2053 establishing a multiannual management plan for bluefin tuna in the eastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean - Main contents

Please note

This page contains a limited version of this dossier in the EU Monitor.

dossier	COM(2025)195 - Amendment of Regulation (EU) 2017/2107 laying down management, conservation and control measures applicable in the ...
document	COM(2025)195
date	May 12, 2025

(1) Regulation (EU) 2017/2107 of the European Parliament and of the Council ¹⁰ implemented management, conservation and control measures adopted by the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) and applicable to the ICCAT Convention Area up to, and including at, its annual meeting in 2015.

(2) Regulation (EU) 2017/2107 was subsequently amended by Regulations (EU) 2019/1154 ¹¹ , (EU) 2023/205 ¹² and (EU) 2024/897 of the European Parliament and of the Council ¹³ in order to implement further measures adopted by ICCAT at its 28th Regular Meeting in 2023. Those include measures for the conservation of whale shark and mobulid rays as well as a geographic limitation for the applicability of sea turtle conservation measures. Moreover, the role of European Fisheries Control Agency (EFCA) is newly defined as a sighting entity in relation to sighting of vessels and further communication to the ICCAT Secretariat.

(3) Regulation (EU) 2023/2053 of the European Parliament and of the Council ¹⁴ implements into Union law measures adopted by the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas for the management of the bluefin tuna.

(4) At its 28th Regular Meeting in 2023, ICCAT also adopted control measures for the conservation of fishery resources under its purview relating to the exchange of quotas between Joint Fishing Operations, prior notification of landings, monitoring of bluefin tuna transfers operations by video camera, caging operations, and control activities in the farms after caging.

(5) Those measures are binding on the Union. They should therefore be implemented into Union law.

(6) Regulation (EU) 2018/975 of the European Parliament and of the Council ¹⁵ implemented management, conservation and control measures adopted by the South Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Organisation (SPRFMO) and applicable to the SPRFMO Convention Area up to, and including at, its annual meeting in 2017.

(7) The SPRFMO Commission adopted at its 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024 annual meetings further measures for the conservation of fishery resources under its purview related to bottom fishing, transhipment, gillnets, observer programmes and data, and vessel monitoring systems, as well as new measures in particular a new protocol for high seas boarding and inspections, including procedures for alleged infringements, and measures on marine pollution and on the marking and identification of fishing vessels.

(8) Those measures are binding on the Union. They should therefore be implemented into Union law.

(9) Regulation (EU) 2019/833 of the European Parliament and of the Council ¹⁶ implemented into Union law conservation and enforcement measures adopted by the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organisation (NAFO) and applicable in the NAFO Regulatory Area up to, and including at, its annual meeting in 2018. This Regulation was subsequently amended in order to implement further NAFO measures adopted at its annual meetings in 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022 ¹⁷ .

(10) NAFO adopted at its annual meetings in 2023 and 2024 further measures for the conservation of fishery resources under its purview regarding cod in Divisions 2J3KL including closure, bycatch and retention on board, observers, surveillance, and relevant additional procedure for serious infringements.

(11) Those measures are binding on the Union. They should therefore be implemented into Union law.

(12) Regulation (EU) 2021/56 of the European Parliament and of the Council ¹⁸ implemented into Union law the provisions adopted by the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC) applicable to the IATTC Convention area up to, and including at, its annual meeting in 2019.

(13) IATTC adopted at its 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024 annual meetings measures for the conservation of fishery resources under its purview related to fish aggregating devices (FAD) buoy’s activations, reduction of FADs entanglement and use of biodegradable materials, report of catches on Pacific bluefin tuna, minimum vessel data requirements, changes in vessels monitoring system, introduction of electronic monitoring system, including collection of fisheries data, protection of silky sharks, safe release of sharks, data collection of shark species, and updates to compliance reports.

(14) Those measures are binding on the Union. They should therefore be implemented into Union law.

(15) Regulation (EU) 2022/2056 of the European Parliament and of the Council ¹⁹ implemented into Union law conservation and management measures adopted by the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission and applicable to WCPFC Convention area up to, and including at, its 2021 annual meeting.

(16) WCPFC adopted at its 2022 and 2023 annual meetings measures related to bunkering services and protection of sharks and use of branch lines, wire leaders and shark lines by Union longline vessels with prohibition of shark retention and duty to release, as well as surrender or discard of unintentionally caught Oceanic whitetip and silky shark specimens.

(17) Those measures are binding on the Union. They should therefore be implemented into Union law.

(18) Regulation (EU) 2022/2343 of the European Parliament and of the Council ²⁰ implemented into Union law management, conservation and control measures adopted by the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) and applicable in the IOTC area of competence up to, and including at, its annual meeting in 2021.

(19) IOTC subsequently adopted at its 2022, 2023 and 2024 annual meetings and 6th special session measures for the conservation of fishery resources under its purview as regards management of anchored and drifting fish aggregating devices, voluntary fishery closure, transhipments, conservation measures for cetaceans and seabirds, regional observer schemes, vessel monitoring plans, electronic monitoring standards and port inspections.

(20) IOTC resolution 24/06 implemented a ban on discards of bigeye tuna, skipjack tuna, yellowfin tuna, and non-targeted species caught by vessels in the IOTC record of authorisation that operate in the IOTC area of competence:, Union fishing vessels using other gear types to those used by purse seine vessels are encouraged to retain on board and then land all fish fit for human consumption, and to take all reasonable steps to ensure the safe release of non-targeted species taken alive, to the extent possible, while taking into consideration the safety of the crew; and to retain on board and then land all dead non-targeted species, except those considered unfit for human consumption or prohibited from retention.

(21) These measures are binding on the Union. They should therefore be implemented into Union law.

(22) Certain SPRFMO, NAFO, IATTC, IOTC and ICCAT provisions are being amended more frequently and are likely to be amended at future SPRFMO, NAFO, IATTC, IOTC, and ICCAT annual meetings. In order to implement swiftly into Union law such future amendments, the power to adopt acts in accordance with Article 290 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union should be delegated to the Commission as follows: (i) with regards to SPRFMO in respect to time limits, distance to the encounter area, distances related to transhipment notification, data and information requirements, and provision of record of vessel information; with regards to NAFO, in respect of measures relating to Member State duties related to the submission of changes in by-catch retained, closure periods, observer qualifications, duties, training, observer data validations, observer safety equipment, rights and duties of Union vessels operators and masters, procedures in event of emergency; (ii) with regards to NAFO CEM, changes to closure periods, catch retention on board, duties of master related to abandoned gear, its retrieval, derogations from the observer programme, and reference to vessel sighting document to be used by Member States; (iii) with regards to IATTC, in respect of measures relating to IATTC references to guidelines for the safe release of shark, and Member States questionnaire on compliance; (iv) with regards to IOTC, in respect of measures relating to IOTC FADs reporting obligations, and (v) for ICCAT bluefin tuna regulation deadlines for reporting obligations, time periods for fishing seasons, percentage and reference points and the information to be submitted to the Commission.

(23) It is of particular importance that the Commission carry out appropriate consultations during its preparatory work, including at expert level, and that those consultations be conducted in accordance with the principles laid down in the Interinstitutional Agreement of 13 April 2016 on Better Law-Making ²¹ . In particular, to ensure equal participation in the preparation of delegated acts, the European Parliament and the Council receive all documents at the same time as Member States' experts, and their experts systematically have access to meetings of Commission expert groups dealing with the preparation of delegated acts.