Reporting and Evaluation
Article 9
1. Each Member State shall report to the Commission, initially every third year, with the first report to be presented by 30 June 2012. The frequency of reporting shall decrease to once every sixth year, after the first three tri-annual reports have been submitted. Reports shall outline monitoring, effectiveness and outcome, and in particular shall provide the best available estimates of: (a) for each Member State, the proportion of the silver eel biomass that escapes to the sea to spawn, or the proportion of the silver eel biomass leaving the territory of that Member State as part of a seaward migration to spawn, relative to the target level of escapement set out in Article 2(4); (b) the level of fishing effort that catches eel each year, and the reduction effected in accordance with Articles 4(2) and 5(4); (c) the level of mortality factors outside the fishery, and the reduction effected in accordance with Article 2(10); (d) the amount of eel less than 12 cm in length caught and the proportions of this utilised for different purposes. 2. The Commission shall, not later than 31 December 2013, present a report to the European Parliament and the Council with a statistical and scientific evaluation of the outcome of the implementation of the Eel Management Plans, accompanied by the opinion of the Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries. 3. The Commission shall, in the light of the report referred to in paragraph 2, propose any appropriate measures to achieve with high probability the recovery of the stock of European eel and the Council shall decide by qualified majority on alternative measures to achieve the target level of escapement set out in Article 2(4) or a reduction of fishing effort in accordance with Articles 4(2) and 5(4).