The regulation transposes into EU law the management, conservation and control measures adopted by the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC) concerning stocks of tunas, and other species of fish in the same ecosystem.
The Convention covers a defined area of the eastern Pacific Ocean.

KEY POINTS

Conservation and management

Time closures: fishing is closed to purse seine* vessels for tropical tunas (bigeye tuna, yellowfin tuna and skipjack tuna) for 2 periods each year. Each EU Member State involved in the fishery stipulates by 15 June which of the two closure periods — from 29 July to 8 October, or from 9 November to 19 January — will apply to their vessels.
Area closures: fishing for tropical tunas within the area of 96° and 110°W and between 4°N and 3°S is closed from 9 October to 8 November.
Deploying fishing gear within 1 nautical mile of, or interacting with, an anchored data buoy* in the Convention area is prohibited.
Active fish-aggregating devices* (FADs) are limited to 450 per purse seine vessel. Member Statesshall report daily information on all active FADs to the European Commission submitted with a time delay of at least 60 days, but with not more than 90 days between each report. Operators of EU fishing vessels must collect and report any interaction with FADs.
All transhipments of IATTC species in the Convention area shall take place in port.

Protecting marine species

The following species shall not be retained on board, transhipped, landed, stored, or sold, and must be safely released:
- oceanic whitetip sharks;
- mobulid rays (which includes Manta rays and Mobula rays);
- silky sharks (where caught by purse seine).
EU fishing vessels shall not set a purse seine net on a school of tunas where a whale shark is present, and incidents should be reported. They shall promptly release sharks (whether alive or dead) as soon as possible without compromising human safety.
EU longline fishing vessels shall not use shark lines.
Catch data for silky and hammerhead sharks shall be reported to the IATTC.
Sea turtles shall be promptly released, in a way that causes the least harm and without compromising human safety of any persons. At least one crew member must be trained in techniques for handling and release of sea turtles to improve survival after release.
There are also measures aimed at protecting seabirds (restrictions on using longlines), and dolphins (authorised vessels only, and restrictions on using purse seines when fishing for yellowfin tunas).

Scientific observers on long-liners

Member States must ensure that longline vessels carry a scientific observer on board, to cover at least 5% of the fishing effort made by vessels longer than 20 metres, who records catches of targeted fish species, species composition and any other available biological information as well as any interactions with non-target species such as sea turtles, seabirds and sharks. The regulation includes detailed rules to assure observer safety.

Vessel requirements

Member States shall provide detailed information on each fishing vessel under their jurisdiction fishing in the Convention area for the IATTC Regional Vessel Register.
A well (as space on board a vessel to carry live fish) that is sealed must be physically sealed in a tamper-proof manner so that it is not connected with any other space on the vessel and cannot be used for any other storage. Observers must report to the IATTC any instances of sealed wells being used for storing fish.

Catch data

Catch data must be reported by Member States to the Commission annually for species covered by the Convention, with special rules for reporting on bigeye tuna caught by purse seiners and bait boats.

FROM WHEN DOES THE REGULATION APPLY?

It has applied since 15 February 2021.

BACKGROUND

The EU concluded the Convention in 2006 as a contracting party to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (see summary).

KEY TERMS

Purse seine: any encircling net, the bottom of which is drawn together by 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.

Data buoys: floating devices, either drifting or anchored, that are deployed by governmental or recognised scientific organisations or entities to electronically collect environmental data, not in support of fishing activities, and which have been notified to the IATTC Secretariat.

Fish-aggregating device (FAD): anchored, drifting, floating or submerged objects deployed or tracked by vessels, including through the use of radio or satellite buoys, for the purpose of aggregating target tuna species for purse seine fishing operations.

MAIN DOCUMENT

Regulation (EU) 2021/56 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 January 2021 laying down management, conservation and control measures applicable in the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Convention area and amending Council Regulation (EC) No 520/2007 (OJ L 24, 26.1.2021, pp. 1-18)

RELATED DOCUMENTS

Council Regulation (EC) No 1224/2009 of 20 November 2009 establishing a Union control system for ensuring compliance with the rules of the common fisheries policy, amending Regulations (EC) No 847/96, (EC) No 2371/2002, (EC) No 811/2004, (EC) No 768/2005, (EC) No 2115/2005, (EC) No 2166/2005, (EC) No 388/2006, (EC) No 509/2007, (EC) No 676/2007, (EC) No 1098/2007, (EC) No 1300/2008, (EC) No 1342/2008 and repealing Regulations (EEC) No 2847/93, (EC) No 1627/94 and (EC) No 1966/2006 (OJ L 343, 22.12.2009, pp. 1-50)

Successive amendments to Regulation (EC) No 1224/2009 have been incorporated into the original text. This consolidated version is of documentary value only.

Council Regulation (EC) No 1005/2008 of 29 September 2008 establishing a Community system to prevent, deter and eliminate illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, amending Regulations (EEC) No 2847/93, (EC) No 1936/2001 and (EC) No 601/2004 and repealing Regulations (EC) No 1093/94 and (EC) No 1447/1999 (OJ L 286, 29.10.2008, pp. 1-32)

See consolidated version.

Council Regulation (EC) No 520/2007 of 7 May 2007 laying down technical measures for the conservation of certain stocks of highly migratory species and repealing Regulation (EC) No 973/2001 (OJ L 123, 12.5.2007, pp. 3-13)

See consolidated version.

Council Decision 2006/539/EC of 22 May 2006 on the conclusion, on behalf of the European Community of the Convention for the Strengthening of the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission established by the 1949 Convention between the United States of America and the Republic of Costa Rica (OJ L 224, 16.8.2006, pp. 22-23)

Convention for the strengthening of the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission established by the 1949 Convention between the United States of America and the Republic of Costa Rica (Antigua Convention) (OJ L 224, 16.8.2006, pp. 24-42)

Council Decision 2005/26/EC of 25 October 2004 on the signing, on behalf of the European Community, of the Convention for the strengthening of the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission established by the 1949 Convention between the United States of America and the Republic of Costa Rica (‘Antigua Convention’) (OJ L 15, 19.1.2005, p. 9)

Council Regulation (EC) No 1185/2003 of 26 June 2003 on the removal of fins of sharks on board vessels (OJ L 167, 4.7.2003, pp. 1-3)

See consolidated version.

Council Decision 98/392/EC of 23 March 1998 concerning the conclusion by the European Community of the United Nations Convention of 10 December 1982 on the Law of the Sea and the Agreement of 28 July 1994 relating to the implementation of Part XI thereof (OJ L 179, 23.6.1998, pp. 1-2)

United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and of the Agreement on the implementation of Part XI thereof (Montego Bay Convention) (OJ L 179, 23.6.1998, pp. 3-134)

last update 09.04.2021

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