General rules concerning control observers
Article 93
1. Without prejudice to special rules established by a Regional Fisheries Management Organisation or agreed with a third country, EU fishing vessels identified for the application of a control observer scheme shall carry at least one control observer on board during the time fixed by the scheme. 2. Member States shall designate control observers and ensure they are able to carry out their tasks. Member States shall ensure in particular the deployment of control observers to and from the EU fishing vessel concerned. 3. Control observers shall not perform other tasks than those established Article 73 of the Control Regulation and in Article 95 of this Regulation unless other tasks are to be performed pursuant to the EU control observer scheme or as a part of an observer programme under the scope of a Regional Fisheries Management Organisation or established in the framework of a bilateral agreement with a third country. 4. The competent authorities shall ensure that for the purposes of their mission control observers have means of communication independent from the communication system of the fishing vessel. 5. These rules do not affect the powers of the master of the fishing vessel as being in sole charge of the operations of the vessel.