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1. Each Member State with a quota for Mediterranean swordfish shall implement a national scientific observer programme for pelagic longline vessels flying that Member State's flag and targeting Mediterranean swordfish in accordance with this Article. The national observer programme shall comply with the minimum standards laid down in Annex I.

2. Each Member State concerned shall ensure that national scientific observers are deployed on at least 10 % of pelagic longline vessels over 15 metres in length overall flying that Member State's flag and targeting Mediterranean swordfish. The percentage coverage shall be measured by number of fishing days, sets, vessels or trips.

3. Each Member State concerned shall design and implement a scientific monitoring approach to collect the information on the activities of pelagic longline vessels 15 metres in length overall and below flying that Member State's flag. Each flag Member State shall present the details of that scientific monitoring approach to the Commission in its annual fishing plan referred to in Article 9 by 2020.

4. The Commission shall immediately submit the details of the scientific monitoring approach referred to in paragraph 3 to the ICCAT Standing Committee on Research and Statistics (SCRS) for evaluation. Scientific monitoring approaches shall be subject to the approval of the ICCAT Commission at the ICCAT annual meeting prior to their implementation.

5. Member States shall issue their national scientific observers with an official identification document.

6. In addition to the tasks of scientific observers laid down in Annex I, Member States shall require scientific observers to assess and report the following data on Mediterranean swordfish:

(a) the level of discards of specimens below the minimum conservation reference size;

(b) region specific size and age at maturity;

(c) habitat use, for comparison of the availability of Mediterranean swordfish to various fisheries, including comparisons between traditional and mesopelagic longline fisheries;

(d) the impact of the mesopelagic longline fisheries in terms of catch composition, catch per unit effort series and size distribution of the catches; and (e) monthly estimation of the proportion of spawners and recruits in the catches.

7. By 30 June of each year Member States shall submit to the Commission the information collected under their national scientific observer programmes of the previous year. The Commission shall forward that information to the ICCAT Secretariat by 31 July of each year.