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1. The competent authority of the farm Member State shall carry out random controls in farms under its jurisdiction. The minimum random controls referred to in paragraph 2 shall take place in farms between the time of completion of the caging operations and the first caging of the following year. Such controls shall involve the compulsory transfer of all bluefin tuna individuals from farm cages to other farm cages in order that the number of bluefin tuna individuals can be counted by way of control video records.

2. Each farm Member State shall set a minimum number of random controls to be performed on each farm under its jurisdiction. The number of random controls shall cover at least 10 % of the number of cages in each farm after completion of the caging operations, involving at least one control per farm and rounded up where needed. The selection of cages to be controlled shall be based on risk analysis. The planning for random controls to be carried out shall be reflected in the Member State’s monitoring, control and inspection plan referred to in Article 14.

3. Although not mandatory, the competent authority of the farm Member State may give the farms concerned a maximum of 2 calendar days prior notice that a random control will take place. In such cases, the competent authority of the farm Member State shall only communicate the selected cages to the farm operator upon arrival at the farm concerned.

4. The farm operators shall take all appropriate steps to facilitate the random controls and, where prior notice is given, they shall ensure that all means are in place in order that random controls can be carried out by the competent authority of the farm Member State at any time, and in any cage in the farm.

5. The competent authority of the farm Member State shall strive to reduce the time between the ordering of the random controls and date when the control operations are carried out. The competent authority of the farm Member State shall ensure that all necessary measures are taken to ensure that the farm operator does not have the possibility to manipulate the cages concerned before the random control takes place.

6. Following the random control, any difference between the number of bluefin tuna individuals determined by the random controls and the number expected to be present in the cage shall be duly investigated and recorded in the eBCD system. In the case of an excess number, the competent authority of the farm Member State shall order the release of the corresponding number of bluefin tuna individuals. The release operation shall be conducted in accordance with Annex XII. Compensation for differences between different cages in the farm shall not be allowed. The competent authority of the farm Member State may allow a margin of error of 5 % between the number of bluefin tuna individuals resulting from the control transfer and the number of individuals expected to be present in the cage.

7. The competent authority of the farm Member State shall retain all video records from random controls undertaken in farms under its jurisdiction for a minimum of 3 years and shall keep that information as long as necessary for enforcement purposes.

8. The results of the random controls shall be communicated by the Commission to the ICCAT Secretariat before the start of the new purse seine vessel fishing season applicable to each Member State in accordance with Article 17, for transmission to the ICCAT Compliance Committee.