Considerations on COM(2007)74 - Amendment of Council Regulation (EC) No 41/2007 as concerns the recovery plan for bluefin tuna recommended by the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas

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dossier COM(2007)74 - Amendment of Council Regulation (EC) No 41/2007 as concerns the recovery plan for bluefin tuna recommended by the ...
document COM(2007)74 EN
date June 11, 2007
 
table>(1)Regulation (EC) No 41/2007 (2) fixes for 2007 the fishing opportunities and associated conditions for certain fish stocks and groups of fish stocks, applicable in community waters and, for Community vessels, in waters where catch limitations are required.
(2)The Community has, since 14 November 1997, been a party to the International Convention for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (3).

(3)At its Annual Meeting in November 2006, the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) adopted Recommendation 2006[05] to establish a 15-year recovery plan for bluefin tuna in the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean.

(4)Under Regulation (EC) No 41/2007 the fishing opportunities and associated conditions for bluefin tuna were fixed on a provisional basis, pending an agreement on the final share of this stock under the ICCAT convention.

(5)In order to rebuild the stock, the ICCAT recovery plan provides for a graduated reduction of the Total Allowable Catch (TAC) level from 2007 to 2010, restrictions on fishing within certain areas and time period, a new minimum size for bluefin tuna, measures concerning sport and recreational fishing activities as well as control measures and the implementation of the ICCAT Scheme of Joint International Inspection to ensure the effectiveness of the recovery plan.

In order to contribute to the conservation of bluefin tuna, it is necessary to implement special measures from 2007 pending the adoption of a Council Regulation implementing multi-annual measures for the recovery of the bluefin tuna stock.

(6)Since the fishery for bluefin tuna by Community vessels started in February 2007, it was necessary to apply the management and control measures for this fishery as agreed upon by ICCAT as from February 2007 instead of 13 June 2007 as mentioned in the ICCAT Recommendation 2006[05] in order to ensure the compliance with the recovery plan for bluefin tuna.

(7)The measures adopted under this Regulation, for the sole purpose of their financing, shall be deemed to be a recovery plan within the meaning of Article 5 of Regulation (EC) No 2371/2002.

(8)Regulation (EC) No 41/2007 should therefore be amended accordingly,