Annexes to COM(2022)171 - Amendment of management, conservation and control measures for Atlantic Tunas and bluefin tuna in the Atlantic and the Mediterranean - Main contents

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dossier	COM(2022)171 - Amendment of management, conservation and control measures for Atlantic Tunas and bluefin tuna in the Atlantic and the ...
document	COM(2022)171
date	March 13, 2024

ANNEX I

‘ANNEX I

ICCAT species

Family	Latin name	English name
Scombridae	Acanthocybium solandri	Wahoo
Allothunnus fallai	Slender tuna
Auxis rochei	Bullet tuna
Auxis thazard	Frigate tuna
Euthynnus alletteratus	Little tunny/Atlantic black skipjack
Gasterochisma melampus	Butterfly kingfish
Katsuwonus pelamis	Skipjack
Orcynopsis unicolor	Plain bonito
Sarda sarda	Atlantic bonito
Scomberomorus brasiliensis	Serra Spanish mackerel
Scomberomorus cavalla	King mackerel
Scomberomorus maculatus	Spotted Atlantic Spanish mackerel
Scomberomorus regalis	Cero
Scomberomorus tritor	West African Spanish mackerel
Thunnus alalunga	Albacore
Thunnus albacares	Yellowfin tuna
Thunnus atlanticus	Blackfin tuna
Thunnus maccoyii	Southern bluefin tuna
Thunnus obesus	Bigeye tuna
Thunnus thynnus	Bluefin tuna
Istiophoridae	Istiophorus albicans	Atlantic sailfish
Makaira indica	Black marlin
Makaira nigricans	Atlantic blue marlin
Tetrapturus albidus	Atlantic white marlin
Tetrapturus belone	Mediterranean spearfish
Tetrapturus georgii	Roundscale spearfish
Tetrapturus pfluegeri	Longbill spearfish
Xiphiidae	Xiphias gladius	Swordfish
Alopiidae	Alopias superciliosus	Bigeye thresher shark
Alopias vulpinus	Thresher
Carcharhinidae	Carcharhinus falciformis	Silky shark
Carcharhinus galapagensis	Galapagos shark
Carcharhinus longimanus	Oceanic whitetip shark
Prionace glauca	Blue shark
Lamnidae	Carcharodon carcharias	Great white shark
Isurus oxyrinchus	Shortfin mako shark
Isurus paucus	Longfin mako shark
Lamna nasus	Porbeagle shark
Sphyrnidae	Sphyrna lewini	Scalloped hammerhead
Sphyrna mokarran	Great hammerhead
Sphyrna zygaena	Smooth hammerhead
Rhincodontidae	Rhincodon typus	Whale shark
Pseudocarchariidae	Pseudocarcharias kamoharai	Crocodile shark
Cetorhinidae	Cetorhinus maximus	Basking shark
Dasyatidae	Pteroplatytrygon violacea	Pelagic stingray
Mobulidae	Manta alfredi	N/A (1)
Manta birostris	Giant manta
Mobula hypostoma	Lesser devil ray
Mobula japonica	N/A (1)
Mobula mobular	Devil fish
Mobula tarapacana	Chilean devil ray
Mobula thurstoni	Bentfin devil ray

’.

(1) Common name not available.

ANNEX II

‘ANNEX VI

Safe handling and release practices for sea turtles

A. Purse seine safe handling and release

Whenever a sea turtle is sighted in the net, all reasonable efforts shall be made to rescue the sea turtle before it becomes entangled in the net.

No sea turtle shall be hauled from the water by a fishing line attached to, or entangled upon, the body of a sea turtle.

If a sea turtle is entangled during net roll, the net roll shall be stopped as soon as the turtle comes out of the water; the turtle shall be disentangled without injuring it before resuming the net roll.

If, in spite of the measures taken, a sea turtle is accidentally brought on board the vessel and is alive and active, or dead, the sea turtle shall be released as quickly as practicable.

If a sea turtle is brought aboard the vessel and is comatose or inactive, resuscitation shall be attempted in accordance with Section C.

B. Longline safe handling and release

When practicable, and if the operator or crew members on board are trained, comatose sea turtles shall be brought on board immediately.

Upon sighting a sea turtle, the vessel and line reel speed shall be slowed and the vessel direction adjusted to move toward the sea turtle, minimising tension on the line.

No sea turtle shall be hauled from the water by a fishing line attached to or entangled upon the body of a sea turtle.

If a sea turtle is too large or is hooked in such a manner as to preclude safe boarding without causing further damage or injury to the sea turtle, line clippers shall be used to clip the line and remove as much line as possible prior to releasing the sea turtle.

If a sea turtle is observed to be hooked or entangled by longline gear during hauling operations, the vessel operator shall immediately cease hauling operations until the sea turtle has been removed from the longline gear or brought on board the vessel.

If a sea turtle is hooked externally or a hook is fully visible, the hook shall be removed from the sea turtle as quickly and carefully as possible. If a hook cannot be removed from the sea turtle (e.g. ingested or in roof of mouth), the line shall be cut as close to the hook as possible.

Live sea turtles shall be returned to the sea after handling in the following manner:

(a)	putting the vessel engine in neutral gear so that the propeller is disengaged and the vessel is stopped, and releasing the sea turtle away from deployed gear; and

(b)	observing that the sea turtle is safely away from the vessel before engaging the propeller and continuing operations.

If the sea turtle brought aboard the vessel is comatose or inactive, resuscitation shall be attempted in accordance with Section C.

C. Resuscitation for a sea turtle on board

When handling a sea turtle, attempts shall be made to hold the animal by the shell, avoiding the head and neck region, and the flippers.

It shall be strived to remove and/or disentangle any foreign items from the sea turtle, such as any plastic items, netting or embedded hooks, etc.

The sea turtle shall be placed on its bottom shell (plastron) so that the sea turtle is right side up, safely isolated and immobilized on a cushioned surface, such as an automobile tire without a rim, a boat cushion or a coil of rope. The primary purpose of the cushioned surface is to elevate the sea turtle from the deck to assist in restraining it. Elevate its hindquarters at least 6 inches (15 cm) for a period of 4 up to 24 hours. The degree of the elevation depends on the size of the turtle; greater elevations are needed for larger sea turtles. Periodically, rock the sea turtle gently left to right and right to left by holding the outer edge of the shell (carapace) and lifting one side about 3 inches (8 cm) then alternate to the other side. Gently touch the eye and pinch the tail (reflex test) periodically to see if there is a response.

Sea turtles being resuscitated shall be shaded and kept damp or moist but shall under no circumstances be placed into a container holding water. A water-soaked towel placed over the head, carapace and flippers is the most effective method to keep a sea turtle moist.

Sea turtles that revive and become active shall be released over the stern of the boat only when fishing gear is not in use (i.e. not actively being set or hauled), when the engine gears are in neutral position, and in areas where they are unlikely to be recaptured or injured by vessels.

Sea turtles that fail to respond to the reflex test or fail to move within 4 hours (up to 24 hours, if possible) shall be returned to the water in the same manner as that for actively moving sea turtles.

’.

ANNEX III

‘ANNEX IX

Minimum standards for safe handling and live release procedures for North and South Atlantic shortfin mako sharks

This Annex sets out minimum standards for safe handling practices for North and South Atlantic shortfin mako sharks, and includes specific recommendations for both longline and purse seine fisheries.

These minimum standards are appropriate for live shortfin mako sharks when released, whether under no-retention policies or voluntarily. These minimum standards do not replace any stricter safety rules that may have been established under national law.

1.	Safety first: These minimum standards shall be considered in light of the safety of and practicability for crew members. The safety of crew members shall always come first. As a minimum, crew members shall wear suitable gloves and avoid working near the mouths of sharks.

2.	Training: Training materials are available to Member States in the three ICCAT official languages.

Method of release: To the greatest extent practicable, all sharks being released shall remain in the water at all times unless it is necessary to lift sharks for species identification. This includes cutting the line to free the shark while it is still in the water, using bolt cutters or dehooking devices to remove the hook if possible, or cutting the line as close to the hook as possible (leaving as little trailing line as possible).

4.	Be prepared: Tools shall be prepared in advance (e.g. canvas or net slings, stretchers for carrying or lifting, large mesh net or grid to cover hatches or hoppers in purse seine fisheries and long handled cutters and de-hookers in longline fisheries, listed under Section E).

A. General recommendations for all fisheries

If operationally safe to do so, stop the vessel or have its speed substantially reduced.

When the shark is entangled (in netting, fishing line, etc.), if safe to do so, carefully cut the net or line free from the shark and release it to the sea as quickly as possible with no entanglements attached.

Where feasible, and while keeping the shark in the water, try to measure the length of the shark.

To prevent bites, place an object, such as a fish or big stick or wooden pole, in the jaw.

If, for whatever reason, a shark must be brought on the deck, then minimise the time it takes to return it to the water to increase its chance of survival and reduce risks to the crew members.

B. Longline fisheries specific safe handling practices

Bring the shark as close to the vessel as possible without putting too much tension on the branchline to avoid the possibility that a released hook or branchline break could shoot hook, weights and other parts toward the vessels and crew members at high speed.

Secure the far side of the longline mainline to the boat so that no gear remaining in the water pulls on the line and the shark.

If hooked, and the hook is visible in the body or mouth, use a dehooking device or long-handled bolt cutter to remove the hook barb, and then remove the hook.

If it is not possible to remove the hook or the hook cannot be seen, cut the line of the trace (or snood, leader) as close to the hook as possible (ideally leaving as little line and/or leader material as possible and no weights attached to the shark).

C. Purse seine fisheries specific safe handling practices

If in purse seine: Scan the net as far ahead as possible to spot any sharks early so as to react quickly. Avoid lifting the sharks up in the net towards the power block. Reduce vessel speed to slacken the tension of the net and allow the entangled shark to be removed from the net. If necessary, use clippers to cut the net.

If in brail or on deck: Use a purpose-built large-mesh cargo net or canvas sling or similar device. If the vessel layout allows, the sharks could also be released by emptying the brail directly onto a hopper and release ramp held up at an angle that connects to an opening on the top deck railing, without need to be lifted or handled by the crew members.

D. Specific recommendations and safe handling practices for all fisheries

To the greatest extent practicable, do not lift sharks from the water using the branchline, especially if hooked, unless it is necessary to lift sharks for species identification.

Do not lift sharks using thin wires or cables, or by the tail alone.

Do not strike a shark against any surface, for example to remove the animal from the line.

Do not attempt to dislodge any hook that is deeply ingested and not visible.

Do not try to remove a hook by pulling sharply on the branchline.

Do not cut the tail or any other body part.

Do not cut or punch holes in the shark.

Do not gaff or kick a shark, or insert hands into the gill slits.

Do not expose the shark to the sun for extended periods.

10.

Do not wrap your fingers, hands or arms in the line when bringing a shark to the boat (could result in serious injury).

E. Useful tools for safe handling and release:

(a)	gloves (shark skin is rough; ensures safe handling of shark and protects crew members’ hands from bites);

(b)	towel or cloth (a towel or cloth soaked in seawater can be placed on the eyes of the shark to calm shark down);

(c)	dehooking devices (e.g. pig tail dehooker, bolt or plier cutters);

(d)	shark harness or stretcher (if needed);

(e)	tail rope (to secure a hooked shark if it needs to be removed from the water);

(f)	saltwater hose (if anticipated that it may require more than 5 minutes to release a shark, then place a hose into its mouth so seawater flows into it at a moderate rate; make sure deck pump has been running several minutes before placing it in a sharks mouth);

(g)	measuring device or method (e.g. mark a pole, leader and float, or a measuring tape);

(h)	data sheet for recording all catch;

(i)	tagging gear (if applicable).

ANNEX X

Guidelines for reducing the ecological impact of FADs in ICCAT fisheries

1.

The surface structure of the FAD shall not be covered or shall be, if covered, covered only with material implying minimum risk of entangling by-catch species.

2.

The sub-surface components of the FAD shall be composed exclusively of non-entangling material (e.g. no ropes or canvas).

3.

When designing FADs, the use of biodegradable materials shall be prioritised.

’.

ANNEX IV

‘ANNEX VIII

Observer programmes

I. NATIONAL OBSERVER PROGRAMME

The national observer tasks shall be, in general, to monitor the compliance of fishing vessels and traps with this Regulation.

When deployed on board a catching vessel, the national observer shall record and report on the fishing activity, including in particular, the following:

(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.

When deployed on a towing vessel the national observers shall:

(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.

When deployed on a trap the national observer shall:

(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.

The national observer shall also carry out scientific work, such as collecting all the necessary data required by the Commission, based on recommendations of the SCRS.

II. ICCAT REGIONAL OBSERVER PROGRAMME

Each Member State shall require operators of farms and traps, and masters of purse seine vessels, or the masters’ representatives, under its jurisdiction to deploy an ICCAT regional observer, as set out in Article 39.

The ICCAT regional observers shall be appointed before 1 April, or as soon as practical, each year, and shall be placed in farms, on traps and on board the purse seine vessels flying the flag of Member States that implement the ICCAT regional observer programme. An ICCAT regional observer card shall be issued for each observer.

A contract listing the rights and duties between the ICCAT regional observer and the master of the fishing vessel or operator of the farm or trap shall be signed by both parties involved.

An ICCAT observer programme manual shall be established.

A. Qualifications of ICCAT regional observers

The ICCAT regional observers shall have the following qualifications to accomplish their tasks:

(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.

B. Obligations of ICCAT regional observers

ICCAT regional observers shall:

(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.

ICCAT regional observers shall treat as confidential all information with respect to the fishing and transfer operations conducted by the purse seine vessels, the farms and the traps, and shall accept this requirement in writing as a condition to be appointed as an ICCAT regional observer.

ICCAT regional observers shall comply with the requirements established in the laws and regulations of the flag or farm Member State or CPC which exercises jurisdiction over the vessel, farm or trap to which the ICCAT regional observers are assigned.

ICCAT regional observers shall respect the hierarchy and general rules of behaviour which apply to all vessel, farm and trap personnel, provided that such rules do not interfere with the duties of the ICCAT regional observer under this programme, or with the obligations of vessel, farm and trap personnel set out in this Annex.

C. Tasks of the ICCAT regional observer

The ICCAT regional observer tasks shall be, in particular, to:

(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.

D. Obligations of the flag, trap and farm Member States

The flag, farm and trap Member States shall ensure that, in particular, the ICCAT regional observer:

(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.

The flag, trap and farm Member States shall ensure that masters, crew members, and farm, trap and vessel owners do not obstruct, intimidate, interfere with, influence, bribe or attempt to bribe an ICCAT regional observer in the performance of ICCAT regional observer duties.

The flag, trap or farm Member States shall be provided, in a manner consistent with any applicable data confidentiality requirements, with copies of all raw data, summaries and reports pertaining to the fishing trip. The ICCAT regional observer reports shall be submitted to the Compliance Committee and to the SCRS.

The competent authorities of the flag, farm or trap Member States where the ICCAT regional observer is providing observer services, may request that the observer be replaced if they have evidence that the ICCAT regional observer does not fulfil the obligations, or adequately carry out the tasks, set out in this Regulation. Any such cases shall be reported to Panel 2.

E. Fees and organisation

The costs of implementing the ICCAT regional observer programme shall be financed by the operators of the farms and traps and owners of the purse seine vessels. The fee shall be calculated on the basis of the total costs of the programme and paid into a special account of the ICCAT Secretariat used for the implementation of the ICCAT regional observer programme.

No ICCAT regional observer shall be assigned to a vessel, trap or farm for which the fees, as required under this Annex, have not been paid.

’.

ANNEX V

‘ANNEX XIII

Treatment of dead or lost fish

A. Record of dead or lost bluefin tuna

The number of bluefin tuna individuals that die during any operation regulated under this Regulation shall be reported by the donor operator, in the case of a transfer operation and associated transport, or by the operator of the farm, in the case of a caging operation or farming activities, and shall be deducted from the relevant quota of the Member State concerned.

For the purposes of this Annex, “lost fish” means the missing bluefin tuna individuals that, after the potential differences detected during the investigation referred to in Article 50 of this Regulation, have not been justified as mortalities.

B. Treatment of fish that die during the catch and first transfer

The bluefin tuna individuals that die during the catch and first transfer from a purse seine vessel or trap shall be recorded in the purse seine vessel logbook or the trap daily catch report and reported on the ITD and in Section 4 (Transfer information) of the eBCD.

The eBCD shall be provided to the master of the towing vessel with Sections 2 (Catch information), 3 (Trade information) and 4 (Transfer information) including subsections regarding “dead fish” completed.

Section 2 (Catch information) of the eBCD shall include all bluefin tuna individuals caught. The total quantities reported in Sections 3 (Trade information) and 4 (Transfer information) of the eBCD (including subsections regarding “dead fish”) shall be equal to the quantities reported in Section 2 (Catch information) thereof, after deductions of all the mortalities observed between the catch and completion of the transfer.

The eBCD shall be accompanied by the ITD in accordance with this Regulation.

A copy of the eBCD with Section 8 (Trade information) completed shall be completed and transmitted to the master of the auxiliary vessel which transports the dead bluefin tuna to shore (or retained on the catching vessel or the trap if landed directly to shore). A copy of the ITD shall accompany those dead fish and that copy of the eBCD.

The quantities of dead fish shall be recorded in the eBCD of the catching vessel which made the catch or, in the case of joint fishing operations (“JFOs”), in the eBCD of either the participating catching vessels or of a vessel flying another flag participating in the JFO.

C. Treatment of fish that die or are lost during further transfers and transport operations

Masters of the towing vessels shall report, using the template provided for in Section F, all bluefin tuna individuals that die during transport. Individual lines shall be completed by the master of the towing vessel each time a dead or lost fish is detected.

In case of further transfers, the master of the donor towing vessel shall provide the original of the report to the master of the towing vessel receiving the bluefin tuna, keeping a copy on board for the duration of the campaign.

On the arrival of a transport cage at the destination farm, the master of the towing vessel shall deliver the complete set of reports of dead fish using the template provided for in Section F to the competent authority of the farm Member State or CPC responsible for the farm.

For the purpose of the quota uptake to be determined by the flag or trap Member State, the weight of fish that die or are lost during transport shall be evaluated as follows:

(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.

D. Treatment of fish that die during caging operations

The fish that die during caging operations shall be reported by the operator of the farm on the caging declaration. The competent authority of the farm Member State shall ensure that the number and weight of the bluefin tuna individuals that die during caging operations is reported in the relevant subsection of section 6 (Farming information) of the eBCD.

E. Treatment of fish that die or are lost during farming activities

Dead or lost fish in farms or those that disappear from farms, including allegedly stolen or escaped fish, shall be reported by the operator of the farm to the competent authority of the farm Member State immediately after the dead or lost fish has been detected. The report of the operator of the farm shall be accompanied by the necessary supporting evidence (e.g. complaint filed about the stolen fish, damage report in case of damage to the cage). After receipt of such a report, the competent authority of the farm Member State shall apply the necessary changes or cancellation of the eBCD concerned (following the necessary developments in the eBCD system).

F. Reporting template

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 (*1)
Farm of destination	CPC / Name / ICCAT No
Date	No of dead BFT	Master’s signature






TOTAL

’.

(*1) In case of further transfers, the master of the donor towing vessel shall deliver the original of the mortalities report to the master of the receiving towing vessel.

ANNEX VI

‘ANNEX XVa

Procedure for sealing operations of transport cages

1.

Prior to their deployment on a purse seine vessel, a trap, or a towing vessel, the entity operating the ICCAT regional observer programme and the competent authorities of the Member State shall provide a minimum of 25 ICCAT seals to each ICCAT regional observer and national observer under their responsibility, respectively, and maintain a record of the seals provided and used.

2.

The donor operator shall be responsible for sealing the cages. For this purpose, a minimum of three seals, placed in such a way that they prevent the opening of the doors without breaking the seals, shall be put on each cage door.

3.

The sealing operation shall be video recorded by the donor operator and shall allow the identification of the seals and the verification that the seals have been properly placed. The video recording shall comply with the minimum standards for video recording procedures set out in Annex X. The video record concerned shall accompany the fish to the farm of destination. A copy of the video record shall be kept on board the donor vessels or on the traps and be accessible for control purposes at any time during the fishing campaign. A copy of the video record shall be made available to the ICCAT regional observer on board the purse seine vessel or on the trap, or to the national observer on the receiving towing vessel, for transmission to the competent authority of the Member State or CPC, or ICCAT regional observer present at the subsequent control transfer.

4.

The video record of the subsequent control transfer shall include the unsealing operation, which shall be undertaken in such a way as to allow the identification of the seals and the verification that the seals have not been tampered with.

ANNEX XVb

Template for a processing declaration and harvesting declaration

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:
Details of auxiliary vessels involved in the operation:

Name:

Flag:

ICCAT Registration No:
Destination of the harvested tuna (export, local market, other) (please circle)

In case of other, please specify:
Validation by the national observer or ICCAT regional observer, as appropriate:

Observer Name:

ICCAT No:

Signature:

’

ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2024/897/oj

ISSN 1977-0677 (electronic edition)