1. Each Member State with a bluefin tuna quota shall regulate recreational fisheries by allocating a specific quota for the purpose of those fisheries. Possible dead bluefin tuna shall be taken into account in such allocation, including in the framework of catch-and-release fishing. Member States shall inform the Commission of the quota allocated to recreational fisheries when submitting their fishing plans.
2. Catches of dead bluefin tuna shall be reported and counted against the quota of the Member State.
1. Each Member State with a bluefin tuna quota allocated to recreational fisheries shall regulate recreational fisheries by issuing fishing authorisations to vessels for the purpose of recreational fishing. Upon request by ICCAT, Member States shall make available to the Commission the list of recreational vessels which have been granted a fishing authorisation to catch bluefin tuna. The Commission shall forward that list to ICCAT. The list shall contain the following information for each vessel:
(a)
name of vessel;
(b)
register number;
(c)
ICCAT record number (if any);
(d)
any previous name; and
(e)
name and address of owner(s) and operator(s).
2. In recreational fisheries, it shall be prohibited to catch, retain on board, tranship or land more than one bluefin tuna per vessel per day.
3. The marketing of bluefin tuna caught in recreational fisheries shall be prohibited.
4. Each Member State shall record catch data including the weight and, where possible, the length of each bluefin tuna caught in recreational fisheries and communicate the data for the preceding year to the Commission by 30 June each year. The Commission shall forward that information to the ICCAT Secretariat.
5. Each Member State shall take the measures necessary to ensure, to the greatest extent possible, the release of bluefin tuna, especially juveniles, caught alive in recreational fisheries. Any bluefin tuna landed shall be whole, gilled and/or gutted.
1. By way of derogation from Article 23(1), Member States authorising ‘catch and release’ fishing in the north-east Atlantic conducted exclusively by sport fisheries vessels may allow a limited number of sport fishery vessels to target bluefin tuna with the purpose of catch, tag and release’ fishing without the need to allocate a specific quota to them. Such vessels shall operate in the context of a scientific project of a research institute integrated in a scientific research programme. The results of the project shall be communicated to the relevant authorities of the flag Member State.
2. Vessels conducting scientific research under the ICCAT Research Programme for bluefin tuna shall not be deemed to conduct ‘catch, tag and release’ activities as referred to in paragraph 1.
3. Member States authorising ‘catch, tag and release’ activities, shall:
(a)
submit description of those activities and the measures applicable thereto as an integral part of their fishing and inspection plans referred to in Articles 12 and 15;
(b)
closely monitor the activities of the vessels concerned to ensure their compliance with this Regulation;
(c)
ensure that the tagging and releasing operations are performed by trained personnel to ensure a high survival rate of the individuals; and
(d)
submit an annual report to the Commission, by 30 June each year, on the scientific activities conducted. The Commission shall forward the report to the ICCAT Secretariat 60 days before the SCRS meeting of the following year.
4. Any bluefin tuna that dies during ‘catch, tag and release’ activities shall be reported and deducted from the quota of the flag Member State.
