Bottom fishing outside the bottom fishing footprint or exceeding reference period catch levels
Article 13
1. Member States shall not authorise fishing vessels flying their flag to engage in bottom fishing outside the bottom fishing footprint or exceeding reference period catch levels without prior authorisation from the SPRFMO. 2. Member States whose vessels intend to fish outside the bottom fishing footprint or intend to exceed the average annual catch level referred to in point (b) of Article 12(2) shall submit a request for authorisation to the Commission not later than 80 days before the SPRFMO Scientific Committee meeting of the year in which they wish their request to be considered. The Commission shall forward the request to the SPRFMO Secretariat not later than 60 days before the SPRFMO Scientific Committee meeting. The request shall contain: (a) a bottom fishing impact assessment; (b) an evaluation as to whether the proposed activities both promote the sustainable management of target species and non-target species taken as by-catch, and protect the marine ecosystems in which those resources occur, including by preventing significant adverse impacts on VMEs. 3. The impact assessment referred to in point (a) of paragraph 2 shall be carried out in accordance with the Deep-sea Fisheries Guidelines of the FAO and shall take into account the SPRFMO Bottom Fishery Impact Assessment Standard and areas where VMEs are known or are likely to occur. 4. The Commission shall inform the relevant Member State of the SPRFMO decision regarding the authorisation to bottom fish within the SPRFMO Convention Area for the purpose of which the impact assessment was conducted, including any attached conditions and relevant measures to prevent significant adverse impacts on VMEs. 5. Member States shall ensure that impact assessments referred to in point (a) of paragraph 2 are updated when a change in the fishery has occurred that is likely to have an impact on VMEs, and transmit that information to the Commission as soon as it becomes available. The Commission shall forward that information to the SPRFMO Secretariat.