FantasticSearch

1. Catching vessel masters, trap operators, farm operators, sellers and exporters, or their authorised representatives, shall complete the BCD by providing the required information and shall request its validation in accordance with paragraph 2 in respect of each bluefin tuna caught, landed, caged, harvested, transhipped, domestically traded or exported.

2. The BCD shall be validated by a competent authority of the flag Member State of the vessel or of the trap or farm Member State that caught or harvested the bluefin tuna, or of the Member State of establishment of the seller or exporter that domestically traded or exported the bluefin tuna.

3. Member States shall validate the BCD for bluefin tuna products only where:

(a) all the information contained in the BCD has been verified as accurate;

(b) the accumulated amounts of catch are within their quotas or catch limits for the relevant management year, including, where appropriate, individual quotas allocated to catching vessels or traps; and (c) the products comply with all other relevant provisions of the ICCAT conservation and management measures.

4. Validation under paragraph 2 of this Article shall not be required where all bluefin tuna available for sale are tagged, in accordance with Article 6(4), by the flag or trap Member State that fished them.

5. Where the bluefin tuna quantities caught and landed are less than 1 metric tonne or fewer than three fish, the logbook or the sales note may be used as a temporary BCD, pending the validation of the BCD within seven days of landing and prior to export.

6. A validated BCD shall include, as appropriate, the information set out in Annex 1 to ICCAT Recommendation 18-13 and Annex I to this Regulation. Instructions for the issuing, numbering, completion and validation of the BCD are set out in Annex 3 to ICCAT Recommendation 18-13 and Annex III to this Regulation.

7. The buyer information in the trade information section shall be entered into the eBCD system prior to the validation. The trade information section of an eBCD shall be validated prior to export.

8. Export from the Member States shall take place only if the previous trade between Member States has been properly recorded. Such export shall continue to require validation in the eBCD system in accordance with paragraphs 1 to 5.