow the farm operator to complete the related caging declaration; (e) as regards verification of data: (i) verify and certify the data contained in the ITDs, the caging declarations and the eBCD, including through the analysis of video records; (ii) issue a daily report on the transfer activities of the purse seine vessels, farms and traps; (iii) where the relevant operation is in accordance with the ICCAT conservation and management measures and the information contained within those documents is consistent with the observations made by the ICCAT regional observer, sign the ITDs, the caging declarations and the eBCD, with the name and ICCAT number clearly written; or in case of disagreement, indicate his/her presence on the relevant ITD and caging declarations or the eBCD concerned, or both, and the reasons of disagreement, quoting specifically the rules or procedures that, in the view of the ICCAT regional observer, have not been respected;
(f) as regards releases: (i) as regards releases before caging, observe and report on the release operation from the purse seine or the transport cage, in accordance with the release protocol in Annex XII; (ii) as regards releases after caging, observe and report on the prior segregation of fish and the subsequent release operation, in accordance with the release protocol in Annex XII, including by verifying that the quality of the video record of the prior segregation satisfies the minimum standards for video recording procedures set out in Annex X and determining the number of bluefin tuna individuals released; (iii) in both cases, verify the release order issued by the competent authority of the Member State or CPC concerned and validate the information in the release declaration made by the donor or farm operator;
(g) as regards harvesting operation in farms: (i) verify the harvesting authorisation issued by the competent authority of the farm Member State or CPC; (ii) validate the information in the processing and harvesting declarations made by the master of the processing vessel, or its representative, or by the farm operator;
(h) as regards reporting (i) register and verify the presence of any type of tag, including natural marks, and notify any sign of recent tag removals; for all bluefin tuna individuals tagged with electronic tags, conduct full biological sampling (otoliths, spine and genetic sample) following guidelines issued by the SCRS; (ii) establish general reports compiling the information collected under Section C and provide the master of the fishing vessel and farm operator the opportunity to add any relevant information to those reports; (iii) submit the general reports referred to in point (h)(ii) to the entity operating the ICCAT regional observer programme, for transmission to the ICCAT Secretariat within 20 days from the end of the period of observation; (iv) in cases where the ICCAT regional observer observes potential non-compliance with an ICCAT recommendation, submit that information without delay to the entity operating the ICCAT regional observer programme who shall transmit it without delay to the competent authority of the flag, trap or farm Member State concerned, and to the ICCAT Secretariat; for that purpose, the entity operating the ICCAT regional observer programme shall set up a system through which that information can be securely communicated; (v) obtain, as far as possible, evidence (i.e. photos, video records) of potential non-compliance detected and attach them to the ICCAT regional observer report.
(a) is allowed access to personnel on the purse seine vessel, farm and trap and to the gear, cages equipment and records of the control camera; (b) on request and in order to carry out the duties set out in the ICCAT regional observer programme, is allowed access to the following equipment, if present on the vessels to which the observers is assigned: (i) satellite navigation equipment; (ii) radar display screens when in use; (iii) electronic means of communication;
(c) is provided accommodations, including lodging, food and adequate sanitary facilities, equal to those of officers; (d) is provided with adequate space on the bridge or pilot house for clerical work, as well as space on deck adequate for carrying out observer duties.
(a) fishing without a licence, permit or authorisation issued by the flag CPC; (b) failure to maintain sufficient records of catch and catch-related data in accordance with the ICCAT Commission’s reporting requirements or significant misreporting of such catch and/or catch-related data; (c) fishing in a closed area; (d) fishing during a closed season; (e) intentional taking or retention of species in contravention of any applicable conservation and management measure adopted by ICCAT; (f) significant violation of catch limits or quotas in force pursuant to ICCAT rules; (g) using prohibited fishing gear; (h) falsifying or intentionally concealing the markings, identity or registration of a fishing vessel; (i) concealing, tampering with or disposing of evidence relating to the investigation of a violation; (j) multiple violations which, taken together, constitute a serious disregard of measures in force pursuant to ICCAT; (k) assault, resist, intimidate, sexually harass, interfere with, or unduly obstruct or delay an authorised inspector or observer; (l) intentionally tampering with or disabling the VMS; (m) such other violations as are determined by the ICCAT, once those are included and circulated in a revised version of those procedures; (n) fishing with the assistance of spotter planes; (o) interference with the satellite monitoring system and/or operation of a vessel without the VMS; (p) transfer activity without ITD; (q) transhipment at sea.
(a) Contracting Parties shall inform the ICCAT Commission by 15 February each year of their provisional plans for conducting inspection activities under the recommendation implemented by this Regulation in that calendar year and the ICCAT Commission may make suggestions to Contracting Parties for the coordination of national operations in this field, including the number of inspectors and ships carrying inspectors. (b) The arrangements set out in the ICCAT Recommendation 19-04 and the plans for participation shall apply between Contracting Parties unless otherwise agreed between them, and such agreement shall be notified to the ICCAT Commission. However, the implementation of the scheme shall be suspended between any two Contracting Parties if either of them has notified the ICCAT Commission to that effect, pending completion of such an agreement.
(a) The fishing gear shall be inspected in accordance with the regulations in force for the subarea in which the inspection takes place. The inspector shall state the subarea for which the inspection took place and describe any violations found in the inspection report. (b) The inspector shall be entitled to inspect all fishing gear in use or on board.
1. The sampling intensity of live fish shall not be below 20 % of the amount of fish being caged. Where technically possible, the sampling of live fish shall be sequential, one in every five individuals being measured; such a sample shall be made up of fish measured at a distance of between 2 and 8 metres from the camera. 2. The dimensions of the transfer gate connecting the donor cage and the receiving cage shall be set at a maximum width of 10 metres and a maximum height of 10 metres. 3. Where the length measurements of the fish present a multi-modal distribution (two or more cohorts of distinct sizes), it shall be possible to use more than one conversion algorithm for the same caging operation; the most up-to-date algorithm(s) established by SCRS shall be used to convert fork lengths into total weights, according to the size category of the fish measured during the caging operation. 4. Validation of the stereoscopical length measurements shall be undertaken prior to each caging operation using a scale bar at a distance of between 2 and 8 metres. 5. Where the results of the stereoscopical programme are communicated, the information shall indicate the margin of error inherent to the technical specifications of the stereoscopic camera system, which shall not exceed a range of +/- 5 %. 6. The report on the results of the stereoscopical programme shall include details on all the technical specifications above, including the sampling intensity, the sampling methodology, the distance from the camera, the dimensions of the transfer gate, and the algorithms (length-weight relationship). SCRS shall review those specifications and, if necessary, provide recommendations to modify them. 7. In cases where the stereoscopic camera footage is of insufficient quality to estimate the weight of bluefin tuna being caged, a new caging operation shall be ordered by the Member State authorities responsible for the catching vessel, trap or farm.
(a) technical stereoscopical system report including: general information: species, site, cage, date, algorithm, sizing statistical information: average weight and length, minimum weight and length, maximum weight and length, number of fish sampled, weight distribution, size distribution;
(b) detailed results of the programme, with the size and weight of every fish that was sampled; (c) caging report including: general information on the operation: number of the caging operation, name of the farm, cage number, BCD number, ITD number, name and flag of the catching vessel or trap, name and flag of the towing vessel, date of the stereoscopical system operation and footage file name, algorithm used to convert length into weight, comparison between the amounts declared in the BCD and the amounts found with the stereoscopical system, in number of fish, average weight and total weight (the formula used to calculate the difference shall be: (stereoscopical system-BCD)/stereoscopical system * 100), margin of error of the system, for those caging reports relating to JFOs/traps, the last caging report shall also include a summary of all information in previous caging reports.
(a) the total weight declared by the catching vessel or trap in the BCD is within the range of the stereoscopical system results: no release shall be ordered, the BCD shall be modified both in number (using the number of fish resulting from the use of the control cameras or alternative techniques) and average weight, while the total weight shall not be modified;
(b) the total weight declared by the catching vessel or trap in the BCD is below the lowest figure of the range of the stereoscopical system results: a release shall be ordered using the lowest figure in the range of the stereoscopical system results, the release operations shall be carried out in accordance with the procedure laid down in Article 41(2) and Annex XII, after the release operations took place, the BCD shall be modified both in number (using the number of fish resulting from the use of the control cameras, minus the number of fish released) and average weight, while the total weight shall not be modified;
(c) the total weight declared by the catching vessel or trap in the BCD exceeds the highest figure of the range of the stereoscopical system results: no release shall be ordered, the BCD shall be modified for the total weight (using the highest figure in the range of the stereoscopical system results), for the number of fish (using the results from the control cameras) and average weight accordingly.
(a) for dead fish: (i) in the case of landing, the effective weight at landing shall be applied; (ii) in the case where the dead fish are discarded, the average weight of bluefin tuna individuals established at the time of caging shall be applied to the number of bluefin tuna individuals discarded;
(b) for fish otherwise considered as lost fish at the moment of the investigation referred to in Article 50, the average weight of bluefin tuna individuals established at the time of caging shall be applied to the number of bluefin tuna individuals considered as being lost fish, as determined by the competent authority of the flag or trap Member State resulting from its analysis of the first transfer video record in the context of that investigation.
| Reporting of fish that die during further transfers and towing operations | ||
|---|---|---|
| Towing vessel | Name | |
| ICCAT No and flag | ||
| ITD No and cage No | ||
| Master’s name | ||
| Catching vessel(s) / trap | Name of vessel(s) / trap | |
| ICCAT number and JFO No | ||
| eBCDs number(s) | ||
| Previous towing vessel (if any) | Name | |
| ICCAT No and flag | ||
| ITD No and cage No | ||
| Total number of BFT reported dead | ||
| Farm of destination | CPC / Name / ICCAT No | |
| Date | No of dead BFT | Master’s signature |
| TOTAL | ||
| Vessel name | Flag | Registration Number Identifiable cage number | Date of catch | Place of catch Longitude Latitude | eBCD number | eBCD date | Date of caging | Quantity placed in cage (t) | Number of fish placed in cage for fattening | Size composition | Farming facility |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
(a) require its fishing vessels to be equipped with an autonomous, tamper-evident system that continuously, automatically, and independent of any intervention by the vessel, transmits messages to the fishing monitoring centre ("FMC") of the flag Member State to track the position, course, and speed of a fishing vessel by the flag Member State of that vessel; (b) ensure that the satellite tracking device fitted on board the fishing vessel collects and transmits continuously to the FMC of the flag Member State the following data: the vessel’s identification, the geographical position of the vessel (longitude, latitude) with a margin of error lower than 500 metres, with a confidence interval of 99 %, and the date and time;
(c) ensure that the FMC of the flag Member State receives an automatic notification if communication between the FMC and the satellite tracking device is interrupted; (d) ensure, in cooperation with the coastal State, that the position messages transmitted by the vessels flying its flag while operating in waters under the jurisdiction of that coastal State are also transmitted automatically and in real time to the FMC of the coastal State thathas authorised the activity. In implementing this provision, due consideration shall be been given to minimising the operational costs, technical difficulties, and administrative burden associated with transmission of these messages; and (e) ensure that, in order to facilitate the transmission and receipt of position messages, as described in point (d), the FMC of the flag Member State or CPC, and the FMC of the coastal State shall exchange their contact information and notify each other without delay of any changes to this information. The FMC of the coastal State shall notify the flag Member State or CPC FMC of any interruption in the reception of consecutive position messages. The transmission of position messages between the FMC of the flag Member State or CPC, and that of the coastal State shall be carried out electronically using a secure communication system.
(a) the satellite tracking device is not tampered with in any way; (b) VMS data are not altered in any way; (c) the antennae connected to the satellite tracking device is not obstructed in any way; (d) the satellite tracking device is hardwired into the fishing vessel and the power supply is not intentionally interrupted in any way; and (e) the satellite tracking device is not removed from the vessel except for the purposes of repair or replacement.
| Processing / Harvesting (please circle) |
| Date of harvesting(d/m/y): / / |
| Farm / Trap (please circle) |
| Cage(s) number(s): |
| Number of individuals harvested: |
| Live weight in kg of the harvested bluefin tuna: |
| Processed weight in kg of the harvested bluefin tuna: |
| eBCD number(s) associated with the bluefin tuna harvested: |
| Regulation (EU) 2016/1627 | This Regulation |
|---|---|
| Article 1 | Article 1 |
| Article 2 | Article 1 |
| Article 3 | Article 5 |
| Article 4 | – |
| Article 5 | Article 6 |
| Article 6 | Article 11 |
| Article 7 | Article 12 |
| Article 8 | Article 13 |
| Article 9 | Article 14 |
| Article 10 | Article 16 |
| Article 11 | Article 17 and Annex I |
| Article 12 | Article 17 and Annex I |
| Article 13 | Article 18 |
| Article 14 | Article 19 |
| Article 15 | Article 20 |
| Article 16 | Article 21 |
| Article 17 | Article 25 |
| Article 18 | Article 22 |
| Article 19 | Article 23 |
| Article 20 | Article 26 |
| Article 21 | Article 4 |
| Article 22 | Article 27 |
| Article 23 | Article 28 |
| Article 24 | Article 30 |
| Article 25 | Article 31 |
| Article 26 | Article 32 |
| Article 27 | Article 36 |
| Article 28 | Article 37 |
| Article 29 | Article 29 |
| Article 30 | Article 33 |
| Article 31 | Article 34 |
| Article 32 | Article 35 |
| Article 33 | Article 40 |
| Article 34 | Article 41 |
| Article 35 | Article 43 |
| Article 36 | Article 44 |
| Article 37 | Article 51 |
| Article 38 | Article 42 |
| Article 39 | Article 45 |
| Article 40 | Article 46 |
| Article 41 | Article 46 |
| Article 42 | Article 47 |
| Article 43 | Article 48 |
| Article 44 | Article 49 |
| Article 45 | Article 50 |
| Article 46 | Article 51 |
| Article 47 | Article 55 |
| Article 48 | Article 56 |
| Article 49 | Article 57 |
| Article 50 | Article 38 |
| Article 51 | Article 39 |
| Article 52 | Article 58 |
| Article 53 | Article 15 |
| Article 54 | Article 59 |
| Article 55 | Article 60 |
| Article 56 | Article 62 |
| Article 57 | Article 63 |
| Article 58 | Article 64 |
| Article 59 | Article 68 |
| Article 60 | Article 70 |
| Article 61 | Article 71 |
| Annex I | Annex I |
| Annex II | Annex II |
| Annex III | Annex V |
| Annex IV | Annex VI |
| Annex V | Annex III |
| Annex VI | Annex IV |
| Annex VII | Annex VIII |
| Annex VIII | Annex IX |
| Annex IX | Annex X |
| Annex X | Annex XI |
| Annex XI | Annex XII |
| Annex XII | Annex XIII |