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1. Member States may require their catching vessels or traps to affix a tag to each bluefin tuna preferably at the time of kill, but in any event not later than the time of landing (‘tagging programme’). Tags shall have unique Member State-specific numbers and shall be tamper proof. The tag numbers shall be linked to the eBCD.

2. Member States concerned shall send a summary of the implementation of the tagging programme to the Commission by 30 April each year in respect of the preceding year. Any subsequent changes to a tagging programme shall also be sent to the Commission. The Commission shall forward the summaries to the ICCAT Secretariat.

3. The use of tags under this Article shall only be authorised when the accumulated catch amounts are within Member States’ quotas or catch limits of each management year, including, where appropriate, individual quotas allocated to vessels or traps.

4. For the purposes of Article 4(4), the commercial tagging programs of the flag Member State for the vessel or trap that harvested the bluefin tuna under which the fish are tagged shall provide at least for the following:

(a) that all bluefin tuna in the eBCD concerned are individually tagged;

(b) the following information associated with the tag:

(i) identification of the catching vessel or trap;

(ii) date of capture or landing;

(iii) the area of harvest of the fish in the shipment;

(iv) the gear used to catch the fish;

(v) the type of product and individual weight of the tagged bluefin tuna;

(vi) where applicable, information on the exporter and importer; and (vii) where applicable, the point of export.

5. By way of derogation from paragraph 4, point (b) (v), of this Article, for those fisheries subject to the derogations as to minimum conservation reference size under Regulation (EU) 2023/2053, Member States may instead, until 31 December 2024, provide the approximate weight of individual fish within the catch upon offloading, which shall be determined through representative sampling.

6. Where Member States apply the derogation provided for in paragraph 5 of this Article, they shall report to the Commission annually in accordance with Article 5(4) on the implementation of that derogation.

7. The information on tagged fish shall be compiled by the Member State responsible for the tagging programme.

8. The Commission shall compile the information on tagged fish received from Member States and shall transmit it to ICCAT in the format of the Union implementation report.