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DRAFT REPORT (COM(2022)0171 – C90151/2022 – 2022/0111(COD))

On the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council amending 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) .../2022 establishing a multiannual management plan for bluefin tuna in the eastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean

PECH-PR-750194

Committee on Fisheries · Rapporteur: Clara Aguilera

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This is the rapporteur's draft report on a proposal to amend Regulation (EU) 2017/2107 on ICCAT conservation and control measures and Regulation (EU) .../2022 on the bluefin tuna management plan. It adopts a first-reading position and tables amendments transposing recent ICCAT recommendations. The amendments add definitions, rules on tropical tunas, albacore, marlins, shortfin mako sharks, sea turtles, FADs, observer coverage, tracking devices and IUU vessels to Regulation (EU) 2017/2107. For bluefin tuna, the amendments lay down definitions, carry-over of unused quotas, monitoring and inspection plans, caging authorisations and operations, video monitoring, harvesting controls, cage numbering, VMS rules and enforcement measures. The draft report also deletes provisions already covered by the agreed bluefin tuna regulation and adds new annexes on safe handling of sharks and sea turtles, FAD impact, sealing, harvesting declarations and carry-over information.

Committee position. The rapporteur proposes to adopt Parliament's first-reading position with amendments that transpose the most recent ICCAT recommendations into Regulation (EU) 2017/2107 and the bluefin tuna management plan, and deletes provisions already covered by the agreed bluefin tuna regulation.

Key points

  1. Parliament adopts its first-reading position on the Commission proposal and asks the Commission to refer the matter back to it if it substantially amends the proposal.
  2. The amendments update Regulation (EU) 2017/2107 to transpose ICCAT measures for tropical tunas, Mediterranean, North and Southern Atlantic albacore, sailfish, marlins, shortfin mako sharks, turtle by-catch and IUU fishing.
  3. New definitions are added for fish-aggregating devices, floating objects, shallow-set longlines and circle hooks.
  4. Member States must establish annual capacity/fishing plans and report tropical tuna catches every three months, with the Commission forwarding them to the ICCAT Secretariat.
  5. Recreational fishers may not catch, retain, tranship or land more than three Mediterranean albacore per vessel per day, and marketing or sale of such catches is prohibited.
  6. Tropical tuna caught by purse seiners must not be discarded once the net is closed and more than half retrieved; masters or crew must release tunas if there is a technical problem.
  7. No more than 300 FADs per vessel with operational buoys may be active at the same time, and FADs must be non-entangling and made from biodegradable materials.
  8. Vessels must not deploy drifting FADs 15 days before closure periods, and Member States must ensure minimum observer coverage for tropical tuna vessels.
  9. North Atlantic shortfin mako sharks must not be harmed and must be released promptly; South Atlantic shortfin mako rules require safe handling, monthly reporting and annual data on dead discards and live releases.
  10. Vessels using shallow-set longlines must use large circle hooks, finfish bait or other ICCAT-approved measures, and Member States must reduce sea turtle interactions through gear, time-area or behavioural measures.
  11. Tracking devices must be permanently operational, transmitting at least hourly for purse seiners and every two hours for other vessels, and repaired or replaced within one month of failure.
  12. For bluefin tuna, the amendments set carry-over rules, caging authorisations, video monitoring, cage numbering, harvesting authorisations, VMS rules and enforcement measures including suspension or withdrawal from the ICCAT farm record.

Who is affected

  • EU fishing vessels and their masters and crews, who must follow catch, release, gear and reporting rules.
  • Member States, which must report data, establish plans, ensure observer coverage and enforce the rules.
  • Bluefin tuna farms and traps, which need authorisations, cage numbering, video monitoring and harvesting controls.
  • Recreational fishers, who face catch limits and marketing bans for Mediterranean albacore and bluefin tuna.
  • IUU-listed vessels, which must not be authorised to land, tranship, re-fuel, re-supply or engage in commercial transactions.

Figures and deadlines

  • 15 April, 15 July and 15 October each year and 15 January of the following year: deadlines for quarterly tropical tuna catch reports.
  • 30 April, 30 July and 30 October each year and 30 January of the following year: deadlines for the Commission to send information to the ICCAT Secretariat.
  • Three Mediterranean albacore specimens per vessel per day: maximum catch for recreational fisheries.
  • 300 FADs per vessel with operational buoys: maximum active at the same time.
  • 15 days prior to the start of closure periods: period when drifting FADs must not be deployed.
  • 100 metres: depth below which the majority of hooks are set for shallow-set longlines.
  • 10 degrees: maximum offset for circle hooks.
  • 10 %: difference triggering investigations into bluefin tuna numbers or weights.

Legal basis: Article 294(2) and Article 43(2) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union.