Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2025/837 of 7 February 2025 amending Regulation (EU) 2023/2053 of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards the management of bluefin tuna in the eastern Atlantic and in the Mediterranean

• CELEX: Delegated Regulation (EU) 2025/837
• Articles: 3

Article 1 Annual fishing capacity management plans

Regulation (EU) 2023/2053 is amended as follows:

(1)

Article 13 is replaced by the following:

‘Article 13

Annual fishing capacity management plans

1.   Each Member State with a bluefin tuna quota shall establish an annual fishing capacity management plan. In that plan, the Member State shall adjust the number of catching vessels and traps in a way that ensures that the fishing capacity is commensurate with the fishing opportunities allocated to catching vessels and traps for the relevant quota period.

2.   Each Member State concerned shall adjust the fishing capacity using the parameters provided for in the applicable Union act  ( *1 ) for the allocation of fishing opportunities. The adjustment of Union fishing capacity for purse seine vessels shall be limited to a maximum variation of 20 % compared to the baseline fishing capacity as declared to ICCAT in 2018.

3.   By way of derogation from paragraph 1, Member States may increase the number of purse seine vessels, provided that this increase results from a conversion from other bluefin tuna fleets pertaining to the Member State requesting this derogation, the fishing capacity remains commensurate with available fishing opportunities, and that, overall, the final Union fishing capacity, between purse seiners and the fleet from which the conversion is made, does not represent a capacity increase with respect to the precedent year.

4.   Member States requesting the derogation provided for in paragraph 3 shall include the relevant details of the requested fleet conversion in their annual fishing capacity plans.

5.   For the purposes of the derogation provided for in paragraph 3, the ratio for converting fleets shall be based on the 2009 catch rates provided by the SCRS.

( *1 )   For 2025, Council Regulation (EU) 2025/202 of 30 January 2025 fixing for 2025 and 2026 the fishing opportunities for certain fish stocks, applicable in Union waters and, for Union fishing vessels, in certain non-Union waters, and amending Regulation (EU) 2023/194 ( OJ L, 2025/202, 31.1.2025, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2025/202/oj ).’;"

(2)

in Article 17, paragraph 4a is replaced by the following:

‘4a.   By way of derogation from paragraph 1, Spain may request in its annual fishing plan for 2025, as referred to in Article 11, that purse seine vessels involved in the pilot project for farming bluefin tuna in the Cantabrian Sea be allowed to fish for bluefin tuna in the Cantabrian Sea (ICES fishing area 27.8.b and 27.8.c) from 26 May 2025 until 30 September 2025.’

;

(3)

Annex I and IX are amended in accordance with the Annex to this Regulation.

Article 2

This Regulation shall enter into force on the day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union .

Schedules & Appendices

ANNEX

ANNEX

Annexes I and IX to Regulation (EU) 2023/2053 are amended as follows:

(1)

in Annex I, points 1 and 2 are replaced by the following:

‘1.

Each Member State shall ensure that the following capacity limitations are respected:

(a)

the maximum number of its baitboats and trolling boats authorised to fish actively bluefin tuna to the number of the vessels participating in directed fishery for bluefin tuna in 2006;

(b)

the maximum number of its artisanal fleet authorised to fish actively bluefin tuna in the Mediterranean to the number of the vessels participating in the fishery for bluefin tuna in 2008, with the exception of small-scale coastal vessels operating in the Gulf of Lion, whose number may increase by up to 10 % compared to the number of vessels recorded in 2008;

(c)

the maximum number of its catching vessels authorised to fish actively bluefin tuna in the Adriatic Sea to the number of the vessel participating in the fishery for bluefin tuna in 2008.

Each Member State shall allocate individual quotas to vessels concerned.

2.

Each Member State may allocate:

(a)

no more than 7 % of its quota for bluefin tuna among its baitboats and trolling boats;

(b)

no more than 2 % of its quota for bluefin tuna among its coastal artisanal fishery for fresh fish in the Mediterranean; however, in the Gulf of Lion, that percentage may go up to 4 %;

(c)

no more than 90 % of its quota for bluefin tuna among its catching vessels in the Adriatic Sea for farming purposes.’;

(2)

in Annex I, the following point is added:

‘3.

By way of derogation from point 2(a), for France, a maximum of 100 tonnes of bluefin tuna weighing no less than 6,4 kg or 70 cm fork length may be caught by vessels flying the flag of France of a length overall of less than 17 metres operating in the Bay of Biscay.’;

(3)

in Annex IX, the following part is added:

‘The European Fisheries Control Agency shall be the body designated to:

(a)

receive, from the authorities of the flag Member State of the inspection vessel, the report and any information related to detected infringements;

(b)

send a copy of the reports with detected infringements to the flag State of the inspected fishing vessel and to the ICCAT Secretariat, with copy to the Commission.’.