FantasticSearch

1. The eBCD system shall be used for any catch, landing, transfer, including intra- and inter-farm transfers, transhipment, caging, harvest, domestic trade, import, export or re-export of bluefin tuna. Paper BCDs may be used under exceptional circumstances as provided for in Article 11.

2. A BCD shall be completed in one of the official languages of ICCAT (English, French or Spanish), for each bluefin tuna caught by a fishing vessel or trap, transferred, landed or transhipped at ports by a fishing vessel or trap, or caged or harvested by farms.

3. Each lot of bluefin tuna domestically traded, imported into, or exported or re-exported from the territory of the Union shall be accompanied by a BCD validated by the competent authority, except in cases where Article 4(4) applies, and, as applicable, an ICCAT transfer declaration or a validated bluefin tuna re-export certificate (‘BFTRC’). Each lot of bluefin tuna shall only contain bluefin tuna products of the same presentation and originating in the same relevant geographical area and the same fishing vessel, or group of fishing vessels, or the same trap.

4. It shall be prohibited to land, transfer, tranship, cage, deliver, harvest, trade domestically, import, export or re-export bluefin tuna without a completed and, where applicable, validated BCD and BFTRC whenever necessary.

5. Each BCD shall have a unique document identification number. Document identification numbers shall be specific to the flag or trap Member State.

6. At the time of caging and provided that all the fish are caged in the same farming cage and on the same day, relevant BCDs may be grouped as a ‘grouped BCD’ with a new BCD number in the following cases:

(a) multiple catches made by the same vessel;

(b) catches made by joint fishing operations.

7. The grouped BCD shall replace all the related original BCDs and shall be accompanied by the list of all the associated BCD numbers. The copies of such associated BCDs shall be made available to Member States’ or CPCs’ control authorities, upon request.

8. Bluefin tuna that are caught as by-catch by vessels not authorised to fish actively for bluefin tuna pursuant to Regulation (EU) 2023/2053 may be traded. Member States’ authorities, port authorities and authorised self-registration by the master or representative of the vessel shall facilitate the access by the master or representative of the vessel to the eBCD system, including by way of their national registration number. The flag Member States of the vessels concerned shall not be required to submit a list of such vessels to the Commission.

9. Bluefin tuna that die during the transfer, towing or caging operations covered by Articles 40 to 55 of Regulation (EU) 2023/2053 may be traded by the purse seine vessel, auxiliary vessel, trap and/or farm representatives, where applicable.

10. Bluefin tuna harvested in sport and recreational fisheries, the sale of which is prohibited, shall not be subject to this Regulation and shall not, therefore, be required to be recorded in the eBCD system.