The European Commission adopted on 27 October a proposal to establish a catch documentation scheme for bluefin tuna in the EU.
This Regulation is based on decisions taken by the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT). The ICCAT recommendations will enter into force six months after their adoption and, as far as the Union is concerned, they will be implemented in Union law as soon as possible.
The proposal lays down general provisions on the use of catch and re-export certificates for bluefin tuna and sets out rules for the electronic recording and validation of catches and subsequent commercial operations concerning bluefin tuna. Special rules are set for tagged fish.
Recording and validation of catches and trade shall be carried out using the electronic catch documentation system for bluefin tuna already in use by Member States and operators. This electronic system is managed by ICCAT. In exceptional cases, the electronic system may be replaced by paper-based documents (the BCD, Bluefin Tuna Catch Document) equivalent to the requirements of the electronic system.
Link to the proposal: https://bit.ly/2THc9Mo (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)